en-US Wed, 19 Mar 2025 18:16:36 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 201335472
We instinctively assume he cannot. We figure giving voice to those things will bring shame, rejection, and distance from him. But what if our hard questions don't need to function as an off-ramp from Christianity but can lead us closer to his heart? What if he is not afraid of our doubts but instead reveals himself in them?

In Can I Say That?, Brenna Blain brings her fresh voice to those who feel unsafe or unwelcome in the church, acknowledging the incongruity between the church's actions and believers' lived experiences. As a Bible teacher and an advocate for those who have experienced abuse, molestation, and mental health crises, she creates space for readers to be radically honest and ask tough questions—Am I safe here? Why does your presence feel so lonely, God?—while pointing them to biblical, foundational truth.

Leading the way with her own raw vulnerability and authenticity, Brenna shares her journey of wrestling with God and building intimacy with him as a result. Bravely exploring these deep places with Brenna will help

Know in your guts that God accepts you as you are—even as you question, struggle, doubt, and hurtBe reassured that he is bigger than anything you face and can handle anything you bring to himExperience his love in the most tender and needy parts of your heartEngage complex questions about the institution of the church, wrestle with its abuses, and advocate for the Body of Christ to more closely reflect his heart��

God sees you and knows you—better than you know yourself. He doesn't need you to change in order for him to love you. He doesn't require you to be free of struggles in order for him to be close to you. He wants you to be your true self with him and be willing to engage with him deeply, so he can wow you with the beauty of his heart and character.]]> 240 Brenna Blain 1400339944 Danica 0 currently-reading 4.57
author: Brenna Blain
name: Danica
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 150072956
Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?]]> 320 Elle Cosimano 1250846005 Danica 0 3.88 2024
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Danica
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 201893407 From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy��comes a heartwarming��fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers��rom com twist set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla’s rewarding career patrolling the strange land of Tanria remains a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank's job a lot��safer ... and a lot less exciting.��So when they��discover the body of one of their fellow marshals near an enormous footprint—and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon—they are grateful to be back in action.
��
Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as danger closes in and��Twyla and Frank's investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might be the person who has lived next door all along...]]> 407 Megan Bannen Danica 0 4.17 2024
author: Megan Bannen
name: Danica
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 109516 260 Phil Vischer 0785222073 Danica 0 to-read 4.37 2007
author: Phil Vischer
name: Danica
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218704199
Berlin Zoo, 1943: Ten-year-old Adelaide and her newborn sister are orphaned after a devastating night of bombing. Heartbroken and frightened, Adelaide runs to her mother’s closest friend, Katharina Heinroth, and the kind zookeeper takes the two little girls under her protection. As the bombing intensifies, Adelaide tries to shut out the horrors of war by caring for her tiny sister and playing with the adorable baby monkeys. But when Katharina organises a dangerous operation to enable children and animals to escape the battle-scarred city, something goes wrong. And Adelaide has to promise her adopted mother to keep a shocking secret. A secret that will change Adelaide’s life forever.

Berlin Zoo, 2019: Bethan Taylor notices the elderly lady sitting on the bench next to her seems confused, her thoughts flitting between past and present. Ada talks of her childhood, played out in an underground bunker beneath the animal enclosures during the war. As Ada’s story unfolds, Bethan is surprised to hear a name she recognises��

Katharina Heinroth is at the top of a list of German names Bethan found in a hidden compartment of her late mother’s jewellery box. Bethan’s father couldn’t tell her anything about the crumpled piece of paper and she’s been searching for the meaning ever since.

As the two women are brought together by the pain of the past can they help each other to heal? And after decades of silence, can Ada help Bethan to uncover a long-buried family mystery?

An unforgettable and heart-wrenching novel of a brave orphan girl and a shocking wartime secret. Inspired by a true WW2 story and perfect for fans of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Alice Network.

Previously titled The Zookeeper's Daughter.]]> 356 Anna Stuart Danica 0 4.32
author: Anna Stuart
name: Danica
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 41150422 An eye-opening, investigative account of the dismal state of women's healthcare in the U.S.

One of Elle's "30 Best Books to Read This Summer"

American women visit more doctors, have more surgery, and fill more prescriptions than men. In Everything Below the Waist, Jennifer Block asks: Why is the life expectancy of women today declining relative to women in other high-income countries, and even relative to the generation before them? Block examines several staples of modern women's health care, from fertility technology to contraception to pelvic surgery to miscarriage treatment, and finds that while overdiagnosis and overtreatment persist in medicine writ large, they are particularly acute for women. One third of mothers give birth by major surgery; roughly half of women lose their uterus to hysterectomy.

Feminism turned the world upside down, yet to a large extent the doctors' office has remained stuck in time. Block returns to the 1970s women's health movement to understand how in today's supposed age of empowerment, women's bodies are still so vulnerable to medical control--particularly their sex organs, and as result, their sex lives.

In this urgent book, Block tells the stories of patients, clinicians, and reformers, uncovering history and science that could revolutionize the standard of care, and change the way women think about their health. Everything Below the Waist challenges all people to take back control of their bodies.]]> 283 Jennifer Block 125011005X Danica 0 to-read 4.14 2019
author: Jennifer Block
name: Danica
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213004602 “Compulsively readable, Drop Dead Sisters is perfect for readers who love shows like Bad Sisters and Dead to Me. A mystery about three estranged sisters who accidentally kill someone? Yes, please.�� —Mindy Kaling

Three sisters reunite on a family vacation and rekindle their relationship the only way they know how—by covering each other’s tracks in a real-life murder mystery not even they can figure out.

Remi Finch has spent the better part of her adult life avoiding family—especially her sisters. They just don’t click. Besides, her unconventional upbringing and major anxiety have convinced Remi that she ������’t build a relationship with anyone. Period.

When her parents plan a family reunion camping trip to celebrate their anniversary, Remi’s willing to reconnect, if only because she doesn’t have a choice. But then a dead body turns up at their campsite, and their sisterly bonding kicks into high gear.

No one knows the whole story, but the Finch women are prepared to cover up the pieces before anyone tries to put them together. It’s a precautionary measure, probably unnecessary. Nobody else was there, so how could they have seen anything?

Between old grudges and new dynamics, a handsome park ranger, and a body that won’t stay hidden, Remi is about to learn that nothing strengthens family ties quite like crime.]]> 255 Amelia Diane Coombs 1662522746 Danica 4 3.75 2024
author: Amelia Diane Coombs
name: Danica
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:
3.5 ⭐️ was this book good? I don’t know. Did I read it in two sittings? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I overlook some character flaws and plot holes? Yep. Rounded to four ⭐️ because what the heck, life is short.
]]> 216375597 From the bestselling author of Recipe for Second Chances comes a swoonworthy romance bursting with wit about a therapist who falls for the wrong man…but perhaps the right one was hiding in the margins all along.

As a relationship therapist, Nora helps patients explore their feelings honestly. But she’s hiding an embarrassing relationship secret of her own: she’s in love with someone she’s never even met.

J edits the advice column Nora’s been writing anonymously for the last seven years. He’s in London, she’s in New York, and they communicate solely through shared files. When he confides that his girlfriend’s out of the picture, and her boss asks her to come to London, Nora takes both as a sign.

But that’s not the only thing on her mind. A client’s ex-boyfriend just moved into her co-op, directly beneath her. Eli blames Nora for his breakup and seems determined to make her life miserable, gleefully planning a noisy renovation.

Yet despite all his bluster, Nora eventually starts to see the softness behind Eli’s brusque, charming exterior…and after a slipup reveals a startling secret, Nora wonders whether someone can be two things at once.]]> 312 Ali Rosen 1662527934 Danica 0 3.89 2025
author: Ali Rosen
name: Danica
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 63009316
This is disillusionment.
This is spiritual pain.

This is losing hope.

And if this is you―if you’re in a dark night of the soul―please know that you are not alone. (And you are not as far away from safety as you may feel or fear.) Though faith shines best in full sun, it grows depth in the dark.

The night is not your enemy.
In fact, the night is necessary.

In The Night Is Normal , revered author, speaker, and mentor Dr. Alicia Britt Chole offers a groundbreaking perspective that reveals spiritual disillusionment as an unexpected friend. Within these sacred pages, you’ll explore


Our reality is broken, but God has not changed. Whether you’re disillusioned with God, yourself, or others, Alicia offers practical and soul-full tools to help you navigate the night and find your way to a livable and love-saturated hope.

Your night will not last forever.
Within it, there is priceless treasure
that’s simply too weighty to be sourced in sunshine.]]> 320 Alicia Britt Chole 1496465156 Danica 5 4.56
author: Alicia Britt Chole
name: Danica
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:
Five stars simply for the way this book held my hand the last year or so. And also, five stars for beautiful writing, poignant insights, and brutal honesty these pages contain.
]]> 213724356 A bookstore owner discovers that life as a recluse isn’t for everyone in this sharp yet sweet novel about how sometimes you need to abandon the quest for love to find your true passion.

Emma Rini is in a rut so deep she could shelve books there. While her sister awaits her first baby, and her parents kick off retirement with vow renewals and travel, Emma stays put among the stacks of the family bookshop.

In fact, she ������’t remember the last time she took a vacation. Or had a romance that hovered above disappointing. When her parents assume she’ll take over the shop for them without a break, she realizes she needs to get away—back to the nineteenth century. Channeling her favorite poet recluse, Emily Dickinson, Emma rents a crumbling manor house outside Amherst where she can learn how to be quietly, blissfully alone.

But becoming a world-weary spinster isn’t easy. She ������’t start a fire or reason with the bunnies that are destroying the garden. She finds herself sparring constantly with the grumpy-hot architect who is renovating the manor. And then there’s the secret admirer who keeps sending her complicated floral messages��

No matter what she does, the outside world keeps knocking, and Emma starts to dream about the future. Will she forgo love for the family legacy? And will she shrink away or become the sort of bold person fortune favors?]]> 317 Julie Hatcher 1662523459 Danica 0 3.88 2025
author: Julie Hatcher
name: Danica
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 82 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 Danica 0 4.13 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Danica
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 112974858 A modern battle of the sexes about a journalist who hatches an elaborate plan to take down her industry adversary, from the author of Meet You in the Middle.

After a particularly brutal breakup, Cassidy Sutton has had it with dating. So when her grandmother gives her a 1950’s dating guide entitled 125 Tips to Hook a Husband, she decides to turn the retro advice into an ironic “What not to do�� article for Siren, the popular online women’s publication she writes for. And who better to secretly test the old-fashioned tips on than Jack Bradford, chauvinistic creator of rival men’s site Brawler? She’ll write an article that will entertain female readers everywhere and embarrass their sexist nemesis at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

But her perfect plan soon proves to be anything but. Those vintage courtship tips Cassidy was so quick to poke fun at? They actually seem to work, calling her most closely-held beliefs into question. Even worse? Jack isn’t falling for any of her tricks—and it’s not long before their ‘fake�� relationship starts to feel like the realest one of her life. As her cat and mouse game starts to spiral out of control, Cassidy has to decide if she’s playing to win, or if she’s willing to lose it all for love.]]> 384 Devon Daniels 0593199235 Danica 4 3.79 2023
author: Devon Daniels
name: Danica
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:
A slightly confusing but creative premise, with a third act breakup that I hated. Overall, a funny rom com with the banter I love from Daniels.
]]> 60784612
Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.

From USA Today bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun—the highly anticipated, hilarious, and heart-pounding next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan ������������]]> 304 Elle Cosimano 125084603X Danica 0 3.80 2023
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Danica
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 53138099 Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.]]> 355 Elle Cosimano 1250241707 Danica 4 3.99 2021
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Danica
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
I preface this review with: I’m hooked. It’s light-hearted and fast paced. But on the other hand�� the way my insides curl up on themselves with the gray-ness is overwhelming.
]]> 57693474
On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...

From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead―the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.]]> 357 Elle Cosimano 1250242185 Danica 0 3.95 2022
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Danica
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 214974562
Writer and podcaster Erin Moon has questions, and this book is her open letter for anyone who feels iffy, conflicted, or just downright devastated by this disconnect. With empathy, insight, and the therapy of memes and a good laugh, Erin maps out not a rigid prescription but an open-hearted pathway for you to reclaim what you once loved about your faith home and light a match to the rest.

As it turns out, God is not afraid of your questions. To the contrary, the fullness of the Christian story is found not in a certainty checklist but a vision of a people who wrestle with God. This is the story to which Erin turns and guides you through, as you

- understand the good, bad, ugly, and just plain bizarre of your faith origins
- find permission to lament, ask questions, and name pressure points
- make peace as you set your own new boundaries and rebuild

Consider this your open invitation to get gut-level honest about where it started, and heart-level hopeful about where it can go from here.]]> 256 Erin Hicks Moon 1540904083 Danica 5 4.60 2025
author: Erin Hicks Moon
name: Danica
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:
A book I desperately wish I’d had over the last couple of years. Graciously written, and it doesn’t even matter that we may not agree on some finer points- that’s the whole thing, right? The point IS the wrestling, it IS the mystery. I ������’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy so I can pull out some quotes.
]]> 35259626 In this beautifully written novel, the bonds and challenges of caring for a sibling with autism are bravely explored, along with the pain and power that comes from self-discovery.

Eleven-year-old Olivia Grant has a knack for finding lost things. She can find lost rings, pets, and even her elderly neighbor's misplaced glasses. There's only one thing Olivia has never been able to find--her brother Jacob's toy ostrich. It wasn't until the day Jacob lost his ostrich that Olivia noticed how different he was: Jacob is autistic, and though she's his little sister, Olivia often feels like the older of the pair, his caretaker. And with her parents so heavily focused on maintaining status quo for Jacob, it's Olivia who has stagnated in his shadow--unable to explore new opportunities, or to be her own person. In fact, apart from being Jacob's sister, Olivia's not really sure who she is.

So when summer break begins, and the local community theater announces auditions for an all children's production of her favorite show, Peter Pan, Olivia jumps at the chance to claim something for herself. But what begins as a promising opportunity and a wonderful escape quickly becomes pure chaos. The visiting zoo with an odd assortment of animals--including an ostrich that causes even more trouble than Jacob's missing toy--only make matters worse, as Olivia's summer is shaping up to be just as consumed by Jacob's needs as the rest of her life has been.

In time, and with the help of some unlikely alliances, Olivia must learn what it means to be separate from her brother and still love him, how to love herself in spite of her own flaws, and that not all lost things are meant to be found.]]> 288 Beth Hautala 0399546065 Danica 0 to-read 4.20 2018
author: Beth Hautala
name: Danica
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 8909152 "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you..."

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now—reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained—and captivated—by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?]]> 323 Rainbow Rowell Danica 4 3.86 2011
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Danica
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves:
review:
Rounding this up to four because I fall indiscriminately for quick-witted dialogue. The fact that it time-travels you straight back to 1999 is hilarious�� some of the things we just ������’t say anymore.
]]> 211290229 From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes the heartfelt story of a woman determined to reunite a lost ring with its owner, who ends up finding herself along the way.

Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.]]> 314 Sonali Dev 1662524250 Danica 0 4.25 2025
author: Sonali Dev
name: Danica
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 62883798
Lee Canter’s chronic migraine journey can be summarized by the following grim 7 years practically bedridden, 10 doctors, 15 medications, 3 hospitalizations, 2 pain psychologists, and 6 alternative medicine treatments. None of these brought him the relief he needed. His life was consumed by the darkness of this debilitating disease. In his resourceful book, My Migraine Breakthrough, he does not dwell on how sick he was, but instead, he focuses on what he learned that enabled him to once and for all cure his migraines. If you, like Lee, find your life consumed with the pain and fear of migraines, his story is one you must read.

Have you tried more doctors, medications, and alternative treatments than you want to remember? Your days are still filled with the incapacitation that accompanies migraines? Do you find yourself at a dead end not knowing where to turn to find an answer that can help you reclaim your life from migraines? If so, his enlightening memoir presents the breakthrough medical treatment Lee found that helped him to recover from his migraines and that can also shed light on your own healing process.

A nationally known, best-selling educator and author, he used his dogged research skills to find and study an evidence-based mind body treatment approach that guided his path to a cure for his migraines. Known by several names, TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome), PPD (Psychophysiologic Disorder) or The Mind-Body Syndrome, this innovative treatment approach focuses on the role stress and trauma, both current and from the past, can have on the brain and nervous system, resulting in the development of migraines. Countless migraine sufferers around the world, for whom traditional medical interventions have not been effective, have successfully used this treatment approach to cure their migraines.

Lee's deep research into the mind-body treatment approach took him on a journey out of the darkness of his migraines, and into the light of a reclaimed life. Now, in his inspiring, easy-to-follow story he presents in detail the steps he followed that helped him ultimately

Step One Learn: What he learned about the role stress, thoughts and feelings can play in the frequency and severity of migraines and what recent research tells us about how these factors can be dramatically reduced.Step Two Accept: Why accepting a new treatment approach that can cure your migraines is so important to recovering.Step Three Soothe and Heal: How to use mind body treatment strategies to soothe and heal the impact stress has on the brain and nervous system enabling you to heal from migraines.
Follow Lee's journey to cure his chronic migraines in this fascinating memoir filled with key insights and resources that may enable you as well, to find the root cause of your suffering and finally leave the darkness your migraines has cast upon your life behind.

*All net proceeds of sales will be used to support our organization. Visit for more information.]]> 102 Lee Canter Danica 0 4.40
author: Lee Canter
name: Danica
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 41443735 Lily Buckley planned to be happily married and in her dream job by now. Instead she’s been single since being left at the altar three years ago, and works at her local paper, writing about giant vegetables at the village fete and a dog who looks exactly like Chewbacca.

Not quite what she was dreaming of.

So when Lily’s given the opportunity to write her own column it’s exactly what she’s always wanted �� except what she has to write about. She has to do one thing every week that scares her.

With encouragement from sexy colleague �� and adrenaline-junkie Christopher, Lily agrees. From sky-diving to haunted houses, Lily is going to be pushed to her limit. And since heartbreak has left her afraid of falling in love again, her growing feelings for Christopher might just push her past it��

But then her mum has a crisis, her column is the only thing keeping her �� and her colleagues�� �� jobs afloat, and Christopher’s ex arrives with her sights set on a romantic reunion.

Suddenly jumping out of a plane is the least of Lily’s problems�� Can she save her family, her friends, and her heart �� or will Lily let her fears hold her back?]]> 264 Colleen Coleman 1786814943 Danica 0 3.59 2018
author: Colleen Coleman
name: Danica
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/31
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]]> 123259539
Amelia Lang's life is kind of a mess. She's stuck living at home with her narcissistic mother. Her tech bro ex-boyfriend deliberately sabotages her at work, and she gets fired after throwing a mug at his head (it's okay! She missed.) Then she has a major falling out with her best friend. So Amelia does what Amelia does best: She runs away.

After traveling around Europe for three months, she settles on a small Greek island to reset her life and figure out what's next. But after too much retsina, she gets tricked into marrying James, another guest at the hotel, who is perfectly nice—but perfectly boring. To top it off, they are gifted the very hotel they're staying in—a hotel they don't want that is in desperate need of some TLC. They agree to keep the hotel open through the busy summer season for the sake of the island's quirky but well-meaning residents, after which Amelia plans to return home to start rebuilding her disastrous life.

Amelia and James must work together to determine how to get out of their situation—easier said than done for Amelia, who's started to feel a strong spark of attraction for James. But Amelia is sure her real life is waiting for her back in San Francisco. Is it time for Amelia to return home or could this be the second chance at a new life she didn't know she wanted?]]> 384 Sierra Godfrey 1728284562 Danica 0 3.54 2023
author: Sierra Godfrey
name: Danica
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
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]]> 220543430
Well, it helps to write it all out.

A companion to her gritty, gut-level-honest book I've Got Questions, this guided journal from author Erin Hicks Moon is filled with prompts to get you thinking (and writing) through your own thoughts and questions about faith, God, the church, and much more. As you sift through the wreckage of your spiritual upbringing, you'll come ever closer to claiming a faith that is all yours--one that you can wholeheartedly embrace and joyfully express.

Because, as it turns out, God's not afraid of your questions. And you shouldn't be either.]]> 192 Erin Hicks Moon 1540904091 Danica 0 to-read 4.50
author: Erin Hicks Moon
name: Danica
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200174139 White Lotus meets Kevin Wilson in this whip-smart social satire about a man who finds himself trapped on an island resort after the sun literally explodes, and suddenly must choose whether to save himself from the chaos, or help fellow guests make it off the island alive��

Vacation Checklist: ��
Pack swim trunks.��
Apply sunscreen.��
Survive the apocalypse?

Professional underachiever Dan Foster is finally taking a vacation. Sure, his life has been average at best, and yeah, he’s never quite lived up to his potential. But after a few Miller Lites in paradise with his girlfriend, Mara, things are starting to look up.

Then the sun explodes.

With the island resort suddenly plunged into darkness (he really should’ve sprung for the travel insurance), Dan’s holiday goes from bad to worse when elite guests stage a coup and commandeer supplies. As temperatures drop and class tensions rise, revolution begins to brew on the island, and Dan accidentally becomes a beacon of hope for the surviving vacationers. But when one six-person plane is discovered that could get them back to the mainland, Dan realizes he has a choice to make.

Does he escape the island with Mara? Or does he stay and fight to become the most unlikely hero of the end of the world?

]]> 384 M.J. Wassmer 1464218021 Danica 5 3.70 2024
author: M.J. Wassmer
name: Danica
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this book immensely. Were there plot holes (literally)? Sure. Was the pacing slow in places? Maybe. But it was surprising, poignant, and funny in a deadpan kind of way, and didn’t take itself too seriously. Five stars, would recommend.
]]> 211164792 Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?]]> 384 Sarah Adams 0593723694 Danica 0 4.08 2025
author: Sarah Adams
name: Danica
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
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]]> 43982455 "Who am I becoming?"

That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren't pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:

"Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life."

It wasn't the response he expected, but it was--and continues to be--the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.

Within the pages of this book, you'll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.]]> 286 John Mark Comer 0525653090 Danica 0 to-read 4.51 2019
author: John Mark Comer
name: Danica
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 52085140
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.]]> 125 Beth Brower 0998063614 Danica 0 to-read 4.24 2019
author: Beth Brower
name: Danica
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 171681821
A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

“With tenacity and candor, Haidt lays out the consequences that have come with allowing kids to drift further into the virtual world . . . While also offering suggestions and solutions that could help protect a new generation of kids.�� —Shannon Carlin, ,i>TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood�� began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood�� in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood�� has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems�� that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.]]> 400 Jonathan Haidt 0593655036 Danica 5 4.36 2024
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Danica
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
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]]> 213212691
UK Bus Trip Goals:

1. Crawl out of pajamas.
2. Get over cheating bastard and his stupid ironed jeans.
3. Have my first real adventure!
4. Achieve stability, strength, and growth.
5. Definitely do NOT kiss any British men.

Alice loves a good list. But careful planning didn’t stop her from losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop. With her dreaded 30th birthday looming on the horizon, Alice makes the first impulsive decision of her life - booking a flight to the UK for a three-week, all-female, literary bus tour. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out - everything.

Alice arrives to discover that this tour isn’t what she expected. At all. Instead of cool, globe-trotting thirtysomethings with meaningful tattoos, she finds a rickety, antique bus full of fluffy-haired octogenarians. And to make matters infinitely worse, the tour guide makes her blood boil! And that devilish grin of his tells her he’s dead set on making her trip a misery.

But as they travel from castle ruins to cozy pubs, Alice may just find that she’s got it all wrong. The ladies are vivacious. The book club chat is on fire. And damn if that mischievous smile doesn't threaten to turn her world upside down - and her beloved list right along with it!]]> 384 Kat Mackenzie 0063379031 Danica 0 3.84 2025
author: Kat Mackenzie
name: Danica
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
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]]> 201751633
When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . .

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship�� means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?]]> 368 Ellie Palmer Danica 0 3.70 2024
author: Ellie Palmer
name: Danica
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 44890060 New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Wildstone with the touching story of finding your place in the world—and the people who make it home.

Piper Manning’s about as tough as they come, she’s had to be. She raised her siblings and they’ve thankfully flown the coop. All she has to do is finish fixing up the lake house her grandparents left her, sell it, and then she’s free.

When a massive storm hits, she runs into a tall, dark and brooding stranger, Camden Reid. There’s a spark there, one that shocks her. Surprising her further, her sister and brother return, each of them holding their own secrets. The smart move would be for Piper to ignore them all but Cam unleashes emotions deep inside of her that she ������’t deny, making her yearn for something she doesn’t understand. And her siblings…well, they need each other.

Only when the secrets come out, it changes everything Piper thinks she knows about her family, herself…and Cam. Can she find a way to outrun the demons? The answer is closer than she thinks—just as the new life she craves may have already begun.]]> 384 Jill Shalvis 0062897802 Danica 0 3.89 2020
author: Jill Shalvis
name: Danica
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 62066104 In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues�� private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favor, convince HR she’s Supershops material, and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworkers' private worlds and realizes they are each keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Eventually she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if that means coming clean to her colleagues.

Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes along with it.]]> 349 Natalie Sue 006332038X Danica 0 3.86 2024
author: Natalie Sue
name: Danica
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 207298106 “Come for the Gilmore Girls anecdotes, stay for the revealing truths about what it takes to build a lifelong career in and out of Hollywood�� (The A.V. Club) in this candid and captivating memoir from award-winning and beloved actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more.

Kelly Bishop’s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.

Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she’s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced—among them marching for women’s rights and losing her second husband to cancer—Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.

Full of witty insights, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.]]> 256 Kelly Bishop 1668023776 Danica 0 4.36 2024
author: Kelly Bishop
name: Danica
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
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]]> 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women ������’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Danica 4 4.12 2024
author: Alison Espach
name: Danica
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:
This book gave me the same feelings about the painful beauty of being human as the Barbie movie did. Gosh. “That felt achy but�� good.��
]]> 32319723 They say life can change in an instant��

After losing her sister in a devastating car accident, chef Quinn Weller is finally getting her life back on track. She appears to have it all: a loving family, a dream job in one of L.A.'s hottest eateries, and a gorgeous boyfriend dying to slip an engagement ring on her finger. So why does she feel so empty, like she's looking for a missing piece she can't find?

The answer comes when a lawyer tracks down Quinn and reveals a bombshell secret and a mysterious inheritance that only she can claim. This shocking revelation washes over Quinn like a tidal wave. Her whole life has been a lie.

On impulse, Quinn gives up her job, home, and boyfriend. She heads up the coast to the small hometown of Wildstone, California, which is just a few hours north, but feels worlds apart from Los Angeles. Though she doesn't quite fit in right away, she can't help but be drawn to the town’s simple pleasures…and the handsome, dark-haired stranger who offers friendship with no questions asked.

As Quinn settles into Wildstone, she discovers there's another surprise in store for her. The inheritance isn't a house or money, but rather something earthshattering, something that will make her question everything she thought she knew about herself, about her family. Now with a world of possibilities opening up to Quinn, she must decide if this new life is the one she was always meant to have—and the one that could finally give her the fulfillment she's searched so long for.]]> 416 Jill Shalvis 0062448129 Danica 0 3.92 2017
author: Jill Shalvis
name: Danica
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 140225
The Dawn Treader is the first ship Narnia has seen in centuries. King Caspian has built it for his voyage to find the seven lords, good men whom his evil uncle Miraz banished when he usurped the throne. The journey takes Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace to the Eastern Islands, beyond the Silver Sea, toward Aslan's country at the End of the World.]]> 248 C.S. Lewis 006112527X Danica 0 4.10 1952
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Danica
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 1228499 160 Alvin Schwartz 0397315309 Danica 0 3.87 1974
author: Alvin Schwartz
name: Danica
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1974
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> 199531989 Knives Out gets a rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers Christmas romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-Time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.]]> 293 Ally Carter 0063276682 Danica 5 3.92 2024
author: Ally Carter
name: Danica
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 208894426
Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?]]> 367 Sophie Cousens Danica 4 4.24 2024
author: Sophie Cousens
name: Danica
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 220393796 A second chance with your first crush.

Doesn’t happen often.

For Liam Fisher, that first crush was his next door neighbor, Olive Witherby.

Childhood was lazy summers, treehouse stargazing, and endless games of hide and seek at Pine Creek, the Christmas tree farm that’s been in Liam’s family for generations.

When Liam moves away, he and Olive say goodbye the only way they know how—with a fumbling first kiss neither of them will ever forget.

Even though twelve-year olds�� promises of keeping in touch feel eternal, time and distance eventually make Olive and Liam practically strangers.

Twenty years later, Liam’s parents announce they’re retiring and selling the tree farm.

Twenty years later, Pine Creek is the last place grown-up Liam wants to be. Inherit this legacy? Not on your life.

And twenty years later, grown-up Olive is stuck.

Her work life is a lot like her love life—floundering. After a humiliating business failure, loads of debt, and one too many laughable first dates, she’s in no hurry to put herself out there again, in business or in romance.

When Olive is hired by Liam’s parents to rekindle the lost magic of the farm one final time before it’s sold, she sets out to make this the last, best Pine Creek Christmas, for the town and for a very cranky, not-so-talkative, surprisingly attractive Liam.

Part of her mission? Convince the crank to fall in love with Christmas.

The other part? Not fall head over heels in the process.

Christmas With a Crank is a grumpy/sunshine, childhood crush, opposites attract romance with plenty of sizzle but none of the steam.]]> 366 Courtney Walsh Danica 0 4.02 2024
author: Courtney Walsh
name: Danica
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 202991908 From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a taut thriller about one author at the pinnacle of her career, whose past threatens to destroy everything she has—and everyone she knows.

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.

With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author’s illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?]]> 446 J.T. Ellison 1662520328 Danica 3 4.17 2024
author: J.T. Ellison
name: Danica
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 17673157 Based on the wildly popular Twitter feed Dear Girls Above Me, a roman à clef about how thinking like a couple of girls turned one single guy into a better man.
��
When Charlie McDowell began sharing his open letters to his noisy upstairs neighbors—two impossibly ditzy female roommates in their mid-twenties—on Twitter, his feed quickly went viral. His followers multiplied and he got the attention of everyone from celebrities to production studios to major media outlets such as Time and Glamour.�� Now Dear Girls breaks out of the 140-character limit as Charlie imagines what would happen if he put the wisdom of the girls to the test.
��
After being unceremoniously dumped by the girl he was certain was “the one,�� Charlie realized his neighbors�� conversations were not only amusing, but also offered him access to a completely uncensored woman’s perspective on the world. From the importance of effectively Facebook-stalking potential girlfriends and effortlessly pulling off pastel, to learning when in the early stages of dating is too presumptuous to bring a condom and how to turn food poisoning into a dieting advantage, the girls get Charlie into trouble, but they also get him out of it—without ever having a clue of their impact on him.]]> 272 Charlie McDowell 0307986349 Danica 3 3.63 2013
author: Charlie McDowell
name: Danica
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:
I followed the author’s Twitter almost 15 years ago and found the tweets hilarious. This book for sure toes the line between “funny�� and “creepy�� but I bumped it up to 3 stars because I laughed out loud several times.
]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Danica 5 4.37 2021
author: John Green
name: Danica
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 57111349
When thirty-somethings Cassie and James find each other on a home swap website, it feels meant to be. City hotshot James needs a bolthole after a relationship goes sour and Cassie needs to leave the comfort of her little island to research her new book.

Soon, James is living in Cassie’s cute but ramshackle beachside cottage, and Cassie’s living in James’s luxurious London apartment. It’s the perfect solution.

Except James didn’t imagine he’d be sharing his home with eleven chickens and three alpacas, not to mention the unusually friendly neighbours, who seem to find any excuse to drop by. And Cassie is less than impressed when James’s ex-girlfriend turns up at his door, demanding to know where he’s gone.

The more Cassie and James talk, the more the tension between them mounts. But as the insults fly so do the sparks, and when the time finally comes to swap back, Cassie and James find they aren’t quite ready to give each other up.

But there’s more than just distance between them �� and when Cassie makes a surprising discovery, the pair are forced to confront their feelings and decide what kind of life they really want.

An utterly heart-warming love story that will make you laugh and cry, fans of The Flatshare, The Hating Game and movies like The Holiday will fall head over heels for The House Swap.]]> 330 Jo Lovett Danica 0 3.62 2021
author: Jo Lovett
name: Danica
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 33413128
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.]]> 432 Fredrik Backman Danica 0 to-read 4.27 2016
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Danica
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53257881 Sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it...

Having worked for Southern Service Paws for a few years now, I like to think I’m prepared for just about any client meeting under the sun. I am dead wrong.

The day I meet with single dad, Jacob Broaden, about potentially matching his daughter with one of our service dogs, I learn a few valuable lessons.

1) Always set my alarm clock.
2) Single dads are way hotter than I previously thought.
3) It is possible to go from fantasizing about kissing someone to wishing they would be run over by a truck in a matter of two minutes.

Unfortunately, I don’t hold that opinion of him for very long. Not when he shows me a different side of himself—one that’s sweet as maple syrup and hot as apple pie fresh out of the oven. And after a few days of working closely with him and his daughter, he starts looking at me with fire in his eyes, making me dream of something I probably shouldn’t��
A family.

The Match is a feel-good, closed-door romantic comedy! Perfect for readers who enjoy sweet, sizzling chemistry with passionate kissing only. ]]> 284 Sarah Adams Danica 0 3.95 2020
author: Sarah Adams
name: Danica
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 53977568 Enemies should never get a second chance. But this one might...

It’s been twelve years since I’ve seen him. Twelve years since he won our war of wits by outsmarting me with a tactic I didn’t even know was allowed. But tonight…I resurrect the battle.

Ryan Henderson is back in town for our best friends�� wedding, and I plan on showing him exactly how much I don’t care about him—or the almost kiss he ruthlessly dangled over me after graduation. A lot has changed since our feuding days. I'm a successful bakery owner now, and I plan to rub every delicious detail of my life in his ugly face. Just one problem: his face is gorgeous. He wasn’t supposed to look like this or pursue me like a sexy guided missile. I must stay strong until the wedding is over and Ryan scurries back into whatever alternate universe he escaped from. His interest in me is nothing but a continuation of the games we played in high school...right?

But the longer he stays, the more I wonder if I’m wrong and his tender smile and heated attentions are genuine. Maybe it’s not a game. Ha! Who am I kidding? This is Ryan we’re talking about. Of course it’s a game. A game called war. And this time, I will win.

The Enemy is a feel-good, closed-door romantic comedy! Perfect for readers who enjoy sweet, sizzling chemistry with passionate kissing only. ]]> 256 Sarah Adams Danica 0 3.76 2020
author: Sarah Adams
name: Danica
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/12
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 205360222 From two New York Times bestselling authors, a timely, disarmingly honest, and thought-provoking investigation into antisemitism that connects the dots between the tropes and hatred of the past to our current complicated moment. For Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby no question about Jews is off-limits. They go there. They cover Jews and money. Jews and power. Jews and privilege. Jews and white privilege. The Black and Jewish struggle. Emmanuel asks, Did Jews kill Jesus? To which Noa responds, “Why are Jewish people history’s favorite scapegoat?�� They unpack Judaism Is it a religion, culture, a peoplehood, or a race? Are you antisemitic if you’re anti-Zionist? The questions—and answers—might make you squirm, but together, they explain the tropes, stereotypes, and catalysts of antisemitism in America today. The topics are complicated and Acho and Tishby bring vastly different perspectives. Tishby is an outspoken Israeli American. Acho is a mild-mannered son of a Nigerian American pastor. But they share a an uncanny ability to make complicated ideas easy to understand so anyone can follow the straight line from the past to our immediate moment—and then see around corners. Acho and Tishby are united by the core belief that hatred toward one group is never if you see the smoke of bigotry in one place, expect that we will all be in the fire. Informative and accessible, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew has a unique Acho asks questions and Tishby answers them with deeply personal, historical, and political responses. This book will enable anyone to explain—and identify—what Jewish hatred looks like. It is a much-needed lexicon for this fraught moment in Jewish history. As Acho says, “Proximity breeds care and distance breeds fear.”]]> 320 Emmanuel Acho 1668057859 Danica 0 to-read 4.45
author: Emmanuel Acho
name: Danica
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60127763
Features hypercompetent, fiery Hermione and lazy, yet dangerous, Draco. Slow burn.

Rating: Explicit
Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationship: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy

Tags: Healer Hermione Granger, Researcher Hermione Granger, Auror Draco Malfoy, Slow burn, unresolved sexual tension, eventual smut, POV Draco Malfoy, Forced Collaboration, Romance, romcom, Action/Adventure, EWE, HEA, reckless overuse of author's favorite tropes, oblivious idiots, All aboard the SS Denial, late-stage pining, what is pining if not denial persevering, no first names we die like men, do not look too closely at the plot you will only hurt yourself, scandalous ankle touching, misuse of whirlpool baths, graphic depictions of competent women, eroticized arithmancy, Crookshanks will fight god or become him, human on mushroom violence, Schrodinger's ethics, nuns]]> 593 isthisselfcare Danica 0 2024-wrapped 4.57 2021
author: isthisselfcare
name: Danica
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 51002898 334 Bethany Turner 1493423150 Danica 4 2024-wrapped 4.06 2020
author: Bethany Turner
name: Danica
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/11
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 209496283 Time is a healer, but it helps to have a friend.

The last thing Alice expects to see at her husband’s graveside on his birthday is a giant, talking frog. On closer inspection, it’s a grown man dressed as Kermit.

Turns out Alice’s husband is buried next to Ben’s older brother Harry, who—as a parting practical joke in his will—insisted that Ben visit his grave each year, on this specific day, dressed in an as-yet-undisclosed pageant of embarrassing fancy dress.

With little but their grief and this one day in common, Alice and Ben form a very special, very strange friendship, meeting just once a same day, same time, same place—different silly costume. As the years pass and grief alters, can their unique bond help them cope with the hardest part of life?]]> 314 Nick Spalding 1662519990 Danica 5 2024-wrapped 4.24 2024
author: Nick Spalding
name: Danica
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 33148519
In the summer of 1727, a group of men and boys are put ashore on a remote sea stac to harvest birds for food. No one returns to collect them. Why? Surely nothing but the end of the world can explain why they have been abandoned to endure storms, starvation and terror. And how can they survive, housed in stone and imprisoned on every side by the ocean?]]> 336 Geraldine McCaughrean 1474921140 Danica 4 2024-wrapped 3.69 2017
author: Geraldine McCaughrean
name: Danica
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:
I bought this book in a small bookstore in the Highlands. This was a haunting story with roots in truth. Once I got about a fifth of the way through, I couldn’t put it down.
]]> 203956674 America’s favorite government teacher offers thrilling, heartfelt stories of ordinary American heroes.Most pundits and historians sell a dangerously naïve version of the American story—either praising its most consequential figures uncritically or criticizing them unfairly.��Sharon McMahon believes the truth is more human. In her debut book The Small and the Mighty, she tells the inpiring stories of twelve Americans--regular people with human foibles--whose extraordinary heroism in the face of mounting trials created the character of our country.��With the same clarity and candor that's earned her millions of fans, McMahon follows the daughter of formerly enslaved parents who sparked a reformation in Black education, a Japanese immigrant who nearly died in combat and became a consequential Senator, and even the electrician who saved her husband’s life. Her unforgettable prose and meticulous research tell the story of America from the perspective of the unsung heroes whose devotion to their country will restore your faith in the American dream.The portraits of our nation’s most improbable champions, innovators, and rebels in this book celebrate the United States and reveal our common humanity. The Small and the Mighty is the encouragement we all need in an age of doomscrolling and division.]]> 320 Sharon McMahon 0593541677 Danica 5 2024-wrapped 4.45 2024
author: Sharon McMahon
name: Danica
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/07
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:
This is absolutely the book I needed to read this week to bolster my view of America. Such a great work of writing and research, telling the small-but-big stories of lesser known figures. “…we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. The small. And the mighty.��
]]> 219320950
Enter Nate (Glen Powell), a speechwriter-for-hire who helps people write incredible best man speeches. To keep the best man from embarrassing himself (and the newlyweds), Nate uses his list of don’ts: Don’t mention the exes, don’t be rated R, and don’t bum everyone out. Nate’s system never fails. That is, until he meets Dan (Nicholas Braun), the dopey, hopelessly awkward best man for the biggest social media influencer’s wedding of the year. On top of that, Nate just got engaged to the woman of his dreams, and now he has to find his own best man–forcing him to confront a brutal friendship breakup with his former best friend.

As Nate helps Dan with his speech, he explores the insane and often idiotic world of male friendship and must come up with an answer to the one question most men never think about: Why is their best friend their best friend?

Featuring an all-star cast including Ashley Park, D’Arcy Carden, Lance Bass, Zach Braff, and more, The Best Man’s Ghostwriter is a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt audio show written and directed by comedian and former real-life best man’s ghostwriter, Matthew Starr.


Listening Length: 4 hours and 37 minutes]]> 5 Matthew Starr Danica 4 2024-wrapped 3.79
author: Matthew Starr
name: Danica
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 56439404
Widowed Samantha Arias hasn’t spoken to Holly Dunfee in forever. It’s for the best. Samantha prefers to avoid conflict. The blisteringly honest Holly craves it. What they still have in common puts them both back on speed dial: a mutual love for Katie, their best friend of twenty-five years, now hospitalized with cancer and needing one little errand from her old college roomies.

It’s simple: travel cross-country together, steal her loathsome ex-husband’s VW camper, find Katie’s diabetic Great Pyrenees at a Utah rescue, and drive him back home to Wisconsin. If it’ll make Katie happy, no favor is too big (one hundred pounds), too daunting (two thousand miles), or too illegal (ish), even when a boho D-list celebrity hitches a ride and drives the road trip in fresh directions.

Samantha and Holly are following every new turn—toward second chances, unexpected romance, and self-discovery—and finally blowing the dust off the secret that broke their friendship. On the open road, they’ll try to put it back together—for themselves, and especially for the love of Katie.]]> 301 Ann Garvin 1542022347 Danica 4 2024-wrapped 4.14 2021
author: Ann Garvin
name: Danica
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:
This was a delight. I found myself relating to the main character in unexpected and poignant ways and enjoyed the ebbs and flows of the storyline. The ending was a tad rushed but overall, a wonderful read.
]]> 195820847 "A story of love, healing, and second chances �� (Emily Henry) following a down on his luck country musician who, in the throes of grief after a shocking loss, moves back home and rekindles a relationship with his high school sweetheart, from award-winning author Jeff Zentner.

Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly.
��
Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.��]]> 400 Jeff Zentner 153875665X Danica 4 2024-wrapped 4.13 2024
author: Jeff Zentner
name: Danica
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Danica 0 2024-wrapped 4.21 2024
author: Emily Henry
name: Danica
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 35504431
Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.]]> 290 John Green 0525555366 Danica 5 2024-wrapped 3.88 2017
author: John Green
name: Danica
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/02
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:
Loved the way this was a moving story, a commentary on wealth, and a window into OCD- a world that is different for everyone with the diagnosis but so achingly familiar anyway. Also: The epilogue to this book absolutely did. me. in.
]]> 127279000 What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all and, if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.

It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy ������’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie and its too-good looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one who did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.]]> 352 Amy Tintera 1250880319 Danica 5 2024-wrapped 4.07 2024
author: Amy Tintera
name: Danica
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/17
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 59867868 208 Amy Kenny 1587435454 Danica 0 2024-wrapped 4.17 2022
author: Amy Kenny
name: Danica
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 61918816 A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin��-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass�� scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,�� and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she ������’t refuse.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 1538704390 Danica 0 2024-wrapped 4.29 2023
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Danica
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 61273860
Cold People follows the perilous journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most extreme environment on the planet. But their goal is not merely to survive the present. Because as they cling to life on the ice, the remnants of their past swept away, they must also confront the urgent challenge: can they change and evolve rapidly enough to ensure humanity’s future? Can they build a new society in the sub-zero cold?

Original and imaginative, as profoundly intimate as it is grand in scope, is a masterful and unforgettable epic.]]> 354 Tom Rob Smith 1982198400 Danica 4 2024-wrapped 3.47 2023
author: Tom Rob Smith
name: Danica
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/25
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:
Not my usual genre, but I enjoyed this reading experience. It felt like my experience watching A Quiet Place- a slow, impending doom with enough twists to keep me engaged. There were several different viewpoints and time periods but the author tied up the loose ends satisfactorily.
]]> 41014903
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.]]> 368 Marie Lu 0399547983 Danica 4 2024-wrapped 4.11 2017
author: Marie Lu
name: Danica
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/17
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 56695287
Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces--but there's also the chance he might be a double agent.

1946. Following the war, Alix moves to Paris and takes a position as head of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a thrilling, sumptuous work of historical fiction told in three timelines: before, during and after WWII. This completely immersive story takes readers from the dangerous, intrigue-filled rooms in Switzerland where elites of both sides mingled and schemed during the war, to the glamorous halls of the House of Dior in the golden age of French fashion and journalism.]]> 432 Natasha Lester Danica 4 2024-wrapped 4.22 2022
author: Natasha Lester
name: Danica
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/26
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 55200703 The New York Times bestselling author of Her Last Flight returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion.

In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her American diplomat husband and their two children. The world is shocked by the family’s sensational disappearance. Were they eliminated by the Soviet intelligence service? Or have the Digbys defected to Moscow with a trove of the West’s most vital secrets?

Four years later, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from the twin sister she hasn’t seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in the summer of 1940, as war engulfed the continent and Iris fell desperately in love with an enigmatic United States Embassy official named Sasha Digby. Within days, Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain.

But the complex truth behind Iris’s marriage defies Ruth’s understanding, and as the sisters race toward safety, a dogged Soviet KGB officer forces them to make a heartbreaking choice between two irreconcilable loyalties.]]> 437 Beatriz Williams 0063020785 Danica 0 2024-wrapped 4.00 2021
author: Beatriz Williams
name: Danica
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/20
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:

]]> 27171836 272 Sarah Bessey 1476717591 Danica 4 2024-wrapped “I pray that you would embrace your place in the body of Christ; your right to learn and test. Your right to read and explore. I know it sometimes seems as is there is more room for wonder and delight, beauty and mystery and grandeur in astrophysics than there is in religion. That’s because religion tells us that it’s all figured out. There’s nothing left to learn. Here are the answers, so let’s learn them. But instead, I pray you would be an explorer. That you would recover delight, wonder, and curiosity about your faith, about God, and about the story with which you continue to wrestle. I pray that the Bible would capture your heart again.”]]> 3.91 2015
author: Sarah Bessey
name: Danica
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/10
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 2024-wrapped
review:
A beautiful story of wrestling and wondering.
“I pray that you would embrace your place in the body of Christ; your right to learn and test. Your right to read and explore. I know it sometimes seems as is there is more room for wonder and delight, beauty and mystery and grandeur in astrophysics than there is in religion. That’s because religion tells us that it’s all figured out. There’s nothing left to learn. Here are the answers, so let’s learn them. But instead, I pray you would be an explorer. That you would recover delight, wonder, and curiosity about your faith, about God, and about the story with which you continue to wrestle. I pray that the Bible would capture your heart again.��
]]> 195790756 An inclusive and essential guide to reproductive health—including period problems, pelvic pain, menopause, fertility, sexual health, vaginal and urinary conditions, and overall wellbeing―from leading expert Dr. Karen Tang

Reproductive healthcare, from abortion to gender-affirming care, is under siege. The onus continues to fall on patients to find and advocate for the care they need. Dr. Karen Tang is on a mission to transform how women engage with their bodies and their healthcare.

Did you know that one in three women experiences menstrual abnormalities or pelvic issues, yet these conditions are overwhelmingly misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed? The root causes for these issues, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and pelvic-floor muscle dysfunction, don’t receive the stream of funding for research and new treatments that other conditions do, despite the potential to affect up to half the population.

It’s Not Hysteria is a comprehensive guide to common conditions and potential treatment options, with practical tools such as symptom prompts and sample questions to ask one's provider. In the face of uncertainty and misinformation, It’s Not Hysteria is destined to become a new classic that educates and empowers.]]> 384 Karen Tang 1250894158 Danica 0 to-read 4.22 2024
author: Karen Tang
name: Danica
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212432167 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Two writers with a complicated history end up working on the same TV show... Can they write themselves a new ending? A sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings and give you a book hangover from brilliant new voice Yulin Kuang.

Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.

Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers�� room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except��

Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just ������’t pass up.

Grant’s exactly as Helen remembers him—charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she’s never been. And Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers too—brilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he’s in the picture at all.

When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet�� the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—might just lie in holding on to each other in the present.]]> 384 Yulin Kuang 0063310686 Danica 0 to-read 3.51 2024
author: Yulin Kuang
name: Danica
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212947454 Two sworn enemies, snowed in over Christmas with chemistry that will melt the ice!

Nina Thompson has one Christmas wish: to avoid her brother’s obnoxiously handsome best friend, Tristan, like the plague. From the moment he humiliated her as a teenager to their escalating revenge schemes, Nina and Tristan’s relationship can only be defined as an all-out prank war! And there is yet to be a winner.

But it just so happens the ghost of Christmas present has other ideas. When Tristan unexpectedly crashes her family’s Christmas, Nina’s dreams of a peaceful holiday vanish faster than Santa up a chimney. Determined to end their rivalry for good, she braces herself for one last prank-filled showdown.

But when they find themselves snowed in, with no way of avoiding each other amongst the holiday festivities, they discover their heated exchanges have been masking a different kind of sizzle. Caught in a snow globe of holiday romance, they decide to let their fiery chemistry burn bright��but this is absolutely and unequivocally nothing more than a secret fling destined to melt with the snow, this is not a forever romance��

This Is Not a Holiday Romance is an enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, forced proximity rom-com perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Abby Jimenez, and Lynn Painter.]]> 241 Camilla Isley 1836333552 Danica 0 3.47 2024
author: Camilla Isley
name: Danica
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
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]]> 59774246 Would you share a bed with your enemy to save Christmas?

Down with a bad case of writer’s block, Riven has escaped to a mountain cabin for a prolonged writing retreat. The last thing he needs this Christmas is for his family to invade his sanctuary away from LA. What he needs even less is for a family of strangers as large and boisterous as his own to also be stuck in the same house after a double-booking disaster.

Especially when he ends up having to share a bunk bed with Wendy—a gorgeous, feisty New Yorker who quickly learns how to get under his skin.

Sharing a room with her is sweet torture and Riven isn’t even sure what he dreads more: that every passing day brings them closer to saying goodbye or that they have yet another night to spend together…]]> 268 Camilla Isley 888726967X Danica 0 3.83 2022
author: Camilla Isley
name: Danica
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 57448432
Chuck and Kate’s used to be real, oh-so-real. But after she broke his heart four months ago, leaving him, it became all just pretense for the sake of their entwined families.

With parents who are best friends and business partners, it’s not easy for Chuck and Kate to announce they’ve split up. But with the holidays looming over them, they can no longer keep pretending.

Chuck and Kate head home for Christmas, determined to tell the truth—and end up accidentally engaged instead. The more they try to pull apart, the more the Universe seems to push them back together, shortening the road to the altar. And when just-for-show kisses stir up forgotten feelings, things get even more complicated.

Now, with the midnight hour approaching, will Chuck and Kate’s relationship turn out to be real or fake?]]> 200 Camilla Isley 8887269580 Danica 0 3.31 2021
author: Camilla Isley
name: Danica
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 61897968 A small-town sweetheart and an emotionally unavailable bad boy try to find some common ground in this chemistry-filled romance from the author of The Cheat Sheet and When in Rome.

Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match—someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. But finding her dream man may be harder than Annie imagined. Everyone knows everyone in her hometown, and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say she is “so unbelievably boring,�� Annie starts to think the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice . . . and Annie has the perfect person in mind to be her tutor: Will Griffin.

Will—the sexy, tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard—is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement builds for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker, Annie’s brother. He has one personal objective while on the job: stay away from Annie Walker and any other possible attachments to this sleepy town. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life by becoming the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky. Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie. He knows for a fact that some stuffy, straitlaced guy won’t make her happy, but he doesn’t have the heart to say no.

Amid steamy practice dates and strictly “educational�� tutoring lessons, Annie discovers there are more layers to Will’s usual stoic attitude. As the lines of their friendship become dangerously blurred, Annie reconsiders her dream guy. Maybe her love life doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be real.]]> 335 Sarah Adams 0593500806 Danica 0 4.00 2023
author: Sarah Adams
name: Danica
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 208920886 The fate of a cursed nation depends on a princess who must outwit a mortal enemy and outlast the trials of a death-defying ritual in a thrilling adventure by USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson.

Lia is the princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed centuries ago by an earth goddess—one still worshipped by the thriving and adversarial nation of Ilion. Every year, Ilion offers the goddess a sacrifice: two Locrian maidens forced to compete in a life-and-death race to reach her temple. In a millennium, no maiden has made it out of Ilion alive. This year, Lia is one of the hunted.

An education in battle gives her a fighting chance, but the challenges are greater than she feared: Lia’s beloved but untrained sister Quynh has been put in the path of danger. The winding streets of Ilion itself have been transformed into a labyrinthine maze of countless choices and dead ends. And if the risks weren’t significant enough, Lia is reluctantly drawn to the commandingly attractive Jason, an Ilionian sailor she loathes to trust and desires like no man before.

The tribute game is on. It’s up to Lia to lift the goddess’s curse, restore Locris to its former glory, and change the fate of every young woman destined to follow in her path.]]> 524 Sariah Wilson 1662525133 Danica 4 4.13 2024
author: Sariah Wilson
name: Danica
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:
This was a little longer than it needed to be and somewhat repetitive. But I bumped it up to four stars because the cliffhanger is absolutely agonizing!
]]> 217453559 From the author of The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets comes a mesmerizing page-turner about a young Black musical virtuoso at the peak of his career who’s forced into hiding when his family runs afoul of a ruthless international cartel—and uses his music to fight back.

Curtis Wilson is a classical music prodigy. Having played since the age of five, he is that rare performer who, through sheer force of will and phenomenal talent, has clawed his way out of inner-city DC and risen to the heights of the classical music world—soloing with the New York Philharmonic. Zippy, his father, is a midlevel drug dealer, and Larissa, his father’s girlfriend, is a loving mother figure to Curtis and the heart of the family.��

Then, when Zippy runs afoul of the kingpin who has provided his livelihood and nurtured his son’s talents, the family finds their lives in danger. With no choice but to run, they enter the witness protection program and abandon their former lives, including Curtis’s extraordinary career. When law enforcement seems unable to bring the cartel down, Curtis, Zippy, and Larissa realize that their only chance of returning to the way things were is to take on the cartel themselves—their own way.

A propulsive and moving story about sacrifice, loyalty, and the indomitable human spirit, The��Dark Maestro is Slocumb at the height of his powers.]]> 416 Brendan Slocumb 0593687612 Danica 0 to-read 4.07 2025
author: Brendan Slocumb
name: Danica
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201776886 In this lighthearted romp through New York City, two clashing authors must blend their differences to prove every story is worth telling and that some genres—like people—work better together.

Siobhan Harris doesn’t think of her minimum-wage life in Manhattan as aspirational, but when her debut novel is published, she becomes an instant bestseller and a romance sensation. With fame comes foes, however, and Siobhan finds herself embroiled in a Twitter feud that’s about to change the course of her career just as it’s beginning.

An established crime novelist, Marcel Black is savvy in the ways of the publishing world but less than an expert on the merits of romance. So when his opinions are publicly challenged by the fresh-faced Siobhan, Marcel doubles down until their heated back-and-forth ends with an influencer’s challenge: to put their genres�� compatibility to the test, Siobhan and Marcel should write a book together.

To leave their mark, this unlikely pair will have to contend with differences in taste, style, and experience…and the building tension between them that’s looking a lot less like enemies�� contention and a lot more like a love connection.]]> 371 Carmen Sereno 1662516606 Danica 0 3.69
author: Carmen Sereno
name: Danica
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
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]]> 199797582
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents �� his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.]]> 352 Christina Lauren 1668017725 Danica 0 4.07 2024
author: Christina Lauren
name: Danica
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
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]]> 29878239
Thanks to a string of horrible relationships, an unexpected turn in her career, and mounting credit card bills, Megan Bailey escapes to Adventura Summer Camp to work as camp chef.

Instead of a relaxing summer in the trees, she faces a persnickety oven and squirrels in the kitchen. With the help of her twin brothers and a quiet, blue-eyed camp ranger named Justin, Megan will have to navigate the treacherous waters of her greatest fear: her parents possible divorce.

I Am Girl Power is the second book in the quirky new Health and Happiness Society series. Join Megan as she experiences heartbreak, laughter, and the frightening winds of change.]]> Katie Cross Danica 0 3.99 2017
author: Katie Cross
name: Danica
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves:
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]]> 219754771 From New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews comes a charming holiday romance about a newly single thirtysomething whose unauthorized vacation rental turns into a hilarious game of hide-and-seek when the new owner unexpectedly shows up.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

George Holloway is here to sell his granduncle’s house—and to reconsider whether he and his fiancée are right for each other. Amid home repairs, George notices strange noises and missing food, but as much as he gets his rental agent on the phone, Tilly dodges every invitation to meet. He’s sure that someone’s here with him, and it’s certainly not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.

As Tilly and George circle each other, they both wonder where their lives are headed and if, maybe, meeting each other is just the Christmas miracle they need.]]> 72 Mary Kay Andrews 1662527004 Danica 0 3.62 2024
author: Mary Kay Andrews
name: Danica
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 196997326 314 Kasey Stockton 1952429404 Danica 3 3.66 2023
author: Kasey Stockton
name: Danica
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 58429280
Cassandra Hale grew up knowing little about her parentage, and she had made peace with the fact that she never would. But Cassandra’s world shifts when a shocking deathbed confession reveals a two-year-old letter from Mr. Clark, the master of Briarton Park, with hints to her family’s identity. Stung by betrayal, she travels to the village of Anston only to learn Mr. Clark has since passed away.

James Warrington is a widower and the new master of Briarton Park, where he lives with his two young daughters, his sister, and his mother-in-law. When Cassandra appears at his doorstep with a letter from the previous owner and then proceeds to assist his family in an unexpected way, he is honor bound to help uncover the answers she seeks.

The more time Cassandra spends in Anston, the more she begins to suspect not everything—or everyone—is as they seem. As details emerge, the danger surrounding her intensifies. Using wit and intuition, she must navigate the treacherous landscapes between truth and rumor and between loyalty and deception if she is to uncover the realities of her past and find the place her heart can finally call home.

Sarah Ladd’s latest Regency romance, first in the new Houses of Yorkshire series, combines mystery and intrigue with the best of historical storytelling.]]> 336 Sarah E. Ladd 078524672X Danica 0 3.77 2022
author: Sarah E. Ladd
name: Danica
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 157205597 A woman’s ambitions clash with familial expectations in a captivating novel about generational secrets and self-discovery by the bestselling author of The Candid Life of Meena Dave.

Raised by her mother and grandmother and tutored in the healing wonders of spices, Tulsi Gupta is expected to carry on the ancestral tradition from her family’s Salem spice shop. Restless and reluctant, Tulsi yearns to follow her own path—destiny has other plans.

When Tulsi finds a letter written by her grandmother, addressed and never sent, that speaks of a long-ago betrayal, she decides to unravel the mystery as a distraction. But Tulsi stumbles into much more than she bargained for. With each new discovery, she learns there’s much more to her mother and grandmother than their expertise in the remedial aromas of coriander and cloves. When an attractive neighbor begins renovating the shuttered deli next door, Tulsi finds the courage to break her routine and chase the unexpected.

As Tulsi digs into the past and secrets come to light, she’s determined to heal old family wounds and find her true purpose—and maybe even love—every step of the way.]]> 281 Namrata Patel Danica 0 4.00
author: Namrata Patel
name: Danica
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
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]]> 164444179 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593492918.

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn’t like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie ������’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]> 340 Ashley Elston Danica 0 to-read 3.97 2024
author: Ashley Elston
name: Danica
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they ������’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 384 Emily Henry 059344129X Danica 0 to-read 4.26 2025
author: Emily Henry
name: Danica
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61884836
" Pieces of Blue is a brilliant and bighearted page-turner." ―Maria Semple, New York Times bestselling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette

From New York Times bestselling author Holly Goldberg Sloan, a compelling and heartfelt novel for fans of Maria Semple and Emma Straub about a family trying to restore a ramshackle beachside motel―and their own lives

What good was thinking the future only held cloudy skies? Wasn’t the reality that pieces of blue were always there, waiting to break through?

When Paul Hill drowns in a surfing accident, his broken-hearted wife, Lindsey, and their three children are left in huge financial trouble. Once Paul’s life insurance finally comes through, Lindsey impulsively uses the money to buy a charmingly ramshackle motel in Hawai’i, hoping for a fresh start. Teenage Olivia quickly develops a crush on a handsome but monosyllabic skateboarder. Twelve-year-old Carlos reinvents himself as a popular kid named Carl. And Sena, the youngest, will do whatever it takes to protect her beloved motel chickens.

But while the kids adjust, Lindsey is flailing, trying to pretend she knows how to bring a motel―and herself―back to life. Then a handsome stranger rolls into the motel parking lot, and she’s surprised to feel a long-dormant part of herself stirring. She accepts his offer to help, unaware that he may have secrets of his own. And all the while, out in the Pacific, the trade winds are fiercely blowing.

Funny and tender, full of twists and turns and heart, Pieces of Blue is a portrait of an irresistible family learning to start over.]]> 272 Holly Goldberg Sloan 1250847303 Danica 3 3.60 2023
author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
name: Danica
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/18
date added: 2024/10/18
shelves:
review:
An odd and interesting read with a twist that threw me, my biggest complaint is that the kids�� dialogue (internal and external) were written as if they were adults��
]]> 10329439
Georgie Gail, switchboard operator and birder, heads out on a birding expedition, but instead of sighting a painted bunting, her opera glasses capture her telephone man, armed and far away from telephone lines. Palmer is forced to take this alluring troublemaker into his confidence and unwittingly puts her in harm's way. The closer he comes to the gang, the further she works her way into his heart--and into trouble. Soon it's more than just love that's on the line.]]> 368 Deeanne Gist 0764209493 Danica 0 4.04 2011
author: Deeanne Gist
name: Danica
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/18
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 31847558
But there is more to Simone than the nineteen medals—fourteen of them gold—and the Olympic successes. Through years of hard work and determination, she has relied on her faith and family to stay focused and positive, while having fun competing at the highest level and doing what she loves. Here, in her own words, Simone takes you through the events, challenges, and trials that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the 2016 Olympic team.

Along the way, Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story—one filled with the kinds of daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams.]]> 256 Simone Biles 0310759668 Danica 0 4.11 2016
author: Simone Biles
name: Danica
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/02
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 36282373
Did you enter adulthood thinking marriage would naturally find you, only to end up at a second-cousin’s wedding, dodging yet another bouquet the night before you turned thirty? Maybe you’ve started wondering,��is this the best the single life has to offer?��Joy Beth Smith says it’s not. The single life doesn’t have to be the runner-up version of God’s best. It doesn’t have to leave you constantly waiting for “real life�� to begin.��Party of One��offers a let go of the tired lies weighing you down and turn toward truth. Understand

You don’t have to be married to be wise. You don’t have to be a mother to have supernatural love. You don’t have to own a home to be hospitable.Singleness is not meant to be pitied, shamed, fixed, or even ignored. It is to be celebrated.God doesn’t promise you a husband, but he does promise comfort, intimacy, and satisfaction.With humor, self-awareness, and been-there perspective,��Party of One��delves into the insecurities and struggles of singleness and encourages you to find the good, the true, and the beautiful, to dive headfirst into community, and to stop pressing pause on a life you never expected.]]> 239 Joy Beth Smith 0718094093 Danica 5 backtoreading-2017 Thank you, JB Smith, for starting conversations and encouraging women to walk confidently in their faith and singleness! ]]> 4.43
author: Joy Beth Smith
name: Danica
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: backtoreading-2017
review:
Joy Beth Smith, thank you for this book! It is a breath of fresh air accompanied by moments of holding your breath. Some of the topics are not easy to discuss, sort of taboo in Christian culture, but this book helped me continue to understand how important these conversations are.
Thank you, JB Smith, for starting conversations and encouraging women to walk confidently in their faith and singleness!
]]> 62926938 An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.]]> 336 Ashley Poston Danica 3 4.18 2023
author: Ashley Poston
name: Danica
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 214025340 In the summer of 2022, podcaster and author Carlos Whittaker spent seven weeks entirely screen free, splitting his time between a monastery, an Amish farm, and home with his family. Blending the inspiring story of this experiment with practical guidance, Whittaker reveals how you can reset your relationship with screens and step into a life of real connection.

Not many people have the opportunity to spend weeks entirely devoid of phone and computer screens, but Whittaker's radical, screen-free experiment yields hope and wisdom to everyone who has felt the loneliness, low-key despair, and paradoxical disconnectedness that accompanies the always-on, always-plugged-in nature of modern life.

Readers who take this journey with Whittaker will

learn how to cut through the divisive, polarizing effects of social media and build real community, even with people who are very different from them;rediscover the joy of noticing and savoring the beauty of the world beyond their phone screens;remember how experiencing boredom, solitude, and even getting lost (all but eradicated by smartphones) can bring opportunities for new discoveries about themselves and the world around them; andreset their relationship with screens and social media forever.��

Blending wisdom from the past, practices of intentionality and community, and Whittaker's engaging communication style that has led to the explosive growth of his social media presence over the past few years, this book is a compelling story, a guide for resetting your life in a tech-saturated world, and an invitation into the connection and community that feels so elusive today.]]> 240 Carlos Whittaker 1400246466 Danica 0 to-read 4.41
author: Carlos Whittaker
name: Danica
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 Danica 0 to-read 4.14 2021
author: Claire Keegan
name: Danica
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58950955 Life's Too Short��meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling, steamy, and swoon-worthy novel from #1��New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, in which two sworn enemies must share house, home—and maybe their hearts—when they become co-parents after a sudden loss. Colby's living her best as a popular food blogger, she gets to fulfill her dreams of exploring the globe. But her world comes crashing down when a tragic accident leaves her co-guardian of her best friend's two adorable children. Not only does she need to put down roots—fast—but she'll be sharing custody with the one man she can't stand sharing a continent with, let alone a house. �� Accountant-extraordinaire Rip values rules and plans. But when he loses his sister and his best friend and becomes an insta-guardian all in one night, Rip sees his organized life imploding. What he really doesn't need is his sister's irresponsible, flighty—albeit kind and gorgeous—best friend making it worse. Rip doesn't trust Colby to take their new responsibilities seriously, while Colby can't believe Rip thinks children will thrive under his rigid control. Yet soon Rip and Colby discover they need each other more than they hate each other. Could it be possible that following their hearts is just what their new little family needs?]]> 333 Rachel Van Dyken 1538720531 Danica 3 3.69 2022
author: Rachel Van Dyken
name: Danica
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves:
review:
Some very funny dialogue, a couple of skippable scenes.
]]> 153283393 This sparkling edition will include a special case stamping, bonus content, and a teaser to book two in this heart-pounding series!

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, this young adult fantasy follows the forbidden romance between a powerful prince and an ordinary girl as they try to survive their kingdom’s grueling laws pitting them against each other.

She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole live pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites. The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be keenly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can to stay alive and out of trouble…easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya’s princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites�� powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is…completely Ordinary.]]> 523 Lauren Roberts 1665954884 Danica 0 to-read 4.20 2023
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Danica
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

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At the heart of the Christian life lies the tension of the single-minded pursuit of the glory of God and the deep enjoyment of the things that God has made. How can Christians enjoy the good things of earth? Whether it’s a delicious meal or a game night with friends, listening to jazz or watching baseball, earthly joys often seem to compete with a deep love for God. Scripture supports both the enjoyment of the Creator and the enjoyment of the creation, revealing that this tension in the Christian life is also found in the Bible. In this accessible book, Joe Rigney displays how Christians can delight in God and enjoy his good gifts.]]> 128 Joe Rigney 1433569361 Danica 0 to-read 4.49
author: Joe Rigney
name: Danica
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 48615751
As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted--no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape--she was able to turn to our world's fierce and funny creatures for guidance.

"What the peacock can do," she tells us, "is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life." The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world's gifts.

Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy.]]> 165 Aimee Nezhukumatathil 1571313656 Danica 0 to-read 4.05 2020
author: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
name: Danica
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 83817455 ��
“One of the most important books I have read in a decade��. . . If we would all follow in this way,��our lives would change and the world would change.”—Jennie Allen, author of Get Out of Your Head and Find Your People
��
We are constantly being formed by the world around us. To be formed by Jesus will require us to become his apprentice.��

To live by what the first Christian disciples called a Rule of Life—a set of practices and relational rhythms that slow us down and open up space in our daily lives for God to do what only God can do—transforms the deepest parts of us to become like him.��
��
This introduction to spiritual formation is full of John Mark Comer’s trademark mix of theological substance and cultural insight as well as practical wisdom on developing your own Rule of Life.
��
These ancient practices have much to offer us. By learning to rearrange our days, we can follow the Way of Jesus. We can be with him. Become like him. And do as he did.]]> 288 John Mark Comer 0593193822 Danica 0 to-read 4.57 2024
author: John Mark Comer
name: Danica
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40045986
Beckett,

If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.

I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.

My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.

And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.

So if I’m gone, that means I ������’t be there for Ella. I ������’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.

Please don’t make her go through it alone.

Ryan]]> 426 Rebecca Yarros 1640635335 Danica 4 4.43 2019
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Danica
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 200982383 It’s the season
for treason��

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

They can agree on murder.

They can agree on treachery.

But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.

Let the best liar win.]]> 474 Mai Corland 1649376901 Danica 3 3.80 2024
author: Mai Corland
name: Danica
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves:
review:
I’d give this one a 3.8. More graphic in all ways than I usually go for, but got sucked into the dark, Agatha Christie vibe and unreliable narrators. An interesting twist at the end, making me want to read the second book.
]]> 139923147 From the acclaimed author of Georgie, All Along and Love Lettering, a pitch-perfect, radiantly transporting love story about an unexpected road trip, true crime obsessions, and hard won vulnerability��

Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half-sister, Tegan—and keeping a shocking secret. Ever since their reckless mother ran off with a boyfriend she’d known only a few months, Jess has been aware that he’s the same accomplished con man who was the subject of a wildly popular podcast, The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.

Now thirty-one, Jess didn’t bargain on Tegan eventually piecing together the connection for herself. But Tegan plans to do exactly what Jess has always feared—leave their safe, stable home to search for their mother—and she’ll be accompanied by the prying podcast host and her watchful, handsome producer, Adam Hawkins. Unwilling to let the sister she’s spent so much of her life protecting go it alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why. But soon Jess is discovering other things too. Like a renewed sense of vulnerability and curiosity, and a willingness to expand beyond the walls she’s so carefully built. And in Adam, she finds an unexpected connection she didn’t even know was missing, if only she can let go and let him in . . .]]> 373 Kate Clayborn 1496737318 Danica 0 to-read 3.68 2024
author: Kate Clayborn
name: Danica
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: to-read
review:

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ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.]]> 342 Hannah Nicole Maehrer 1649375808 Danica 3 P.S. Kingsley the Frog is the actual star of this story.]]> 3.88 2023
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: Danica
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/22
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves:
review:
I was confusingly into this book. It’s ridiculous, cheesy, and�� cute? Anyway, it was a breezy read (if a little clunky at times) and I’ll give it this: I’m interested in reading the second book.
P.S. Kingsley the Frog is the actual star of this story.
]]> 127305853 From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie�� McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 Danica 0 to-read 4.59 2024
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Danica
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: to-read
review:

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