en-US Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:18:24 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 214045137 Evie Woods 0008706697 Julia 0 currently-reading 4.35 2014
author: Evie Woods
name: Julia
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 165940202
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]> 419 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599837 Julia 0 to-read 3.91 2024
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Julia
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34415843
How can you believe all that stuff?
This is the number-one question Catholics get asked—and, sometimes, we ask ourselves. Why do we believe that God exists, that he became a man and came to save us, that what looks like a wafer of bread is actually his body? Why do we believe that he inspired a holy book and founded an infallible Church to teach us the one true way to live?

Ever since he became Catholic, Trent Horn has spent a lot of time answering these questions, trying to explain to friends, family, and total strangers the reasons for his faith

Some didn’t believe in God, or even in the existence of truth.
Others said they were spiritual but didn’t think you needed religion to be happy.
Some were Christians who thought Catholic doctrines over-complicated the pure gospel.
And some were fellow Catholics who had a hard time understanding everything they professed to believe on Sunday.

Why We’re Catholic assembles the clearest, friendliest, most helpful answers that Trent learned to give to all these people and more. Beginning with how we can know reality and ending with our hope of eternal life, it’s the perfect way to help skeptics and seekers (or Catholics who want to firm up their faith) understand the evidence that bolsters our belief—and brings us joy.]]> 240 Trent Horn 1683570243 Julia 5 Written in plain language, it presents Catholic dogma in a compelling and “easy to understand�� way, making it an excellent resource for Catholic teachers, parents, and anyone looking to better understand or defend their faith.]]> 4.33
author: Trent Horn
name: Julia
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
A very clear and accessible exploration of Catholic beliefs, offering well-reasoned explanations of Church teachings and responses to common Protestant objections, such as Marian devotion, Sola Scriptura and scandal.
Written in plain language, it presents Catholic dogma in a compelling and “easy to understand�� way, making it an excellent resource for Catholic teachers, parents, and anyone looking to better understand or defend their faith.
]]> 28883 As seen on EWTN, bestselling author Scott Hahn unveils the mysteries of the Mass, offering readers a deeper appreciation of the most familiar of Catholic rituals.

Of all things Catholic, there is nothing that is so familiar as the Mass. With its unchanging prayers, the Mass fits Catholics like their favorite clothes. Yet most Catholics sitting in the pews on Sundays fail to see the powerful supernatural drama that enfolds them. Pope John Paul II described the Mass as Heaven on Earth, explaining that what we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy.

The Lamb's Supper reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: The early Christians' key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament Book of Revelation. With its bizarre imagery, its mystic visions of heaven, and its end-of-time prophecies, Revelation mirrors the sacrifice and celebration of the Eucharist.

Beautifully written, in clear direct language, bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn's new book will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before.]]> 174 Scott Hahn 0385496591 Julia 5 4.42 1999
author: Scott Hahn
name: Julia
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
This book is a transformational read that will forever change the way you experience Mass.
]]> 30253864 Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?�� She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!��), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout��).

In “What It Was Like, Part One,�� Graham sits down for an epic Gilmore Girls marathon and reflects on being cast as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore. The essay “What It Was Like, Part Two�� reveals how it felt to pick up the role again nine years later, and what doing so has meant to her.

Some more things you will learn about Lauren: She once tried to go vegan just to bond with Ellen DeGeneres, she’s aware that meeting guys at awards shows has its pitfalls (“If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high��), and she’s a card-carrying REI shopper (“My bungee cords now earn points!��).

Including photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, this book is like a cozy night in, catching up with your best friend, laughing and swapping stories, and—of course—talking as fast as you can.]]> 205 Lauren Graham 0425285170 Julia 5 3.96 2016
author: Lauren Graham
name: Julia
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
The nostalgia!!! If you need another reason to binge Gilmore Girls�� this one’s for you.
]]> 213243949 A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life,��Three Days in June��is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers

]]> 165 Anne Tyler 0593803485 Julia 0 to-read 3.60 2025
author: Anne Tyler
name: Julia
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Julia 0 to-read 4.60 2025
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Julia
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 128138997
A perfectionist maid of honor and a carefree, surfer-bro best man team up to plan a wedding and end up finding a spark of their own in the first audio original from author duo Christina Lauren, a full-cast sequel to their��New York Times��������ٲ�����������The Unhoneymooners.

Ami is determined to break the Torres family wedding curse. Her own disaster of a reception ended with all the guests getting food poisoning, and she left her cheating husband soon after. But even though she’s still processing her own divorce, Ami won’t let her twin sister Olive’s day be anything but perfect. Olive may think she wants a private ceremony in Maui, where she and her fiancé Ethan first fell in love, but Ami knows better and secretly flies the whole Torres family out to surprise the couple. Now she and her meticulously organized binder have less than two weeks to get everything together for the big day, thousands of miles from home.

Enter Brody, Ethan’s best man, who happens to be living in Maui and insists on helping with the preparations. His playfully elaborate schemes and happy-go-lucky attitude are the last thing Ami needs. When sparks start to fly, could it derail all her carefully laid plans?

Equal parts hilarious and swoon-worthy, this full-cast production is your ticket to the ultimate destination wedding, bringing to life both a captivating couple and an unforgettable family.��The Honeymoon Crashers��is Christina Lauren at their charming, hilarious best.]]> 5 Christina Lauren 1797158147 Julia 4 I listened to the audiobook and I am captivated by having a full cast to perform this work. Content wise, it was a cute fast story. Predictable, but enjoyable to listen to! ]]> 3.56 2023
author: Christina Lauren
name: Julia
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves:
review:
Unexpected 4 ⭐️!
I listened to the audiobook and I am captivated by having a full cast to perform this work. Content wise, it was a cute fast story. Predictable, but enjoyable to listen to!
]]> 35542451 With wry wit and hard-earned wisdom, popular online personality and founder of TheChicSite.com founder Rachel Hollis helps readers break free from the lies keeping them from the joy-filled and exuberant life they are meant to have.

Founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Chic Media, Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own. Now comes her highly anticipated first book featuring her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice.

Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.

From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son's request that she buy a necklace to "be like the other moms," Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.]]> 240 Rachel Hollis 1400201667 Julia 4 3.55 2018
author: Rachel Hollis
name: Julia
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 217236652
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares�� but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him�� or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate.

His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details...

From USA Today bestselling author Callie Hart comes a brand new, highly addicting enemies-to-lovers romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance that you won't be able to stop listening to! For mature listeners.

Narrated in duet style.]]> 22 Callie Hart Julia 0 to-read 4.23 2024
author: Callie Hart
name: Julia
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123257687
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 Julia 0 to-read 3.88 2023
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: Julia
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40669887 The classic American memoir of twelve kids, two parents, and a world of laughter and love

Translated into more than fifty languages and adapted into two classic motion pictures,��Cheaper by the Dozen��is the unforgettable story of the Gilbreth clan as told by two of its members. In this endearing, amusing memoir, siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine capture the hilarity and heart of growing up in an oversized family.

Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have cranked out twelve kids, and Dad is out to prove that efficiency principles can apply to family as well as the workplace. The heartwarming and comic stories of the jumbo-sized Gilbreth clan have delighted generations of readers, and will keep you and yours laughing for years.


This ebook features an illustrated biography including rare photos from the authors�� estates.]]> 292 Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. 1480457108 Julia 0 dnf, to-read 3.95 1948
author: Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
name: Julia
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: dnf, to-read
review:

]]> 209770888 A small-town woman’s journey of self-discovery takes an unexpected detour when she inherits a Brooklyn brownstone—complete with one hot next-door neighbor—in this sexy, emotional contemporary romance.

When you least expect it, love comes knocking��

Holland Davenport is ready to go beyond her small-town existence. Her plan involves moving into an apartment in Charleston—not inheriting a run-down brownstone in Brooklyn from a relative she never knew. Yet in a burst of daring, Holland meets the challenge head-on, moving to New York to learn more about her family and renovate the place. Add to that a gorgeous next-door neighbor who turns out to be a board member at her new job, and she’s definitely out of her depth.

Noble Washington is the successful CEO of a company he spent a decade building. But his carefully ordered life begins to unravel the second he meets fiery social worker Holland—and spends one unforgettable night with a woman who should be off-limits.

There’s a wall and a world of differences lying between them. But the sheltered Southerner and the ambitious native New Yorker feel a pull that just won’t be denied…]]> 288 Renee Daniel Flagler 1335574948 Julia 0 to-read 3.67
author: Renee Daniel Flagler
name: Julia
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 227945196
I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.]]> 336 Carley Fortune 0735247293 Julia 0 to-read 4.65 2025
author: Carley Fortune
name: Julia
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220161296 New York Times bestselling author and “the biggest literary phenom of her generation�� (Cosmopolitan) Anna Todd returns with a moving and empowering new romance about a sheltered young woman whose life transforms during a summer in Majorca with a mysterious local.

Between chronic health issues and an overprotective mother, twenty-two-year-old Oriah Pera feels like she’s stuck waiting for her life to begin. But when her mother’s job takes them to Majorca, Ry knows this summer could be the start of her very own coming-of-age story.

In her first small act of rebellion, she heads off to the beach alone and meets an infuriatingly charming Spaniard. Julian makes Ry feel even more naive and inexperienced than she normally does, but she can’t tamp down her growing attraction.

As the summer continues, Julian pulls Ry out of her shell and into the adventures she’s always craved. But with her return to America looming, Ry must decide if she’s brave enough to finally follow her heart and live for herself.]]> 384 Anna Todd 1668079534 Julia 0 to-read 3.81 2025
author: Anna Todd
name: Julia
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62704018
This is one of the main attractions of the book-its direct, conversational style, its personal and deeply human character. As a reviewer in Osservatore Romano (March 24, 1950) put it: "Msgr. Escriva de Balaguer has written something more than a masterpiece; he has written straight from the heart, and straight to the heart go the short paragraphs which make up The Way."


(from the author's preface:) "Read these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in the end you will be a more worthy soul."]]> 207 Josemaría Escrivá Julia 0 currently-reading 4.50 1934
author: Josemaría Escrivá
name: Julia
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1934
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 61612864
A girl has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk and no one goes.

The world has never even noticed them. That's about to change.

Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another. A journey on which knowledge erodes certainty, and on which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burned.]]> 559 Mark Lawrence 0593437918 Julia 0 to-read 3.93 2023
author: Mark Lawrence
name: Julia
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209668781 Discover the instant #1 New York Times bestseller! TV series now in development at MGM Amazon Studios with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.

Accolades for Fourth Wing
Amazon Best Books of the Year, #4 �� Apple Best Books of the Year 2023 �� Barnes & Noble Best Fantasy Book of 2023 �� NPR "Books We Love" 2023 �� Audible Best Books of 2023 �� Hudson Book of the Year �� Google Play Best Books of 2023 �� Indigo Best Books of 2023 �� Waterstones Book of the Year finalist �� ŷ������ Choice Award Winner �� Newsweek Staffers�� Favorite Books of 2023 �� Paste Magazine’s Best Books of 2023 �� TikTok Book Awards UK and Ireland Book of the Year (International) 2024

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.

The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Fourth Wing
Book #2 Iron Flame
Book #3 Onyx Storm]]> 758 Rebecca Yarros 1649376944 Julia 5 If you're a true fantasy fan, this book will captivate you. It dives even deeper into the intricate world-building, expanding the magic systems and political landscapes in a way that feels immersive but admittedly sometimes overwhelming. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds in book 4!]]> 4.42 2025
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Julia
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
Onyx Storm is my favorite of the series so far! Definitely makes up for Iron Flame (IMO)
If you're a true fantasy fan, this book will captivate you. It dives even deeper into the intricate world-building, expanding the magic systems and political landscapes in a way that feels immersive but admittedly sometimes overwhelming. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds in book 4!
]]> 11180594 203 Yahaya Baruwa 0986699101 Julia 4
Half way through the book I thought to myself that this was easily going to be a 5 star novel. I simply could not put it down and was completely captivated by the tale. I enjoyed being immersed in the setting of the story and often found myself pausing wishing to highlight and bookmark various pages to refer back to; as Yahaya shared such powerful quotes that seek to motivate the physical, spiritual and emotional actions taken by readers to achieve their version of success.

My explanation for the 4 star review is as follows; I will say that the latter half of the book felt repetitive, as I found that the essence of the main message was already communicated. With that said, I don’t think that the book should have been shortened, however I wonder about diving deeper into the struggles of becoming a successful merchant. Upon reflection, I wished this story showcased more of the hurdles one must overcome prior to achieving one’s dream to further highlight that, hard work, perseverance, and optimism in times of despair will allow you to achieve your goal.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and already have to close friends. I wish Yahaya continued success on his journey and look forward to reading more from him in the future!]]> 3.21 2010
author: Yahaya Baruwa
name: Julia
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/15
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:
I had the pleasure of meeting Yahaya and was instantly captivated by his passion and enthusiasm for this book. I am delighted to say that I truly did enjoy this read. Struggles of a Dreamer is a story that both entertains, inspires and motivates you to not only “dream big�� but work hard and think beyond the barriers that appear to limit your aspirations in life.

Half way through the book I thought to myself that this was easily going to be a 5 star novel. I simply could not put it down and was completely captivated by the tale. I enjoyed being immersed in the setting of the story and often found myself pausing wishing to highlight and bookmark various pages to refer back to; as Yahaya shared such powerful quotes that seek to motivate the physical, spiritual and emotional actions taken by readers to achieve their version of success.

My explanation for the 4 star review is as follows; I will say that the latter half of the book felt repetitive, as I found that the essence of the main message was already communicated. With that said, I don’t think that the book should have been shortened, however I wonder about diving deeper into the struggles of becoming a successful merchant. Upon reflection, I wished this story showcased more of the hurdles one must overcome prior to achieving one’s dream to further highlight that, hard work, perseverance, and optimism in times of despair will allow you to achieve your goal.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and already have to close friends. I wish Yahaya continued success on his journey and look forward to reading more from him in the future!
]]> 75663742 A sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert��

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life�� and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.��]]> 351 Tessa Bailey 0063308304 Julia 4 You get what you get, what else did everyone expect with a Tessa Bailey?
3.5 ⭐️
]]> 3.34 2023
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Julia
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves:
review:
I don’t exactly get the hate for this book? I thought it wasn’t too bad of a cookie cutter romance.
You get what you get, what else did everyone expect with a Tessa Bailey?
3.5 ⭐️

]]> 22328546 This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.]]> 388 Victoria Aveyard 0062310631 Julia 0 to-read 3.98 2015
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Julia
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 167770288
Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines. She didn’t protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.

But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore. For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members �� they weren’t willing to rock the boat. But now they’re raising a family of their own, and they’re done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.]]> 287 Jill Duggar Julia 5 I listened to the audiobook for this one and thought it was well done.
5 stars ⭐️ for the courage to tell this story.

I read this after Jinger’s (her book is not a tell all but gives great insight into the IBLP cult) and I recommend reading in that order. ]]> 4.01 2023
author: Jill Duggar
name: Julia
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
This is an actual “tell all�� from her perspective! If you’ve followed this family, this book provides a wildly hidden and deeply personal perspective into this family’s life behind closed doors.
I listened to the audiobook for this one and thought it was well done.
5 stars ⭐️ for the courage to tell this story.

I read this after Jinger’s (her book is not a tell all but gives great insight into the IBLP cult) and I recommend reading in that order.
]]> 216351768
If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words��Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins��New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that's made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you'll realize how much energy and time you've been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.

Learn how

Stop wasting energy on things you can't control Stop comparing yourself to other peopleBreak free from fear and self-doubtRelease the grip of people's expectationsBuild the best friendships of your lifeCreate the love you deservePursue what truly matters to you with confidenceBuild resilience against everyday stressors and distractionsDefine your own path to success, joy, and fulfillment. . . and so much more.

The Let Them Theory will forever change the way you think about relationships, control, and personal power. Whether you want to advance your career, motivate others to change, take creative risks, find deeper connections, build better habits, start a new chapter, or simply create more happiness in your life and relationships, this book gives you the mindset and tools to unlock your full potential.

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory now and discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words.]]> 311 Mel Robbins 1401971377 Julia 4 I think this book has a great underlying message which you gather from the title. It puts into perspective, the concept of taking your power back in certain situations with the notion of not just “let them�� but also “let me��.
I just found it really confusing because at the same time she’s saying “let them” she also devotes a lot of time into explaining this process of how to influence other people to change them.
If you’re looking for an exclusive message of just letting people be, I don’t exactly recommend.]]> 4.17 2024
author: Mel Robbins
name: Julia
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
3.5⭐️
I think this book has a great underlying message which you gather from the title. It puts into perspective, the concept of taking your power back in certain situations with the notion of not just “let them�� but also “let me��.
I just found it really confusing because at the same time she’s saying “let them” she also devotes a lot of time into explaining this process of how to influence other people to change them.
If you’re looking for an exclusive message of just letting people be, I don’t exactly recommend.
]]> 62060274 absorvem o que os rodeia, e ela tem a capacidade de o sentir.
Quando encontra dois belos volumes que parecem nunca ter sido publicados, a descoberta rapidamente se transforma em obsessão.
Cada um deles contém uma acusação marcante, e os seus autores, Hemi e Belle, recontam lados opostos de um romance trágico.
Determinada a descobrir a verdade por trás desta infeliz história de amor, Ashlyn embarca num mistério literário feito de traições aparentemente imperdoáveis. Quanto mais descobre sobre os dois
amantes, mais perto chega de encerrar finalmente a dramática história de amor �� e os capítulos inacabados da sua própria vida.
Uma história dentro de outra história, e com um toque de realismo mágico, O eco dos livros antigos é um romance inesquecível e perfeito para todos os apaixonados pelos livros.]]> 431 Barbara Davis 1542038154 Julia 0 to-read 4.27 2023
author: Barbara Davis
name: Julia
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35210 "You'll not only break the ice, you'll melt it away with your new skills." -- Larry King

"The lost art of verbal communication may be revitalized by Leil Lowndes." -- Harvey McKay, author of "How to Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"

What is that magic quality makes some people instantly loved and respected? Everyone wants to be their friend (or, if single, their lover!) In business, they rise swiftly to the top of the corporate ladder. What is their "Midas touch?"

What it boils down to is a more skillful way of dealing with people.

The author has spent her career teaching people how to communicate for success. In her book How to Talk to Anyone (Contemporary Books, October 2003) Lowndes offers 92 easy and effective sure-fire success techniques-- she takes the reader from first meeting all the way up to sophisticated techniques used by the big winners in life. In this information-packed book you'll find:


9 ways to make a dynamite first impression 14 ways to master small talk, "big talk," and body language 14 ways to walk and talk like a VIP or celebrity 6 ways to sound like an insider in any crowd 7 ways to establish deep subliminal rapport with anyone 9 ways to feed someone's ego (and know when NOT to!) 11 ways to make your phone a powerful communications tool 15 ways to work a party like a politician works a room 7 ways to talk with tigers and not get eaten alive
In her trademark entertaining and straight-shooting style, Leil gives the techniques catchy names so you'll remember them when you really need them, including: "Rubberneck the Room," "Be a Copyclass," "Come Hither Hands," "Bare Their Hot Button," "The Great Scorecard in the Sky," and "Play the Tombstone Game," for big success in your social life, romance, and business.

How to Talk to Anyone, which is an update of her popular book, Talking the Winner's Way (see the 5-star reviews of the latter) is based on solid research about techniques that work!

By the way, don't confuse How to Talk to Anyone with one of Leil's previous books, How to Talk to Anybody About Anything. This one is completely different!]]> 345 Leil Lowndes 007141858X Julia 0 to-read 3.68 1998
author: Leil Lowndes
name: Julia
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 63133205 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.]]> 288 Britney Spears 1668009048 Julia 4 3.83 2023
author: Britney Spears
name: Julia
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 62296528
For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.]]> 410 Prince Harry 0593593804 Julia 3 I need William and Kate side of the story but woah�� the royal “family�� is messed up. ]]> 3.78 2023
author: Prince Harry
name: Julia
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:
3.5 ⭐️
I need William and Kate side of the story but woah�� the royal “family�� is messed up.
]]> 213243908 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 448 B.K. Borison 0593641191 Julia 0 to-read 4.05 2025
author: B.K. Borison
name: Julia
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
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 Julia 0 currently-reading 4.36 2024
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Julia
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.�� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders�� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Julia 3 4.33 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Julia
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves:
review:

]]> 59758538 The holidays have never been her thing. But Christmas in Rose Bend has more than one surprise in store��

Grieving ER nurse Nessa Hunt is on a road trip with her sullen teen half sister, Ivy, and still reeling from her mother’s deathbed confession: Nessa’s dad wasn’t really her dad. Seeking answers, they arrive in Rose Bend to find a small town teeming with the kind of Christmas cheer Nessa usually avoids. But then she meets the innkeeper’s ruggedly sexy son, Wolfgang Dennison.

Wolf’s big, boisterous family is like a picture-perfect holiday card. Nessa has too much weighing on her to feel like she fits—even though the heat between her and Wolf is undeniable. And the merriment bringing an overdue smile to Ivy’s face is almost enough to make Nessa believe in the Christmas spirit. But with all her parental baggage, including lingering questions about her birth father, is there room in Nessa’s life for happy holidays and happily-ever-after?]]> 416 Naima Simone 1848458533 Julia 0 to-read, dnf 3.60 2021
author: Naima Simone
name: Julia
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read, dnf
review:

]]> 66087062 A woman risks everything to end her family’s centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.]]> 320 Adrienne Young 0593598679 Julia 0 to-read 4.13 2023
author: Adrienne Young
name: Julia
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209192698 In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.��

Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail. In her unmistakable voice (no one tells a story like Ina), she brings her past and her process to life in a high-spirited and no-holds-barred memoir that chronicles decades of personal challenges, adventures (and misadventures) and unexpected career twists, all delivered with her signature combination of playfulness and purpose.

From a difficult childhood to meeting the love of her life, Jeffrey, and marrying him while still in college, from a boring bureaucratic job in Washington, D.C., to answering an ad for a specialty food store in the Hamptons, from the owner of one Barefoot Contessa shop to author of bestselling cookbooks and celebrated television host, Ina has blazed her own trail and, in the meantime, taught millions of people how to cook and entertain. Now, she invites them to come closer to experience her story in vivid detail and to share the important life lessons she learned along the way: do what you love because if you love it you’ll be really good at it, swing for the fences, and always Be Ready When the Luck Happens.]]> 320 Ina Garten 0593799895 Julia 5
From the very first page, it feels as though you’re not just reading a memoir, but connecting with Ina’s deeply personal journey. She weaves in numerous personal touches that make the narrative both engaging and inspiring that has left me with a renewed sense of motivation heading into the new year. (I feel really lucky this is my first read of the year!)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is the love story between Ina and Jeffrey. Before reading, I had an appreciation for their relationship, but this book truly deepened my admiration for their bond. The way she shares the nuances of their connection is both heartwarming and captivating.

However, this book is much more than a love story. While Ina is widely celebrated as a renowned chef, Be Ready When the Luck Happens also highlights her other lesser-known talents. Her expertise in interior design, her keen eye for architecture, and her meticulous attention to the details of hosting—such as choosing the right platters for a gathering—are showcased in a way that is both informative and inspiring.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, the book also underscores Ina’s advocacy for women’s rights. Her attentiveness to these issues adds another layer of depth to her character, making it clear that she is committed to using her platform for positive change.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking to be inspired by a woman who has truly mastered the art of living with intention and purpose! ]]> 4.24 2024
author: Ina Garten
name: Julia
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
I have to start by saying that this is a very well-deserved five-star rating. I was so close to being deterred by some of the reviews but I am so happy I didn’t listen!

From the very first page, it feels as though you’re not just reading a memoir, but connecting with Ina’s deeply personal journey. She weaves in numerous personal touches that make the narrative both engaging and inspiring that has left me with a renewed sense of motivation heading into the new year. (I feel really lucky this is my first read of the year!)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is the love story between Ina and Jeffrey. Before reading, I had an appreciation for their relationship, but this book truly deepened my admiration for their bond. The way she shares the nuances of their connection is both heartwarming and captivating.

However, this book is much more than a love story. While Ina is widely celebrated as a renowned chef, Be Ready When the Luck Happens also highlights her other lesser-known talents. Her expertise in interior design, her keen eye for architecture, and her meticulous attention to the details of hosting—such as choosing the right platters for a gathering—are showcased in a way that is both informative and inspiring.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, the book also underscores Ina’s advocacy for women’s rights. Her attentiveness to these issues adds another layer of depth to her character, making it clear that she is committed to using her platform for positive change.

I highly recommend it to anyone looking to be inspired by a woman who has truly mastered the art of living with intention and purpose!
]]> 213613851 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN B07FCF2GYW can be found here

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 can’t be there for Ella. I can’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]]> 434 Rebecca Yarros Julia 0 to-read 4.61 2019
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Julia
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207567816 From the author of The Magician's Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.]]> 464 H.G. Parry 0316383902 Julia 0 to-read 4.15 2024
author: H.G. Parry
name: Julia
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211936236 A candy cane-filled, enemies-to-lovers, festive fake-dating romance to spice up everyone’s stockings this Christmas . . .

As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy.

Immediately his new neighbour turns his world into a real-life nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town’s Christmas Kringle contest �� which she’s determined to win.

But Cole’s got other ideas in mind. Entering the competition himself, he’s planning to beat Storee at her own game by pretending this grump’s heart has grown three sizes this season, and he’s fallen for the girl next door.

But the competition isn’t the only thing that’s starting to heat up �� so are Cole and Storee’s feelings for each other. Before they know it, things are starting to get very complicated, and all it takes is one night for someone to steal it all��

TROPES:
Enemies-to-lovers
Small town
Forced proximity
Fake dating
A lot of spice 🌶�� 🌶�� 🌶��

But also expect��
A snow storm rescue
Porch talks, cocoa, and your childhood crush
Excessive use of flannel
Elite holiday song references
Fake dating to reverse fake dating
Inappropriate use of a candy cane��

REAL READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH MEGHAN QUINN’S BOOKS��
‘Outrageously laugh-out-loud funny�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
‘The way I completely obsessed about this book was not okay!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
‘Perfect combination of sweet, sassy, funny and spicy�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
‘The banter was top tier! The spice was amazing!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
‘All the brother’s-best-friend, fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers goodness packaged together in an adventure full of second-hand embarrassment and swoon-worthy moments�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
‘OH MY!!!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 466 Meghan Quinn Julia 0 to-read 3.58 2024
author: Meghan Quinn
name: Julia
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208840265 A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.

In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.

An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders�� assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership�� were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.

Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith. Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.]]> 303 Bethany Joy Lenz 1668067307 Julia 0 to-read 4.27 2024
author: Bethany Joy Lenz
name: Julia
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216282884 An Instant #1 New York Times��Bestseller
A #1 Publishers Weekly��Bestseller

Melania��is a compelling and inspirational memoir that offers a glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman who has navigated challenges with grace and determination.��
��
In her memoir,��Melania��reflects on her Slovenian��childhood,��the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in��Europe and New York, and the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life. Melania opens up about their courtship,��life in the spotlight, and��experiencing the joy of motherhood. She��shares behind-the-scenes stories from her time in the White House, shedding light on her advocacy work and the causes close to her heart.
Melania��offers an unprecedented look into her time as a First Lady who was born outside the United States -- a role she embraced with honor and dedication.��It brings readers into��her��world and presents an in-depth account of a woman who has led a remarkable life on her own terms.
Melania��Trump's story is one of resilience and independence, showcasing her strength and unwavering commitment to��her true self.��]]> 338 Melania Trump Julia 0 to-read 3.83 2024
author: Melania Trump
name: Julia
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 139391940 A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer.

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes��

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

�� grumpy x sunshine
�� small town
�� found family
�� spicy]]> 373 Laurie Gilmore 0008610665 Julia 0 to-read 3.36 2023
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Julia
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was��.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood Julia 0 to-read 3.98 2024
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Julia
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207298106 Brought to you by Penguin.

Beloved award-winning actress Kelly Bishop, famous for playing the iconic Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls , finally tells the whole story of her six decades in show business.

Kelly Bishop’s 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 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, sharing 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 powerful memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades.

]]> 256 Kelly Bishop 1668023776 Julia 0 to-read 4.35 2024
author: Kelly Bishop
name: Julia
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40916679
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.]]> 433 Holly Jackson 1405293187 Julia 0 to-read 4.30 2019
author: Holly Jackson
name: Julia
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 76703559 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas 163973094X Julia 0 to-read 4.18 2012
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Julia
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58884736
"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.]]> 353 Nikki Erlick 0063204207 Julia 0 to-read 3.96 2022
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Julia
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200033357 New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners.

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates�� are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask��what if we actually met?

Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.]]> 101 Christina Lauren 1662519893 Julia 5 4.21 2024
author: Christina Lauren
name: Julia
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:
SO CUTE. Fast short story that I could totally see being drawn out into a proper novel. Loved it.
]]> 199347538 Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. Featuring gorgeous orange sprayed edges!

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.]]> 416 T.J. Klune 125088120X Julia 0 to-read 4.16 2024
author: T.J. Klune
name: Julia
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195790586 She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.�� Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?]]> 336 Katherine Center 1250283809 Julia 0 to-read 4.06 2024
author: Katherine Center
name: Julia
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
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 Julia 0 to-read 4.21 2024
author: Emily Henry
name: Julia
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 197577126 This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.]]> 368 Carley Fortune 0593638883 Julia 4 3.94 2024
author: Carley Fortune
name: Julia
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️. It's a slow-burn romance filled with genuine substance and rich character development. The author beautifully brings PEI to life through the characters' stories, making the setting feel vibrant and integral to the narrative. Lucy’s character arc is particularly impressive; she evolves from a dependent young woman into a strong, independent adult who makes her own choices. This transformation is what made me fall in love with Lucy even more. Highly recommended!
]]> 11567696 Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse Carry on a family tradition or start one of your own with this new version of the classic Christmas book for children and families. Initially published anonymously as A Visit from Saint Nicholas, and credited as a work by Clement Clark Moore, this timeless tale has been lovingly preserved in this classic edition. Bring the family together for a read-aloud as children prepare for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve.
This classic edition The Night Before Charles Santore’s works has been widely exhibited in museums and celebrated with recognitions such as the prestigious Hamilton King Award, the Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence, and the Original Art 2000 Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. He is best known for his luminous interpretations of classic children’s stories, including Aesop Fables , The Velveteen Rabbit , The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit , and more!]]> 48 Clement Clarke Moore 1604332379 Julia 0 to-read 4.69 1823
author: Clement Clarke Moore
name: Julia
average rating: 4.69
book published: 1823
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203664996 The Santa Clause meets Husband Material in this delightful holiday novel!

Fixing Christmas? Easy. Fixing their marriage? Not so much.

Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That's until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up 'I think I've killed a man.'

Quinn realizes the 'burglar' Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.

But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they're in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be cancelled . . . permanently.

With Christmas - and their marriage - on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other's stockings come next Christmas?]]> 320 Timothy Janovsky 125033893X Julia 0 to-read 3.69 2024
author: Timothy Janovsky
name: Julia
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214312329
“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella]]> 144 Sophie Kinsella 0593977564 Julia 0 to-read 4.25 2024
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Julia
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 65137920 The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,�� she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.��

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found��

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder�� where nothing is as it seems.]]> 432 Evie Woods 0008609209 Julia 4
However, things really picked up for me around chapter 30. Before that point, each character’s perspective felt like a standalone story, which made it confusing to keep track of everything. Once I hit that pivotal chapter, everything started to come together beautifully. The narrative flowed much more smoothly, and I loved how all the threads tied up in a magical ending. It felt like a perfect little bow on a complex tale.

Overall, I’d rate the first half 3 stars and the second half 4 stars. If you can push through the slower start, the payoff is definitely worth it!]]> 4.03 2023
author: Evie Woods
name: Julia
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
I recently finished this book and found it to be a bit of a mixed bag. The first half felt slow, almost like it was dragging its feet. The author did a solid job setting up the storyline, though, and you can tell she has a strong grasp of English literature. Her use of analogies and references to key historical writers was impressive and added depth.

However, things really picked up for me around chapter 30. Before that point, each character’s perspective felt like a standalone story, which made it confusing to keep track of everything. Once I hit that pivotal chapter, everything started to come together beautifully. The narrative flowed much more smoothly, and I loved how all the threads tied up in a magical ending. It felt like a perfect little bow on a complex tale.

Overall, I’d rate the first half 3 stars and the second half 4 stars. If you can push through the slower start, the payoff is definitely worth it!
]]> 202261456 The Pianist's Only Daughter presents an unvarnished portrayal of two creative academics—a concert pianist and a poet—from their early quests for artistic expression and academic recognition, to their poignant efforts in old age to hold on to their unique gifts and their humanity.

First-time memoirist Kathryn Betts Adams, a social worker and academic gerontologist, depicts the evolving family dynamics through more than six decades that she is immersed in her parents' vivid emotional lives. Her story culminates in a hero’s shepherding her parents through their final years. Despite her professional expertise, a series of terrible constraints and no-win decisions litter the path to finding quality care, and bearing witness to their declining health proves heartbreaking.

Grounded in insights about mental health, health, and aging, and overlaid with a deep devotion to music and words, The Pianist’s Only Daughter is the story of one family’s—one daughter’s—experience of the human condition. Although it is not a self-help book, readers will find useful information and ideas that resonate with their own experiences with aging and family relationships.

About The Pianist’s Only Daughter

"Excellent read! A book I couldn't put down—Kathryn Betts Adams shares an intimate family portrait which is skillfully woven and will resonate with you in your own journey. The Pianist’s Only Daughter brings the joys and sorrows of caring for aged parents to the forefront and offers spot-on observations of the way early family dynamics reenact themselves in old age. It’s a must-read for all facing this stage of life, especially poignant for only children. I will be recommending this book to the adult children of my elderly clients."
~Heidi Sward, LCSW, Geriatric Social Worker, Hamden, Connecticut

"It’s both a beautiful narrative history of your/our parents�� era and creative life, as well as the bittersweet, difficult decline of our loved ones and the challenges of caregiving all at once. Brava!"
~Ginger McKnight-Chavers, Author of In the Heart of Texas: A Novel]]> 242 Kathryn Betts Adams Julia 0 to-read 4.50
author: Kathryn Betts Adams
name: Julia
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208456112 The twisty and devastating instant #1 New York Times bestselling romantic mystery—now in a stunning hardcover Collector's Edition featuring nine exclusive illustrations, a foil-stamped case, beautifully stained edges and custom designed endpapers.

Never stop...Never forget...Just remember.

Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They've been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning...they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love...every memory has vanished. Now Charlie and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why.

But the more they learn about the couple they used to be...the more they question why they were ever together to begin with. Forgetting is terrifying, but remembering may be worse.

Heart-stopping and utterly captivating, Never Never will leave readers breathless and believing in the power of love.]]> 400 Colleen Hoover 1335080090 Julia 0 to-read 3.23 2016
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Julia
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208183283
Be loud. Lean in. Take your seat at the head of the table. I want the whole room to know that when my wife speaks, it’s time to sit down and listen.

Thanks to my reckless roommate, I’m about two skips away from being homeless. Temp jobs aren’t paying the bills, and now I have to cancel the scuba diving trip I can no longer afford.

At least I’ll be spared from my instructor’s tempting smile and rock-hard abs. Dex is wonderful, but he’s only ever treated me like a friend…a really good friend. In fact, when he hears I’m having money problems, he comes up with a way we can help each other.

In a clever scheme to ensure her jaded, love-doubting grandson didn’t end up alone, Dex’s grandma left her company to Dex’s…wife. Except he isn’t married. Until me, that is.

Now I’m suddenly the CEO and majority shareholder of a billion-dollar cruise corporation. I’m unprepared, and the sharks in the boardroom are scarier than the great whites in the water. But the plan is simple. Play the part for a year, hand the company back over to Dex, then get divorced. Easy. In exchange, I’ll never have to worry about money again.

But it’s not long before I realize the company is in danger and a lot of people need my help. And now that I’m acting like the boss, there’s a look in Dex’s eyes I’ve never seen before. Something more than friendly�� Because when he calls me “wife�� lately, it doesn't seem like it's for show.]]> 384 Kay Cove Julia 0 to-read 3.93
author: Kay Cove
name: Julia
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211003795 Climbing in Heels, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas's debut novel, is a fictional tale of the rise of three secretaries at the hottest agency in 1980's Hollywood, giving you a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve. It's the story of friendship, betrayal, survival, standing up when they pass you by, and saying I won't go when they want you gone. And it's also a story about how some of those women became very much like the monsters who trained them.

Meet Beanie Rosen, the fast-talking and even faster-thinking Valley girl who knows where she wants to go, and doesn’t care if she doesn’t look the part.

Mercedes Baxter, who learned early on how to leverage the monied friends of her monied friends' parents until she found a foothold in Hollywood.

And Ella Gaddy, a sexy free-spirit anti-debutante from a white-glove Kentucky home who shakes up any room she walks into.

Read Climbing in Heels and watch these women meet, meld, fight, strategize and climb their way into your heart.

A rollicking tale of sex, drugs, and power �� in heels.]]> 384 Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas 1250274788 Julia 0 to-read 3.72
author: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
name: Julia
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203578896 The first unauthorized look at the inner workings―and ultimate breakdown―of the Disney Channel machine

For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in prime time at its peak. Today it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symoné, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya.

It wasn't always destined for greatness: When Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney’s more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival―among them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling―slip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the pie―and there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars.

From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV’s House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.]]> 336 Ashley Spencer 1250283450 Julia 0 to-read 4.01 2024
author: Ashley Spencer
name: Julia
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Julia 0 to-read 4.00 2011
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Julia
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> 199261152 A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction�� literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel��

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet�� she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.]]> 368 Ashley Poston 0593640977 Julia 0 to-read 3.62 2024
author: Ashley Poston
name: Julia
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 183086339
After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts �� and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

Be swept away by this kiss-or-kill romantasy trilogy taking the world by storm.]]> 396 Lauren Roberts Julia 0 to-read 4.07 2024
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Julia
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 201627074 Two string players fight their attraction for each other as they compete for center stage in this spicy and emotional romance.

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that was nurtured by a kind shop owner.

After Gwen performs at his friend’s wedding, she’s mortified when she realizes Xander has no clue who she is—despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.

When Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, something Xander had secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But their respect for each other's music is undeniable, and their onstage chemistry off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, suddenly they're box office dynamite and the fragile romance that's growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt...]]> 384 Julie Soto 1538740915 Julia 0 to-read 4.05 2024
author: Julie Soto
name: Julia
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 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 Julia 0 to-read 3.95 2020
author: Sarah Adams
name: Julia
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 26114523 Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984:
the year a heatwave scorched the small town of Breathed, Ohio.
The year he became friends with the devil.


When local prosecutor Autopsy Bliss publishes an invitation to the devil to come to the country town of Breathed, Ohio, nobody quite expected that he would turn up. They especially didn't expect him to turn up a tattered and bruised thirteen-year-old boy.


Fielding, the son of Autopsy, finds the boy outside the courthouse and brings him home, and he is welcomed into the Bliss family. The Blisses believe the boy, who calls himself Sal, is a runaway from a nearby farm town. Then, as a series of strange incidents implicate Sal �� and riled by the feverish heatwave baking the town from the inside out �� there are some around town who start to believe that maybe Sal is exactly who he claims to be.


But whether he's a traumatised child or the devil incarnate, Sal is certainly one strange fruit: he talks in riddles, his uncanny knowledge and understanding reaches far outside the realm of a normal child �� and ultimately his eerily affecting stories of Heaven, Hell, and earth will mesmerise and enflame the entire town.


Devastatingly beautiful, The Summer That Melted Everything is a captivating story about community, redemption, and the dark places where evil really lies.

]]> 320 Tiffany McDaniel 1250078067 Julia 0 to-read 3.97 2016
author: Tiffany McDaniel
name: Julia
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> 202102084 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: how her eyes induce madness in men.��

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.����

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of strategy, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.��

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armor. She does not know that her magic is greater and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.��

She does not know this yet. But she will.]]> 295 Ava Reid 0593722566 Julia 0 to-read 3.46 2024
author: Ava Reid
name: Julia
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> 203337138 From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring�� (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.]]> 528 Jodi Picoult 0593497228 Julia 0 to-read 4.12 2024
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Julia
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/16
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]]> 21853621 Der Weltbestseller �� die Nr. 1 aus den USA.
Zwei Schwestern im von den Deutschen besetzten Während Vianne ums Überleben ihrer Familie kämpft, schließt sich die jüngere Isabelle der Résistance an und sucht die Freiheit auf dem Pfad der Nachtigall, einem geheimen Fluchtweg über die Pyrenäen. Doch wie weit darf man gehen, um zu überleben? Und wie kann man die schützen, die man liebt?
In diesem epischen, kraftvollen und zutiefst berührenden Roman erzählt Kristin Hannah die Geschichte zweier Frauen, die ihr Schicksal auf ganz eigene Weise meistern.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 Julia 0 to-read 4.63 2015
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Julia
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> 52838315 From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.��

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It’s a love letter. To life.

It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.

Good luck.]]> 289 Matthew McConaughey 0593139135 Julia 0 to-read 4.21 2020
author: Matthew McConaughey
name: Julia
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201129898 Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure��inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman��determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another?��As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.]]> 432 K.X. Song 0593815726 Julia 0 to-read 3.80 2024
author: K.X. Song
name: Julia
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> 199897857
Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West�� Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

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 Julia 4 4.19 2024
author: Christina Lauren
name: Julia
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
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]]> 195791398 A lean, seductive, and dazzlingly inventive novel that shows us the dark side of early twentieth-century Vienna.

Vienna, 1919. A once-mighty empire has finally come crashing down—and a mysterious young woman, unable to speak, has turned up on the streets. A doctor appeals to the public for information about her past and receives a single response, from a sanatorium patient who claims to be her father.

The man reveals only her name is Gretel. But he encloses a bedtime story he asks the doctor to read aloud to her, about an Architect whose radically modern creation has caused a great scandal. The next day a second story arrives, about a Ballet Master who develops a new position of the feet. Twenty-four more stories follow in alphabetical order, about an Immunologist and a Jeweler, a Revolutionary and a Satirist, a Waif and an X-ray Technician and a Zionist.

Crossing paths and purposes, their stories interweave until a single picture emerges, that of a decadent, death-obsessed, oversexed empire buzzing with the ideas of Freud and Karl Kraus. There are artists who ape the innocence of children, and scientists who insist that children are anything but innocent . . . And then there’s Gretel’s own mother, who will do whatever it takes to sing onstage at the City Theater. Is it any wonder that this world—soon to vanish anyway in a war to end all wars—was one from which Gretel’s father wished to shelter her?]]> 224 Adam Ehrlich Sachs 0374614245 Julia 5 3.63 2024
author: Adam Ehrlich Sachs
name: Julia
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/07/26
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]]> 127280062 Torn apart by war. Reunited by love?

Two weeks have passed since Iris returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over.

Roman is missing, lost behind enemy lines, with no memory of his past, or Iris. Hoping his memories return, he begins to write again �� but this time for the enemy.

When a strange letter arrives through his wardrobe door, he strikes up a correspondence with a penpal who seems at once mysterious�� and strangely familiar.

As their connection deepens, the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.]]> 420 Rebecca Ross 1250857457 Julia 0 to-read 3.99 2023
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Julia
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 202507554 moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths ��
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages. ]]> 718 Sarah A. Parker Julia 0 to-read 3.98 2024
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Julia
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 126918693 Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez reveals her experience as the U.S. born daughter of immigrants and what happened when, at fifteen, her parents were forced back to Mexico in this galvanizing yet tender memoir.

Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips as she entered her freshman year of high school as the number one student. But suddenly, Elizabeth's own country took away the most important right a child has: a right to have a family.

As her parents�� visas expired, they were forced to return to Mexico, leaving Elizabeth responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being “a statistic,�� she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide.

Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied, homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation due to broken immigration laws. For fans of Educated by Tara Westover and The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, My Side of the River explores separation, generational trauma, and the toll of the American dream. It’s also, at its core, a love story between a brother and a sister who, no matter the cost, is determined to make the pursuit of his own dreams easier than it was for her.]]> 272 Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez 1250277957 Julia 0 to-read 3.74 2024
author: Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez
name: Julia
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195820804
Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?]]> 432 Abby Jimenez 1538767449 Julia 0 to-read 4.38 2024
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Julia
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195967140 A mind-bending, psychological thriller from Freida McFadden, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid!

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except��

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.

Addie can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that's what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.]]> 379 Freida McFadden 1728296218 Julia 0 to-read 3.82 2024
author: Freida McFadden
name: Julia
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 50659468
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future-and the future of a world in turmoil.

Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.]]> 626 Sarah J. Maas 1635575583 Julia 0 currently-reading 4.65 2016
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Julia
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 54386622 A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!]]> 433 Sarah J. Maas Julia 5 4.35 2015
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Julia
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/14
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 62047984
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? This piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.

But June cannot escape Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 319 R.F. Kuang 000853277X Julia 0 to-read 3.69 2023
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Julia
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59364173
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,�� eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?�� She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!��), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 320 Jennette McCurdy Julia 5 4.45 2022
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Julia
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/09
date added: 2024/02/09
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]]> 46001004 Relationship with self: The girls share their own personal journeys to self-acceptance and navigating the difficult stage of adolescence.

Relationship with parents: You'll find revelations about how Jim Bob and Michelle keep the lines of communication open with their children.

Relationships with siblings: Here, you'll get a peek into the Buddy system, how the siblings handle conflict, and how the loss of little Jubilee (their sister) affected their relationships with each other.

Relationships with friends: You'll find principles on how the Duggar kids deal with peer pressure and how they interact with friends outside their family.

Relationships with boys: You'll learn the Duggar view of dating and courtship, and these four sisters will address the often-asked question of when one of them will get married.

Relationship with God: And woven throughout the book, the girls talk about their most important relationship of all, their relationship with God and their own personal faith and beliefs.
This candid look into what Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger believe and why they believe it will give you practical insights into your own life and will inspire you to evaluate principles that will work for you.]]> Jana Duggar Julia 3 3.77 2013
author: Jana Duggar
name: Julia
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/30
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves:
review:
She does warn it’s not a tell all�� it most definitely isn’t. More of an educational tool about the IBLP.
]]> 590652 168 Jeff Olson 0967285550 Julia 0 to-read 4.24 2005
author: Jeff Olson
name: Julia
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile�� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 528 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Julia 5
I 5 ⭐️recommend and would read again.

Side note: read the acknowledgments. Yarros�� nod to her husband had me in tears�� although I was probably already crying from the ending.
]]> 4.56 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Julia
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/06
date added: 2024/01/06
shelves:
review:
I’m beyond excited that this was my first book of 2024. This read is captivating from chapter 1 and will take you on an emotional ride on the backs of some of the most developed dragons I have come across in the fantasy genre. The witty personalities and connections Yarros creates among her human and dragon characters is spectacular and an art form I haven’t felt since HP.

I 5 ⭐️recommend and would read again.

Side note: read the acknowledgments. Yarros�� nod to her husband had me in tears�� although I was probably already crying from the ending.

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

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Julia 0 4.16 2020
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Julia
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/06
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review:

]]> 75670359
As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.

An emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.]]> 384 Uzma Jalaluddin 0735246459 Julia 0 currently-reading 3.86 2023
author: Uzma Jalaluddin
name: Julia
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Julia 4 4.35 2022
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Julia
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/27
date added: 2023/08/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus Julia 4 4.23 2022
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Julia
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/31
date added: 2023/07/31
shelves:
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]]> 61771675
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters�� unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?]]> 416 Ann Napolitano Julia 5 I found myself in Julia. And the birth of my son/ Covid was the double punch Sylvie talked about to realize although we can do it alone, family helps us do life better. ]]> 4.14 2023
author: Ann Napolitano
name: Julia
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/20
date added: 2023/07/20
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️
I found myself in Julia. And the birth of my son/ Covid was the double punch Sylvie talked about to realize although we can do it alone, family helps us do life better.
]]> 107525549
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.

I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.

But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.

The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.

Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.


INDY

I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.

Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.

Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.

Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.

I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all]]> 426 Liz Tomforde Julia 0 to-read 4.44 2023
author: Liz Tomforde
name: Julia
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/09
shelves: to-read
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]]> 62361081 Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy�� Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.]]> 409 Christina Lauren 1982173432 Julia 0 to-read 4.06 2023
author: Christina Lauren
name: Julia
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60018635 A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for....
]]> 318 Sangu Mandanna 059343935X Julia 0 to-read 4.04 2022
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Julia
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55659629
Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.��

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl�� who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.��]]> 397 Tessa Bailey 0063045656 Julia 3 3.91 2021
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Julia
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/07
date added: 2023/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 60435878 Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.]]> 384 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158687 Julia 0 to-read 4.19 2022
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Julia
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Julia 0 to-read 4.12 2022
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Julia
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/23
shelves: to-read
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]]> 59089704 What if you could take a vacation to your past?

With her celebrated humor, insight, and heart, beloved New York Times bestseller Emma Straub offers her own twist on traditional time travel tropes, and a different kind of love story.

On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice's life isn't terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn't exactly the one she expected. She's happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn't just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it's her dad: the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?]]> 310 Emma Straub 052553900X Julia 0 to-read 3.78 2022
author: Emma Straub
name: Julia
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 16144853 Why do only a few people get to say “I love my job��? It seems unfair that finding fulfillment at work is like winning a lottery; that only a few lucky ones get to feel valued by their organizations, to feel like they belong.

Imagine a world where almost everyone wakes up inspired to go to work, feels trusted and valued during the day, then returns home feeling fulfilled.

This is not a crazy, idealized notion. Today, in many successful organizations, great leaders are creating environments in which people naturally work together to do remarkable things.

In his travels around the world since the publication of his bestseller Start with Why, Simon Sinek noticed that some teams were able to trust each other so deeply that they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives were offered, were doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure. Why?

The answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general.

“Officers eat last,�� he said.

Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. What’s symbolic in the chow hall is deadly serious on the battlefield: great leaders sacrifice their own comfort—even their own survival—for the good of those in their care.

This principle has been true since the earliest tribes of hunters and gatherers. It’s not a management theory; it’s biology. Our brains and bodies evolved to help us find food, shelter, mates and especially safety. We’ve always lived in a dangerous world, facing predators and enemies at every turn. We thrived only when we felt safe among our group.


Our biology hasn’t changed in fifty thousand years, but our environment certainly has. Today’s workplaces tend to be full of cynicism, paranoia and self-interest. But the best organizations foster trust and cooperation because their leaders build what Sinek calls a Circle of Safety that separates the security inside the team from the challenges outside.

The Circle of Safety leads to stable, adaptive, confident teams, where everyone feels they belong and all energies are devoted to facing the common enemy and seizing big opportunities.

As he did in Start with Why, Sinek illustrates his ideas with fascinating true stories from a wide range of examples, from the military to manufacturing, from government to investment banking.

The biology is clear: when it matters most, leaders who are willing to eat last are rewarded with deeply loyal colleagues who will stop at nothing to
advance their leader’s vision and their organization’s interests. It’s amazing how well it works.
]]> 350 Simon Sinek 1591845327 Julia 3 4.09 2014
author: Simon Sinek
name: Julia
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/28
date added: 2023/01/28
shelves:
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]]> 59344312
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.]]> 336 Colleen Hoover 153872474X Julia 4 4.29 2018
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Julia
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 27362503
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up �� she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating�� rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan �� her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.]]> 386 Colleen Hoover 1668021048 Julia 5 4.11 2016
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Julia
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 60836044
A beautiful and moving collection of poems and stories from the author of the #1 bestselling memoir From the Ashes .

Fans of Jesse Thistle’s extraordinary debut From the Ashes have already had the pleasure of reading his poetry, which is sprinkled throughout this bestselling memoir. In Scars and Stars , he digs deeper into the poetic form, which is especially close to his heart.
��
Charting his own history, the stories of people from his past, the burning intensity of new and unexpected love, the complex legacies of family and community, and the beauty of parenthood, this collection is a profound mediation that expands his engagement with the ideas and experiences that have shaped his body of work thus far.
��
Throughout the collection, prose pieces complement the poems, and to bring readers into Jesse’s life with greater intimacy than ever before. The result is an unforgettable furthering of his singular story, one that is sure to delight his many readers, but also serve as a perfect entry point for those new to the work of one of our most thrilling and honest writers.]]> 184 Jesse Thistle 0771003501 Julia 4 4.15 2022
author: Jesse Thistle
name: Julia
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/29
date added: 2022/12/29
shelves:
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]]> 25111004 Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?]]> 310 Colleen Hoover 1501110349 Julia 0 to-read 4.10 2015
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Julia
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>