Amber's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 02 Jul 2024 08:25:37 -0700 60 Amber's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 31076583 229 Sarah J. Maas 168119631X Amber 0 to-read 3.77 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Amber
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/07/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This Is How You Lose the Time War]]> 43352954 Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.]]> 209 Amal El-Mohtar Amber 0 currently-reading 3.87 2019 This Is How You Lose the Time War
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: Amber
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Haunting of Hill House 89717 182 Shirley Jackson 0143039989 Amber 0 to-read 3.85 1959 The Haunting of Hill House
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Amber
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1959
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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]]> The Witch's Heart 53438195 When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology.

Angrboda's story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin's all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life¡ªand possibly all of existence¡ªis in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she¡¯ll accept the fate that she's foreseen for her beloved family¡­or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.]]> 359 Genevieve Gornichec 059309994X Amber 0 to-read 4.04 2021 The Witch's Heart
author: Genevieve Gornichec
name: Amber
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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review:

]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 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¡ªjust 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 Amber 5 4.45 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Amber
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/12/05
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]]> Giovanni¡¯s Room 406235 178 James Baldwin Amber 0 to-read 4.40 1956 Giovanni¡¯s Room
author: James Baldwin
name: Amber
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1956
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/07
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]]> <![CDATA[I Hear the Sunspot, Vol. 1 (I Hear the Sunspot #1)]]> 36844972 191 Yuki Fumino 1944937528 Amber 0 to-read 4.24 2014 I Hear the Sunspot, Vol. 1 (I Hear the Sunspot #1)
author: Yuki Fumino
name: Amber
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)]]> 40495957
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...]]> 288 Alice Oseman 152722533X Amber 0 to-read 4.43 2018 Heartstopper: Volume One (Heartstopper, #1)
author: Alice Oseman
name: Amber
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> Girl, Woman, Other 41081373
Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.

Joyfully polyphonic and vibrantly contemporary, this is a gloriously new kind of history, a novel of our times: celebratory, ever-dynamic and utterly irresistible.]]> 453 Bernardine Evaristo 0241364906 Amber 0 to-read 4.27 2019 Girl, Woman, Other
author: Bernardine Evaristo
name: Amber
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Nakano Thrift Shop 32919876
Objects for sale at the Nakano Thrift Shop appear as commonplace as the staff and customers that handle them. But like those same customers and staff, they hold many secrets. If examined carefully, they show the signs of innumerable extravagancies, of immeasurable pleasure and pain, and of the deep mysteries of the human heart.

Hitomi, the inexperienced young woman who works the register at Mr. Nakano's thrift shop, has fallen for her coworker, the oddly reserved Takeo. Unsure of how to attract his attention, she seeks advice from her employer's sister, Masayo, whose sentimental entanglements make her a somewhat unconventional guide. But thanks in part to Masayo, Hitomi will come to realize that love, desire, and intimacy require acceptance not only of idiosyncrasies but also of the delicate waltz between open and hidden secrets.

Animating each delicately rendered chapter in Kawakami's playful novel is Mr. Nakano himself, an original, entertaining, and enigmatic creation whose compulsive mannerisms, secretive love life, and impulsive behavior defy all expectations.]]> 224 Hiromi Kawakami Amber 0 to-read 3.34 2005 The Nakano Thrift Shop
author: Hiromi Kawakami
name: Amber
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> Ms Ice Sandwich 32927264 A quixotic and funny tale about first love ¨C from the Akutagawa Prize-winning author.

Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her. He is in awe of her aloofness, her skill at slipping sandwiches into bags, and, most electric of all, her ice-blue eyelids. Every day he is drawn to the supermarket just to watch her in action. But life has a way of interfering ¨C there is his mother, forever distracted, who can tell the fortunes of women; his grandmother, silently dying, who listens to his heart; and his classmate, Tutti, no stranger to pain, who shares her private thrilling world with him.

Tender, warm, yet unsentimental, Ms Ice Sandwich is a story about new starts, parents who have departed, and the importance of saying goodbye.]]> 92 Mieko Kawakami 1782273301 Amber 0 to-read 3.76 2013 Ms Ice Sandwich
author: Mieko Kawakami
name: Amber
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Tales from the Caf¨¦ (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #2)]]> 54373691 In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a caf¨¦ which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time...

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer.

Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Kawaguchi's previous novel, we will be introduced to:

The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother¡¯s funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift...

This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?]]> 192 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529050863 Amber 0 to-read 3.98 2017 Tales from the Caf¨¦ (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #2)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Amber
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> Heaven 53223710
These raw and realistic portrayals of bullying are counterbalanced by textured exposition of the philosophical and religious debates concerning violence to which the weak are subjected.

Kawakami's simple yet profound new work stands as a dazzling testament to her literary talent. There can be little doubt that it has cemented her reputation as one of the most important young authors working to expand the boundaries of contemporary Japanese literature.]]> 192 Mieko Kawakami 1609456211 Amber 0 to-read 3.80 2009 Heaven
author: Mieko Kawakami
name: Amber
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> Kitchen 50144 Kitchen, the dazzling English-language debut that is still her best-loved book, is an enchantingly original and deeply affecting book about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. Mikage, the heroine of Kitchen, is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, she is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his mother (who was once his father), Eriko. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale that recalls early Marguerite Duras. Kitchen and its companion story, "Moonlight Shadow," are elegant tales whose seeming simplicity is the ruse of a writer whose voice echoes in the mind and the soul.]]> 160 Banana Yoshimoto 0802142443 Amber 0 to-read 3.91 1988 Kitchen
author: Banana Yoshimoto
name: Amber
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1988
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> The Seventh Day 22107229 ?
Yang Fei was born on a moving train. Lost by his mother, adopted by a young switchman, raised with simplicity and love, he is utterly unprepared for the tempestuous changes that await him and his country. As a young man, he searches for a place to belong in a nation that is ceaselessly reinventing itself, but he remains on the edges of society. At age forty-one, he meets an accidental and unceremonious death. Lacking the money for a burial plot, he must roam the afterworld aimlessly, without rest. Over the course of seven days, he encounters the souls of the people he¡¯s lost.
?
As Yang Fei retraces the path of his life, we meet an extraordinary cast of his adoptive father, his beautiful ex-wife, his neighbors who perished in the demolition of their homes. Traveling on, he sees that the afterworld encompasses all the casualties of today¡¯s China¡ªthe organ sellers, the young suicides, the innocent convicts¡ªas well as the hope for a better life to come. Yang Fei¡¯s passage maps the contours of this vast nation¡ªits absurdities, its sorrows, and its soul. Vivid, urgent, and panoramic, The Seventh Day affirms Yu Hua¡¯s place as the standard-bearer of modern Chinese fiction.]]> 224 Yu Hua 0804197865 Amber 0 to-read 3.95 2013 The Seventh Day
author: Yu Hua
name: Amber
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> ?? ?? ???? 28338298
???? ???? ?? ¡º???? ????¡». ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??. ? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ??? ???? ? ? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??. ??? ??? 2?? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ? ??.

??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????. ?? ?, ??? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???. ???? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? 7?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ??.

????? ??? ??? ? ?, ??? ??? 2?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? 8?? ???? ???? ???. ???? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???, ??? ?? ??? ? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?? ? ? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????. ???? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ? ? ??. ??? 7?? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????¡­¡­.]]> 336 Keigo Higashino Amber 0 to-read 3.76 1990 ?? ?? ????
author: Keigo Higashino
name: Amber
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1990
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/05
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]]> ??? ???? ?? 21464256
? 5??? ??? <??? ???? ??>? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????.

XX? ??? ??? ??? ???? 30? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????. ?? ? ??? ??? ????? ????. ??? ? ?? ? ???? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ????. ??? ?? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ? ?? ????, ? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??.

???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ?? ? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??.

? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??. ?? ? ? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?????, ?? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ????. ??? ??? ??? ???? ????.]]> 456 Keigo Higashino 8972756199 Amber 0 to-read 4.30 2012 ??? ???? ??
author: Keigo Higashino
name: Amber
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Carmilla 48037
But as Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day¡­ Pre-dating Dracula by twenty-six years, Carmilla is the original vampire story, steeped in sexual tension and gothic romance.]]> 108 J. Sheridan Le Fanu 0809510839 Amber 0 to-read 3.88 1872 Carmilla
author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
name: Amber
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1872
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/10/05
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]]> Skip and Loafer, Vol. 1 56986485 A Cheerful Country Mouse!

Mitsumi is bound for high school in Tokyo! She¡¯s got book smarts, but this small-town girl is about to find out she¡¯s massively unprepared for the social norms of big city high schoolers.]]> 200 Misaki Takamatsu 1648275885 Amber 0 to-read, manga 4.46 2019 Skip and Loafer, Vol. 1
author: Misaki Takamatsu
name: Amber
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/18
shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead]]> 55711706
In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace¡¯s old friend. She can¡¯t bear to ignore the kindly old woman, who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can¡¯t bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace¡¯s death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence.]]> 256 Emily R. Austin 1982167351 Amber 0 to-read 3.86 2021 Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
author: Emily R. Austin
name: Amber
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)]]> 61215372
The inspiration for the upcoming original series on Prime Video, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The Two Towers is the second part of J.R.R. Tolkien¡¯s epic adventure The Lord of the Rings.

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

Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin¡ªalone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.]]> 448 J.R.R. Tolkien Amber 0 4.60 1954 The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Amber
average rating: 4.60
book published: 1954
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> The Picture of Dorian Gray 5297
In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.]]> 272 Oscar Wilde Amber 0 to-read 4.13 1890 The Picture of Dorian Gray
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Amber
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1890
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> SPY¡ÁFAMILY 1 52961491 212 Tatsuya Endo Amber 0 4.45 2019 SPY¡ÁFAMILY 1
author: Tatsuya Endo
name: Amber
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> My Hero Academia, Vol. 1 25074597
Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn¡¯t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny¡­]]> 189 Kohei Horikoshi 1421582694 Amber 0 4.24 2014 My Hero Academia, Vol. 1
author: Kohei Horikoshi
name: Amber
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) 10429045 I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war¡ªand The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.]]> 338 Tahereh Mafi 0062085484 Amber 0 to-read 3.86 2011 Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Amber
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
shelves: to-read
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]]> Persuasion 2156 249 Jane Austen 0192802631 Amber 0 to-read 4.15 1817 Persuasion
author: Jane Austen
name: Amber
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1817
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> Night 1617 Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again.]]> 120 Elie Wiesel 0374500010 Amber 0 4.38 1956 Night
author: Elie Wiesel
name: Amber
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1956
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)]]> 17675462 ¡°There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark¡¯s Eve,¡± Neeve said. ¡°Either you¡¯re his true love . . . or you killed him.¡±

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them¡ªnot until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can¡¯t entirely explain. He has it all¡ªfamily money, good looks, devoted friends¡ªbut he¡¯s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she¡¯s not so sure anymore.]]> 409 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424925 Amber 3 4.05 2012 The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Amber
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 3
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)]]> 23437156 Alternate cover of ISBN 9781627792127

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price¡ªand no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can¡¯t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can¡¯t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz¡¯s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction¡ªif they don¡¯t kill each other first.]]> 480 Leigh Bardugo 1627792120 Amber 5 favorites 4.47 2015 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Amber
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/27
date added: 2022/09/14
shelves: favorites
review:
This book was so unexpectedly amazing! Of course I heard amazing things about the book and the book description was definitely intriguing, but nothing could properly prepare me to all of the memorable characters and the authors words that just seem to soar off of the page! This book depicts such a strong sense of friendship and belonging while also being action packed and suspenseful. I even got out of my bed in the middle of the night to grab the second book "Crooked Kingdom" off of my shelf. This book is worth the hype and so much more. I also feel as if this book would make a great TV series someday if only book adaptations today stayed true to the characters, plot and setting. I will absolutely be reading this book again in the near future!
]]> One Last Stop 54860443
But then, there¡¯s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August¡¯s day when she needed it most. August¡¯s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there¡¯s one big problem: Jane doesn¡¯t just look like an old school punk rocker. She¡¯s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it¡¯s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Casey McQuiston¡¯s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.]]> 418 Casey McQuiston 1250244498 Amber 0 to-read 3.90 2021 One Last Stop
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Amber
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Anxious People 53799686
Viewing an apartment normally doesn¡¯t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she¡¯s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live¡ªand, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there¡¯s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don¡¯t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can¡¯t agree on anything. And there¡¯s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn¡¯t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn¡¯t outside parking the car.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.

Rich with Fredrik Backman¡¯s ¡°pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature¡± (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People¡¯s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.]]> 336 Fredrik Backman 1982121602 Amber 0 to-read 4.12 2019 Anxious People
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Amber
average rating: 4.12
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]]> <![CDATA[Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians, #1)]]> 16085481
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should¡ªand should not¡ªmarry.

Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.]]> 403 Kevin Kwan 0385536976 Amber 0 to-read 3.91 2013 Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians, #1)
author: Kevin Kwan
name: Amber
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (Aristotle and Dante, #2)]]> 56980548 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, two boys in a border town fell in love. Now, they must discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence.

Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is, staying silent and invisible. He expected his senior year to be the same. But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante, and he can¡¯t go back. Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends, standing up to bullies of all kinds, and making his voice heard. And, always, there is Dante, dreamy, witty Dante, who can get on Ari¡¯s nerves and fill him with desire all at once.

The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn¡¯t understand them. But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss, he¡¯ll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully, joyfully his own.

The highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is an achingly romantic, tender tale sure to captivate fans of Adam Silvera and Mary H.K. Choi.]]> 516 Benjamin Alire S¨¢enz 153449619X Amber 0 to-read 4.11 2021 Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (Aristotle and Dante, #2)
author: Benjamin Alire S¨¢enz
name: Amber
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
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]]> The Alchemist 18144590 The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different¡ªand far more satisfying¡ªthan he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.]]> 182 Paulo Coelho 0062315005 Amber 0 4.01 1988 The Alchemist
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Amber
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1988
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]]> All the Bright Places 18460392 The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!
?
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
?
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister¡¯s recent death.
?
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it¡¯s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the ¡°natural wonders¡± of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It¡¯s only with Violet that Finch can be himself¡ªa weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who¡¯s not such a freak after all. And it¡¯s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet¡¯s world grows, Finch¡¯s begins to shrink.
?
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.]]> 388 Jennifer Niven 0385755880 Amber 0 4.12 2015 All the Bright Places
author: Jennifer Niven
name: Amber
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2015
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]]> <![CDATA[Persepolis. The story of a childhood (Persepolis, #1)]]> 9516
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane¡¯s child¡¯s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.]]> 153 Marjane Satrapi 037571457X Amber 0 to-read 4.27 2003 Persepolis. The story of a childhood (Persepolis, #1)
author: Marjane Satrapi
name: Amber
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2003
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)]]> 28187 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends¡ªone a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.]]> 377 Rick Riordan 0786838655 Amber 5 favorites 4.31 2005 The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Amber
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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]]> The Bell Jar 6514 294 Sylvia Plath 0571268862 Amber 0 to-read 4.05 1963 The Bell Jar
author: Sylvia Plath
name: Amber
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1963
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]]> We Were Liars 16143347 A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends¡ªthe Liars¡ªwhose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.]]> 242 E. Lockhart 0385741278 Amber 0 3.66 2014 We Were Liars
author: E. Lockhart
name: Amber
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X Amber 0 favorites 4.57 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Amber
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)]]> 2
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]> 912 J.K. Rowling Amber 0 4.50 2003 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Amber
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)]]> 6 734 J.K. Rowling 0439139597 Amber 0 4.56 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Amber
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
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]]> <![CDATA[My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels, #1)]]> 35036409 My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante¡¯s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.]]> 331 Elena Ferrante Amber 0 to-read 4.08 2011 My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels, #1)
author: Elena Ferrante
name: Amber
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> The Deep 42201962 Yetu holds the memories for her people.

Her people, the wajinru ¨C water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slavers ¨C live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one. Save the historian.

Yetu remembers for all the wajinru, and the memories ¨C painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so she flees to the surface, escaping the memories and the expectations and the responsibilities ¨C and discovers a world the wajinru left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past ¨C and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they¡¯ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identities ¨C and own who they really are.

Inspired by the hit song by clipping. (comprised of Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes), The Deep will resonate long after the last page is turned.]]> 166 Rivers Solomon 1534439862 Amber 0 to-read 3.78 2019 The Deep
author: Rivers Solomon
name: Amber
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
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]]> <![CDATA[There Will Come Soft Rains (Tale Blazers)]]> 2260460
The story concerns a household in Allendale, California, in the aftermath of a nuclear war.]]> 30 Ray Bradbury 089598962X Amber 0 to-read 4.23 1950 There Will Come Soft Rains (Tale Blazers)
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Amber
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1950
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]]> The October Country 93251
Contents:

¡¤ The Dwarf ¡¤ ss Fantastic Jan/Feb ¡¯54
¡¤ The Next in Line ¡¤ nv Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
¡¤ The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse ¡¤ ss Beyond Fantasy Fiction Mar ¡¯54
¡¤ Skeleton ¡¤ ss Weird Tales Sep ¡¯45
¡¤ The Jar ¡¤ ss Weird Tales Nov ¡¯44
¡¤ The Lake ¡¤ ss Weird Tales May ¡¯44
¡¤ The Emissary ¡¤ ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
¡¤ Touched with Fire [¡°Shopping for Death¡±] ¡¤ ss Maclean¡¯s Jun 1 ¡¯54
¡¤ The Small Assassin ¡¤ ss Dime Mystery Magazine Nov ¡¯46
¡¤ The Crowd ¡¤ ss Weird Tales May ¡¯43
¡¤ Jack-in-the-Box ¡¤ ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
¡¤ The Scythe ¡¤ ss Weird Tales Jul ¡¯43
¡¤ Uncle Einar ¡¤ ss Dark Carnival, Arkham House: Sauk City, WI, 1947
¡¤ The Wind ¡¤ ss Weird Tales Mar ¡¯43
¡¤ The Man Upstairs ¡¤ ss Harper¡¯s Mar ¡¯47
¡¤ There Was an Old Woman ¡¤ ss Weird Tales Jul ¡¯44
¡¤ The Cistern ¡¤ ss Mademoiselle May ¡¯47
¡¤ Homecoming ¡¤ ss Mademoiselle Oct ¡¯46
¡¤ The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone ¡¤ ss Charm Jul ¡¯54]]> 334 Ray Bradbury 0380973871 Amber 0 to-read 4.13 1955 The October Country
author: Ray Bradbury
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]]> The Illustrated Man 24830 The Illustrated Man has remained in print since being published in 1951 is fair testimony to the universal appeal of Ray Bradbury's work. Only his second collection (the first was Dark Carnival, later reworked into The October Country), it is a marvelous, if mostly dark, quilt of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In an ingenious framework to open and close the book, Bradbury presents himself as a nameless narrator who meets the Illustrated Man--a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos. What's even more remarkable, and increasingly disturbing, is that the illustrations are themselves magically alive, and each proceeds to unfold its own story, such as "The Veldt," wherein rowdy children take a game of virtual reality way over the edge. Or "Kaleidoscope," a heartbreaking portrait of stranded astronauts about to reenter our atmosphere--without the benefit of a spaceship. Or "Zero Hour," in which invading aliens have discovered a most logical ally--our own children. Even though most were written in the 1940s and 1950s, these 18 classic stories will be just as chillingly effective 50 years from now. --Stanley Wiater

Contents:

¡¤ Prologue: The Illustrated Man ¡¤ ss *
¡¤ The Veldt [¡°The World the Children Made¡±] ¡¤ ss The Saturday Evening Post Sep 23 ¡¯50
¡¤ Kaleidoscope ¡¤ ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct ¡¯49
¡¤ The Other Foot ¡¤ ss New Story Magazine Mar ¡¯51
¡¤ The Highway [as by Leonard Spalding] ¡¤ ss Copy Spr ¡¯50
¡¤ The Man ¡¤ ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb ¡¯49
¡¤ The Long Rain [¡°Death-by-Rain¡±] ¡¤ ss Planet Stories Sum ¡¯50
¡¤ The Rocket Man ¡¤ ss Maclean¡¯s Mar 1 ¡¯51
¡¤ The Fire Balloons [¡°¡®In This Sign...¡¯¡±] ¡¤ ss Imagination Apr ¡¯51
¡¤ The Last Night of the World ¡¤ ss Esquire Feb ¡¯51
¡¤ The Exiles [¡°The Mad Wizards of Mars¡±] ¡¤ ss Maclean¡¯s Sep 15 ¡¯49; F&SF Win ¡¯50
¡¤ No Particular Night or Morning ¡¤ ss *
¡¤ The Fox and the Forest [¡°To the Future¡±] ¡¤ ss Colliers May 13 ¡¯50
¡¤ The Visitor ¡¤ ss Startling Stories Nov ¡¯48
¡¤ The Concrete Mixer ¡¤ ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Apr ¡¯49
¡¤ Marionettes, Inc. [Marionettes, Inc.] ¡¤ ss Startling Stories Mar ¡¯49
¡¤ The City [¡°Purpose¡±] ¡¤ ss Startling Stories Jul ¡¯50
¡¤ Zero Hour ¡¤ ss Planet Stories Fll ¡¯47
¡¤ The Rocket [¡°Outcast of the Stars¡±] ¡¤ ss Super Science Stories Mar ¡¯50
¡¤ Epilogue ¡¤ aw *]]> 186 Ray Bradbury 000712774X Amber 0 favorites 4.14 1951 The Illustrated Man
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]]> Exciting Times 50175419 An intimate, bracingly intelligent debut novel about a millennial Irish expat who becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer

Ava moved to Hong Kong to find happiness, but so far, it isn¡¯t working out. Since she left Dublin, she¡¯s been spending her days teaching English to rich children¡ªshe¡¯s been assigned the grammar classes because she lacks warmth¡ªand her nights avoiding petulant roommates in her cramped apartment.

When Ava befriends Julian, a witty British banker, he offers a shortcut into a lavish life her meager salary could never allow. Ignoring her feminist leanings and her better instincts, Ava finds herself moving into Julian¡¯s apartment, letting him buy her clothes, and, eventually, striking up a sexual relationship with him. When Julian¡¯s job takes him back to London, she stays put, unsure where their relationship stands.

Enter Edith. A Hong Kong¨Cborn lawyer, striking and ambitious, Edith takes Ava to the theater and leaves her tulips in the hallway. Ava wants to be her¡ªand wants her. Ava has been carefully pretending that Julian is nothing more than an absentee roommate, so when Julian announces that he¡¯s returning to Hong Kong, she faces a fork in the road. Should she return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith?

Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times?is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a life¡ªand announces herself as a singular new voice.]]> 243 Naoise Dolan 0062968742 Amber 0 to-read 3.20 2020 Exciting Times
author: Naoise Dolan
name: Amber
average rating: 3.20
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]]> The Virgin Suicides 10956 250 Jeffrey Eugenides 0747560595 Amber 0 to-read 3.81 1993 The Virgin Suicides
author: Jeffrey Eugenides
name: Amber
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1993
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]]> <![CDATA[Perfume: The Story of a Murderer]]> 343 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion¡ªhis sense of smell¡ªleads to murder.

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift¡ªan absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and fresh-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"¡ªthe scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brilliance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.]]> 263 Patrick S¨¹skind Amber 0 to-read 4.05 1985 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
author: Patrick S¨¹skind
name: Amber
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1985
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]]> Homesick for Another World 30079724 An electrifying first collection from one of the most exciting short story writers of our time

Ottessa Moshfegh's debut novel Eileen was one of the literary events of 2015. Garlanded with critical acclaim, it was named a book of the year by The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle, nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award, short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. But as many critics noted, Moshfegh is particularly held in awe for her short stories. Homesick for Another World is the rare case where an author's short story collection is if anything more anticipated than her novel.
And for good reason. There's something eerily unsettling about Ottessa Moshfegh's stories, something almost dangerous, while also being delightful, and even laugh-out-loud funny. Her characters are all unsteady on their feet in one way or another; they all yearn for connection and betterment, though each in very different ways, but they are often tripped up by their own baser impulses and existential insecurities. Homesick for Another World is a master class in the varieties of self-deception across the gamut of individuals representing the human condition.

But part of the unique quality of her voice, the echt Moshfeghian experience, is the way the grotesque and the outrageous are infused with tenderness and compassion. Moshfegh is our Flannery O'Connor, and Homesick for Another World is her Everything That Rises Must Converge or A Good Man is Hard to Find. The flesh is weak; the timber is crooked; people are cruel to each other, and stupid, and hurtful. But beauty comes from strange sources. And the dark energy surging through these stories is powerfully invigorating. We're in the hands of an author with a big mind, a big heart, blazing chops, and a political acuity that is needle-sharp. The needle hits the vein before we even feel the prick.

Bettering myself --
Mr. Wu --
Malibu --
The weirdos --
A dark and winding road --
No place for good people --
Slumming --
An honest woman --
The beach boy --
Nothing ever happens here --
Dancing in the moonlight --
The surrogate --
The locked room --
A better place]]> 294 Ottessa Moshfegh 0399562885 Amber 0 to-read 3.63 2017 Homesick for Another World
author: Ottessa Moshfegh
name: Amber
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2017
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]]> <![CDATA[Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante, #1)]]> 12000020
But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other¡ªand the power of their friendship¡ªcan Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.]]> 390 Benjamin Alire S¨¢enz 1442408928 Amber 0 to-read 4.29 2012 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante, #1)
author: Benjamin Alire S¨¢enz
name: Amber
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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]]> Circe 35959740
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 Amber 0 4.22 2018 Circe
author: Madeline Miller
name: Amber
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
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]]> The Woman in the Purple Skirt 55782299 A bestselling, prizewinning novel of obsession and psychological intrigue about two enigmatic unmarried women, one of whom manipulates the other from afar, by one of Japan's most acclaimed young writers

Almost every day, the Woman in the Purple Skirt buys a single cream bun and goes to the park, where she sits on a bench to eat it as the local children taunt her. She is observed at all times by the undetected narrator, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. From a distance the Woman in the Purple Skirt looks like a schoolgirl, but there are age spots on her face, and her hair is dry and stiff. Like the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, she is single, she lives in a small, run-down apartment, and she is short on money. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan lures her to a job where she herself works, as a hotel housekeeper; soon the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss. Unfortunately, no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.

Studiously deadpan, highly original, and unsettling, The Woman in the Purple Skirt explores the dynamics of envy, the mechanisms of power in the workplace, and the vulnerability of unmarried women in a taut, voyeuristic narrative about the sometimes desperate desire to be seen.]]> 224 Natsuko Imamura 014313602X Amber 0 to-read 3.28 2019 The Woman in the Purple Skirt
author: Natsuko Imamura
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average rating: 3.28
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]]> <![CDATA[My Year of Rest and Relaxation]]> 44279110
Our narrator should be happy, shouldn¡¯t she? She¡¯s young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, works an easy job at a hip art gallery, lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn¡¯t just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It¡¯s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?

My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question. Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world, Moshfegh shows us how reasonable, even necessary, alienation can be. Both tender and blackly funny, merciless and compassionate, it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers.]]> 289 Ottessa Moshfegh 0525522131 Amber 0 to-read 3.62 2018 My Year of Rest and Relaxation
author: Ottessa Moshfegh
name: Amber
average rating: 3.62
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]]> A Certain Hunger 44294655
But there is something within Dorothy that's different from everyone else, and having suppressed it long enough, she starts to embrace what makes Dorothy uniquely, terrifyingly herself. Recounting her life from a seemingly idyllic farm-to-table childhood, the heights of her career, to the moment she plunges an ice pick into a man's neck on Fire Island, Dorothy Daniels show us what happens when a woman finally embraces her superiority.

A satire of early foodieism, a critique of how gender is defined, and a showcase of virtuoso storytelling, Chelsea G. Summers' A Certain Hunger introduces us to the food world's most charming psychopath and an exciting new voice in fiction.]]> 250 Chelsea G. Summers Amber 0 to-read 3.73 2019 A Certain Hunger
author: Chelsea G. Summers
name: Amber
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)]]> 44421460 What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a caf¨¦ which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the caf¨¦¡¯s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the caf¨¦, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi¡¯s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?]]> 213 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529029589 Amber 0 to-read 3.67 2015 Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Amber
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> Norwegian Wood 11297
A magnificent blending of the music, the mood, and the ethos that was the sixties with the story of one college student's romantic coming of age, Norwegian Wood brilliantly recaptures a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.]]> 296 Haruki Murakami 0375704027 Amber 0 to-read 4.01 1987 Norwegian Wood
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Amber
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1987
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)]]> 40275288
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction ¨C but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tan¨¦ has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.]]> 845 Samantha Shannon 1408883457 Amber 0 to-read 4.18 2019 The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: Amber
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor, #1)]]> 40969531
Ophelia lives on Anima, an ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, the young girl hides the ability to read and communicate with the souls of objects, and the power to travel through mirrors. Her peaceful existence on the Ark of Anima is disrupted when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, from the powerful Dragon clan. Ophelia must leave her family and follow her fianc¨¦e to the floating capital on the distant Ark of the Pole. Why has she been chosen? Why must she hide her true identity? Though she doesn¡¯t know it yet, she has become a pawn in a deadly plot.]]> 446 Christelle Dabos 1787701425 Amber 0 to-read 3.90 2013 A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor, #1)
author: Christelle Dabos
name: Amber
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]]> 32620332
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn¡¯s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ¡®80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn¡¯s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique¡¯s own in tragic and irreversible ways.]]> 389 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1501139231 Amber 0 to-read 4.39 2017 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Amber
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> Normal People 41057294
A year later, they¡¯re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.

Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship.]]> 273 Sally Rooney 1984822179 Amber 0 3.81 2018 Normal People
author: Sally Rooney
name: Amber
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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]]> No Longer Human 194746 No Longer Human, this leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Donald Keene, who translated this and Dazai's first novel, The Setting Sun, has said of the author's work: "His world ¡­ suggests Chekhov or possibly postwar France, ¡­ but there is a Japanese sensibility in the choice and presentation of the material. A Dazai novel is at once immediately intelligible in Western terms and quite unlike any Western book." His writing is in some ways reminiscent of Rimbaud, while he himself has often been called a forerunner of Yukio Mishima.

Cover painting by Noe Nojechowiz, from the collection of John and Barbara Duncan; design by Gertrude Huston]]> 176 Osamu Dazai Amber 0 to-read 3.99 1948 No Longer Human
author: Osamu Dazai
name: Amber
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1948
rating: 0
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]]> The Love Hypothesis 56732449
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.]]> 356 Ali Hazelwood 0593336828 Amber 0 4.11 2021 The Love Hypothesis
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Amber
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> Breasts and Eggs 50736031
Breasts and Eggs paints a portrait of contemporary womanhood in Japan and recounts the intimate journeys of three women as they confront oppressive mores and their own uncertainties on the road to finding peace and futures they can truly call their own.

It tells the story of three women: the thirty-year-old Natsu, her older sister, Makiko, and Makiko¡¯s daughter, Midoriko. Makiko has traveled to Tokyo in search of an affordable breast enhancement procedure. She is accompanied by Midoriko, who has recently grown silent, finding herself unable to voice the vague yet overwhelming pressures associated with growing up. Her silence proves a catalyst for each woman to confront her fears and frustrations.

On another hot summer¡¯s day ten years later, Natsu, on a journey back to her native city, struggles with her own indeterminate identity as she confronts anxieties about growing old alone and childless.]]> 430 Mieko Kawakami 1609455878 Amber 0 currently-reading 3.87 2019 Breasts and Eggs
author: Mieko Kawakami
name: Amber
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Martian 18007564
Now, he¡¯s sure he¡¯ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he¡¯s alive¡ªand even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won¡¯t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old ¡°human error¡± are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn¡¯t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills ¡ª and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit ¡ª he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

]]> 384 Andy Weir 0804139024 Amber 0 4.41 2011 The Martian
author: Andy Weir
name: Amber
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]> 288830 Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780486266886

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the famous Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The work is commonly known today as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or simply Jekyll & Hyde. It is about a London lawyer named John Gabriel Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.]]> 54 Robert Louis Stevenson Amber 0 3.70 1886 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
author: Robert Louis Stevenson
name: Amber
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1886
rating: 0
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]]> Eleanor & Park 30078661 "So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we're 16."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
"I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits¡ªsmart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.]]> 325 Rainbow Rowell 1250127084 Amber 0 3.97 2012 Eleanor & Park
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Amber
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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]]> Caraval (Caraval, #1) 27883214 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett¡¯s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval¡ªthe faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show¡ªare over.

But this year, Scarlett¡¯s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval¡¯s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season¡¯s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.]]> 407 Stephanie Garber 1250095255 Amber 0 3.97 2016 Caraval (Caraval, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Amber
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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]]> The Night Circus 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway¡ªa 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¡ªa 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 Amber 0 4.00 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Amber
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> The Great Gatsby 4671 The only edition of the beloved classic that is authorized by Fitzgerald¡¯s family and from his lifelong publisher.

This edition is the enduring original text, updated with the author¡¯s own revisions, a foreword by his granddaughter, and with a new introduction by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald¡¯s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.]]> 180 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0743273567 Amber 0 3.93 1925 The Great Gatsby
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Amber
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1925
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)]]> 7171637 New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London¡¯s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters¡ªincluding Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...]]> 479 Cassandra Clare 1416975861 Amber 0 4.31 2010 Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Amber
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom (Death Note, #1)]]> 13615
Boredom
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily, Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?]]> 195 Tsugumi Ohba 1421501686 Amber 0 4.47 2004 Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom (Death Note, #1)
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Amber
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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]]> Attack on Titan, Vol. 1 13154150
For the past century, what's left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city, trapped in fear of the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming humankind, but the sudden appearance of an enormous Titan is about to change everything...]]> 193 Hajime Isayama 1612620248 Amber 0 4.48 2010 Attack on Titan, Vol. 1
author: Hajime Isayama
name: Amber
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)]]> 17347389 439 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424941 Amber 0 4.22 2013 The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Amber
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 (1)]]> 58532693
A mysterious young woman slithers her way into the lives of unsuspecting people like the legendary multitailed serpent for which she is named¡ªOrochi.

Umezz¡¯s classic horror manga opens with ¡°Sisters,¡± in which Orochi affects the lives of two wealthy siblings who couldn¡¯t be more alike¡­or more different. Next, in ¡°Bones,¡± Orochi helps a man come back to life after a terrible accident, but resurrection can be a deadly business¡­]]> 320 Kazuo Umezz 1974725839 Amber 0 to-read, manga 3.72 1969 Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 (1)
author: Kazuo Umezz
name: Amber
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
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shelves: to-read, manga
review:

]]> The Song of Achilles 13623848 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062060624.

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.]]> 408 Madeline Miller Amber 0 to-read 4.30 2011 The Song of Achilles
author: Madeline Miller
name: Amber
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju¡ªthe Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies¡ªit was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn¡¯t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin¡¯s guardians, who believed they¡¯d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard¡ªthe most elite military school in Nikan¡ªwas even more surprising.

But surprises aren¡¯t always good.

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

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

Rin¡¯s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Amber 0 to-read 4.16 2018 The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Amber
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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]]> The Secret History 29044 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 Amber 0 to-read 4.17 1992 The Secret History
author: Donna Tartt
name: Amber
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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]]> A Tale for the Time Being 15811545
Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox¡ªpossibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao's drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.?

Full of Ozeki's signature humour and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.]]> 432 Ruth Ozeki 0670026638 Amber 0 to-read 4.06 2013 A Tale for the Time Being
author: Ruth Ozeki
name: Amber
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> Life Ceremony 59793324 Life Ceremony, the incomparable Sayaka Murata is back with her first collection of short stories ever to be translated into English. In Japan, Murata is particularly admired for her short stories, which are sometimes sweet, sometimes shocking, and always imbued with an otherworldly imagination and uncanniness.

In these twelve stories, Murata mixes an unusual cocktail of humor and horror to portray both the loners and outcasts as well as turning the norms and traditions of society on their head to better question them. Whether the stories take place in modern-day Japan, the future, or an alternate reality is left to the reader¡¯s interpretation, as the characters often seem strange in their normality in a frighteningly abnormal world. In ¡°A First-Rate Material¡±, Nana and Naoki are happily engaged, but Naoki can¡¯t stand the conventional use of deceased people¡¯s bodies for clothing, accessories, and furniture, and a disagreement around this threatens to derail their perfect wedding day. ¡°Lovers on the Breeze¡± is told from the perspective of a curtain in a child¡¯s bedroom that jealously watches the young girl Naoko as she has her first kiss with a boy from her class and does its best to stop her. ¡°Eating the City¡± explores the strange norms around food and foraging, while ¡°Hatchling¡± closes the collection with an extraordinary depiction of the fractured personality of someone who tries too hard to fit in.

In these strange and wonderful stories of family and friendship, sex and intimacy, belonging and individuality, Murata asks above all what it means to be a human in our world and offers answers that surprise and linger.]]> 256 Sayaka Murata 0802159583 Amber 0 to-read 3.76 2019 Life Ceremony
author: Sayaka Murata
name: Amber
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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]]> Convenience Store Woman 38357895
A brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche and a world hidden from view, Convenience Store Woman is an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.]]> 163 Sayaka Murata Amber 0 to-read 3.70 2016 Convenience Store Woman
author: Sayaka Murata
name: Amber
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> Earthlings 50269327
Now Natsuki is grown. She lives a quiet life with her asexual husband, surviving as best she can by pretending to be normal. But the demands of Natsuki's family are increasing, her friends wonder why she's still not pregnant, and dark shadows from Natsuki's childhood are pursuing her. Fleeing the suburbs for the mountains of her childhood, Natsuki prepares herself with a reunion with Yuu. Will he still remember their promise? And will he help her keep it?]]> 247 Sayaka Murata 1783785675 Amber 0 to-read 3.59 2018 Earthlings
author: Sayaka Murata
name: Amber
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> Eleanor & Park 15745753 "So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we're 16."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
"I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits¡ªsmart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.]]> 328 Rainbow Rowell 1250012570 Amber 0 3.92 2012 Eleanor & Park
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Amber
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/09/14
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]]> Made You Up 17661416
Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She¡¯s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She¡¯s not prepared for normal.]]> 428 Francesca Zappia 006229010X Amber 2 4.03 2015 Made You Up
author: Francesca Zappia
name: Amber
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2022/05/26
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]]> <![CDATA[A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)]]> 35018898 New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic trilogy.

As darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire, the once precarious balance of power among the four Londons has reached its breaking point.

In the wake of tragedy, Kell--once assumed to be the last surviving Antari--begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. Lila Bard, once a commonplace--but never common--thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry.

An ancient enemy returns to claim a city while a fallen hero tries to save a kingdom in decay. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

Shades of Magic series
1. A Darker Shade of Magic
2. A Gathering of Shadows
3. A Conjuring of Light]]> 624 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387476 Amber 0 to-read 4.43 2017 A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Amber
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/02/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 34
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

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

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
--back cover]]> 398 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346252 Amber 0 to-read 4.36 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Amber
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1954
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> <![CDATA[They Both Die at the End (Death-Cast, #1)]]> 33385229
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they¡¯re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There¡¯s an app for that. It¡¯s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure¡ªto live a lifetime in a single day.

Adam Silvera reminds us that there¡¯s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.]]> 389 Adam Silvera 0062457799 Amber 5 3.76 2017 They Both Die at the End (Death-Cast, #1)
author: Adam Silvera
name: Amber
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 4]]> 7544943 416 Tsugumi Ohba 3867196745 Amber 5 4.32 2003 Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 4
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Amber
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 1]]> 6345999 385 Tsugumi Ohba 3867196710 Amber 5 4.50 2003 Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 1
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Amber
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 3]]> 7544944
Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for audiences T+. Contains Volumes 5 and 6 of Death Note!

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he¡¯s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. Will Light's noble goal succeed, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?

]]> 412 Tsugumi Ohba 3867196737 Amber 5 4.34 2003 Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 3
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Amber
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 2]]> 7544945 385 Tsugumi Ohba 3867196729 Amber 5 4.51 2003 Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 2
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Amber
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> The Catcher in the Rye 5107 It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school...

Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters¡ªshooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.

The Catcher in the Rye is an all-time classic in coming-of-age literature- an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind.

J.D. Salinger's (1919¨C2010) classic novel of teenage angst and rebellion was first published in 1951. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923. It was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged in the court for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and in the 1950's and 60's it was the novel that every teenage boy wants to read.]]> 277 J.D. Salinger 0316769177 Amber 4 3.81 1951 The Catcher in the Rye
author: J.D. Salinger
name: Amber
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1951
rating: 4
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
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]]> The Shining (The Shining, #1) 11588 497 Stephen King 0450040186 Amber 0 to-read 4.28 1977 The Shining (The Shining, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Amber
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1977
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/22
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]]> Fahrenheit 451 4381 158 Ray Bradbury 0307347974 Amber 0 3.96 1953 Fahrenheit 451
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Amber
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1953
rating: 0
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date added: 2017/12/18
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]]> The Little Prince 157993
Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince, presented here in a stunning new translation with carefully restored artwork. The definitive edition of a worldwide classic, it will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.]]> 96 Antoine de Saint-Exup¨¦ry 0152023984 Amber 0 to-read 4.32 1943 The Little Prince
author: Antoine de Saint-Exup¨¦ry
name: Amber
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1943
rating: 0
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date added: 2017/12/18
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]]> Brave New World 5129 Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order¨Call at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. ¡°A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine¡± (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history¡¯s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

"Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English." ¡ªChicago Tribune]]> 268 Aldous Huxley 0060929871 Amber 0 to-read 3.99 1932 Brave New World
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Amber
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1932
rating: 0
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]]> The House on Mango Street 139253 The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero.

Told in a series of vignettes ¨C sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous¨Cit is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.]]> 110 Sandra Cisneros 0679734775 Amber 5 3.69 1984 The House on Mango Street
author: Sandra Cisneros
name: Amber
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 2017/11/17
date added: 2017/11/17
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]]> <![CDATA[One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)]]> 32682118
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

An alternate cover edition for this book can be found here.]]> 361 Karen M. McManus Amber 4 3.95 2017 One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Amber
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/11/08
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]]> <![CDATA[A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)]]> 29939230 Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED...
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.]]> 624 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387468 Amber 0 to-read 4.30 2017 A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic, #3)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Amber
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2017/11/08
shelves: to-read
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]]>