Vala's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 19 Oct 2024 14:18:11 -0700 60 Vala's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy]]> 25937937 For the last sixteen years, Sue Klebold, Dylan s mother, has lived with the indescribable grief and shame of that day. How could her child, the promising young man she had loved and raised, be responsible for such horror? And how, as his mother, had she not known something was wrong? Were there subtle signs she had missed? What, if anything, could she have done differently?
These are questions that Klebold has grappled with every day since the Columbine tragedy. In"A Mother s Reckoning," she chronicles with unflinching honesty her journey as a mother trying to come to terms with the incomprehensible. In the hope that the insights and understanding she has gained may help other families recognize when a child is in distress, she tells her story in full, drawing upon her personal journals, the videos and writings that Dylan left behind, and on countless interviews with mental health experts.
Filled with hard-won wisdom and compassion, "A Mother s Reckoning"is a powerful and haunting book that sheds light on one of the most pressing issues of our time. And with fresh wounds from the recent Newtown and Charleston shootings, never has the need for understanding been more urgent.
"All author profits from the book will be donated to research and to charitable organizations focusing on mental health issues."


"From the Hardcover edition.""]]> 305 Sue Klebold 1101902752 Vala 0 to-read 4.18 2016 A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy
author: Sue Klebold
name: Vala
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> Mister Magic 62061575 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0BB5V8K3H

Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show - and discover the secret of its enigmatic host - in this dark supernatural thriller from the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.

Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children's programme Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.

But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who - or what - the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former circle of friends have.

Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it's been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven't seen each other for years, they somehow understand one another better than anyone has since.

After all, they're the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?

Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship...]]> 291 Kiersten White Vala 0 3.65 2023 Mister Magic
author: Kiersten White
name: Vala
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/09/06
date added: 2024/08/15
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]]> The Institute 43803285
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.]]> 19 Stephen King Vala 4 amazinglistens 4.04 2019 The Institute
author: Stephen King
name: Vala
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/14
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: amazinglistens
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]]> 14 15737884
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything....

12 hrs and 38 mins]]> 13 Peter Clines Vala 0 3.95 2012 14
author: Peter Clines
name: Vala
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2019/01/18
date added: 2024/06/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life]]> 60032323
Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells' marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WW II in London. As she rolls up the screen concealing Orwell's private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer - and what it is to be a wife.

Compelling and utterly original, Wifedom speaks to the unsung work of women everywhere today, while offering a breathtakingly intimate view of one of the most important literary marriages of the 20th century. It is a book that speaks to our present moment as much as it illuminates the past.]]> 451 Anna Funder 0241482720 Vala 0 to-read 4.07 2023 Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life
author: Anna Funder
name: Vala
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> Such Sharp Teeth 60097467 A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping, incisive novel from the author of Cackle and The Return.

Rory Morris isn't thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby's father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she'd put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she's attacked.

Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She's unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silver--and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She's changing into someone else--something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she's putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance?

This darkly comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability.]]> 336 Rachel Harrison 0593545826 Vala 0 to-read 3.82 2022 Such Sharp Teeth
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Vala
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/17
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Return 48855772
Julie is missing, and the missing don't often return. But Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and she feels in her bones that her best friend is out there, and that one day she'll come back. She's right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she's been or what happened to her.]]> Rachel Harrison Vala 0 3.37 2020 The Return
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Vala
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/17
date added: 2023/07/17
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]]> How to Sell a Haunted House 59414094 Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…]]> 419 Grady Hendrix 0593201264 Vala 0 currently-reading 3.65 2023 How to Sell a Haunted House
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Vala
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir Duology, #1)]]> 61198133 A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

#1New York Timesbestselling author Holly Black returns to the opulent world of Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude's brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren.]]> 356 Holly Black 0316592706 Vala 0 3.92 2023 The Stolen Heir (The Stolen Heir Duology, #1)
author: Holly Black
name: Vala
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/12
date added: 2023/07/12
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]]> <![CDATA[The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology, #2)]]> 61250159 An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.
�

With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the stunning blood-soaked conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology.
]]> 359 Holly Black 0316592730 Vala 0 to-read 3.88 2024 The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology, #2)
author: Holly Black
name: Vala
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/11
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]]> <![CDATA[Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood]]> 62365904 An exposé of patterns of harassment and bias in Hollywood, the grassroots reforms under way, and the labor and activist revolutions that recent scandals have ignited

It is never just One Bad Man.

Abuse and exploitation of workers is baked into the very foundations of the entertainment industry. To break the cycle and make change that sticks, it's important to stop looking at headline-making stories as individual events. Instead, one must look closely at the bigger picture, to see how abusers are created, fed, rewarded, allowed to persist, and, with the right tools, how they can be excised.

In Burn It Down, veteran reporter Maureen Ryan does just that. She draws on decades of experience to connect the dots and illuminate the deeper forces sustaining Hollywood's corrosive culture. Fresh reporting sheds light on problematic situations at companies like Lucasfilm and shows like Saturday Night Live, The Goldbergs, Lost, Sleepy Hollow, Curb Your Enthusiasm , and more. Interviews with actors and famous creatives like Evan Rachel Wood, Harold Perrineau, Damon Lindelof, and Orlando Jones abound. Ryan dismantles, one by one, the myths that the entertainment industry promotes about itself, which have allowed abusers to thrive and the industry to avoid accountability--myths about Hollywood as a meritocracy, what it takes to be creative, the value of human dignity, and more.

Weaving together insights from industry insiders, historical context, and pop-culture analysis, Burn It Down paints a groundbreaking and urgently necessary portrait of what's gone wrong in the entertainment world--and of how we can fix it.]]> 348 Maureen Ryan 0063269279 Vala 0 3.86 2023 Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood
author: Maureen Ryan
name: Vala
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/11
date added: 2023/07/11
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]]> Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2) 34019110 Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell.

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex� Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies� most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.]]> 484 Leigh Bardugo 1250313112 Vala 0 4.20 2023 Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Vala
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/05
date added: 2023/06/05
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]]> One of You 75651465 A mysterious outsider torments two Haitian American sisters, forcing them to confront dark secrets from their family’s past in this powerful psychological suspense novel from the acclaimed author of Jackal.

What would you sacrifice to become American?

Everything about the Beauclaire family seems normal—almost perfect, even. They immigrated to New York City from Haiti years ago, looking for their own piece of America’s promised riches. They go to church; they're good neighbors; and their two daughters, Judith and Beatrice, have typical sibling rivalries that keep things interesting. But beneath this polished exterior, something is just slightly off. There’s malice waiting . . . wanting to reveal itself.

When their mother unexpectedly dies, Judith and Bea are overwhelmed by a mob of relatives, friends, and church ladies. Amidst taking care of the funeral, they meet Libète, who claims to be a close friend of their mother’s. Bea welcomes her, but Judith is immediately suspicious—their mother never mentioned Libète, and yet she seems to know everything about them.

After a series of unsettling events—a disfigured doll appearing in their attic, childhood photos of Bea vanishing, and a mysterious illness suddenly afflicting their father—Judith and Bea are forced to dive into a hidden world of mythos and question Libète’s role in it all. What they learn could threaten the bedrock of the entire Beauclaire family . . . and reveal a rot that goes deeper than the roots they first made in this place.]]> 336 Erin E. Adams 0593499344 Vala 0 to-read 5.00 2026 One of You
author: Erin E. Adams
name: Vala
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/05
shelves: to-read
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]]> Jackal 58756502 A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white Rust Belt town. But she’s not the first—and she may not be the last. . . .

It’s watching.

Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward and passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the bride’s daughter, Caroline, goes missing—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

It’s taking.

As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: a summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart missing. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.

It’s your turn.

With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.]]> 336 Erin E. Adams 0593499301 Vala 0 3.65 2022 Jackal
author: Erin E. Adams
name: Vala
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/05
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]]> Hell Followed With Us 57911600 Prepare to die. His kingdom is near.

Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.

But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.

Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.

A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors.]]> 416 Andrew Joseph White 1682633241 Vala 0 to-read 4.11 2022 Hell Followed With Us
author: Andrew Joseph White
name: Vala
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3)]]> 45857086 The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?]]> 622 R.F. Kuang 0008339147 Vala 0 currently-reading 4.29 2020 The Burning God (The Poppy War, #3)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Vala
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/23
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]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)]]> 41118857
With no other options, Rin joins forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who has a plan to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new Republic. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.

But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally and lead her to rely more and more on the Phoenix’s deadly power. Because there is nothing she won’t sacrifice for her country and her vengeance.

The sequel to R.F. Kuang’s acclaimed debut THE POPPY WAR, THE DRAGON REPUBLIC combines the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating effect.]]> 658 R.F. Kuang Vala 0 4.36 2019 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Vala
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/03
date added: 2023/01/03
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]]> The Book of Cold Cases 58651015
A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?]]> Simone St. James Vala 0 3.71 2022 The Book of Cold Cases
author: Simone St. James
name: Vala
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2022/06/20
date added: 2022/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it 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—the most elite military school in Nikan—was 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—an 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—and 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 Vala 0 4.16 2018 The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Vala
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2022/12/10
date added: 2022/12/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language]]> 41716694
Amanda Montell, feminist linguist and staff features editor at online beauty and health magazine Byrdie.com, deconstructs language—from insults and cursing to grammar and pronunciation patterns—to reveal the ways it has been used for centuries to keep women form gaining equality. Ever wonder why so many people are annoyed when women use the word “like� as a filler? Or why certain gender neutral terms stick and others don’t? Or even how linguists have historically discussed women’s speech patterns? Wordslut is no stuffy academic study; Montell’s irresistible humor shines through, making linguistics not only approachable but both downright hilarious and profound.]]> 304 Amanda Montell 006286887X Vala 0 4.26 2019 Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language
author: Amanda Montell
name: Vala
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2022/12/10
date added: 2022/12/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism]]> 58409721
What makes “cults� so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .

Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.� But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.

Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,� revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish� everywhere.]]> 8 Amanda Montell Vala 0 3.78 2021 Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
author: Amanda Montell
name: Vala
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2022/12/10
date added: 2022/12/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West]]> 51801180 A revealing look at the intersection of wealth, philanthropy, and conservation

Billionaire Wilderness takes you inside the exclusive world of the ultra-wealthy, showing how today’s richest people are using the natural environment to solve the existential dilemmas they face. Justin Farrell spent five years in Teton County, Wyoming, the richest county in the United States, and a community where income inequality is the worst in the nation. He conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews, gaining unprecedented access to tech CEOs, Wall Street financiers, and other prominent figures in business and politics. He also talked with the rural poor who live among the ultra-wealthy and often work for them. The result is a penetrating account of the far-reaching consequences of the massive accrual of wealth and a troubling portrait of a changing American West where romanticizing rural poverty and conserving nature can be lucrative, socially as well as financially.]]> 392 Justin Farrell 0691176671 Vala 0 3.69 2020 Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West
author: Justin Farrell
name: Vala
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/12/05
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]]> ڲԲí 63111572
Örvar Smárason er ljóðskáld, rithöfundur, tónskáld og tónlistarmaður. ڲԲí er fyrsta smá­ sagnasafn hans en áður hafa komið út nóvellan Úfin, strokin og ljóðabókin Gamall þrjótur, nýir tímar. Smásagan Sprettur í safninu fyrstu verðlaun á Júlíönuhátíðinni.]]> 156 Örvar Smárason 9935523500 Vala 0 4.22 ڲԲí
author: Örvar Smárason
name: Vala
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2022/11/21
date added: 2022/11/21
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]]> Hidden Pictures 58724923 A wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.]]> 372 Jason Rekulak 1250819342 Vala 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Hidden Pictures
author: Jason Rekulak
name: Vala
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> Dead Silence 57693184 Titanic meets The Shining in S.A. Barnes� Dead Silence, a SF horror novel in which a woman and her crew board a decades-lost luxury cruiser and find the wreckage of a nightmare that hasn't yet ended.

A GHOST SHIP.
A SALVAGE CREW.
UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS.

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora, before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.]]> 343 S.A. Barnes 1250819997 Vala 0 to-read 3.76 2022 Dead Silence
author: S.A. Barnes
name: Vala
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/11/15
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]]> The Devil and the Dark Water 51854625 A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

The breathtaking new novel from Stuart Turton, author of the The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award.]]> 463 Stuart Turton Vala 3 3.82 2020 The Devil and the Dark Water
author: Stuart Turton
name: Vala
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/30
date added: 2022/10/30
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 10: The Wake]]> 13533747 One of the most popular and critically acclaimed graphic novels of all time. Neil Gaiman's award-winning masterpiece THE SANDMAN has set the standard for mature, lyrical fantasy in the comic book field. Illustrated by a rotating cast of the medium's most sought-after artists, the series is a rich blend of modern and ancient mythology into which contemporary fiction, historical drama, and legend are seamlessly interwoven.

Ancient gods, old friends and enemies alike gather to remember and pay tribute to the fallen King of Dreams in THE WAKE, bring to a close the long story of Morpheus of The Endless. In the aftermath of one of the strangest wakes ever held, echoes of Morpheus reverberate, touching a man who refuses to die, a Chinese sage lost in a desert of dreams, and an aging William Shakespeare, who must fulfill one last obligation to The Sandman in his own twilight years.]]> 187 Neil Gaiman 1401237541 Vala 0 4.38 1996 The Sandman, Vol. 10: The Wake
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/15
date added: 2022/08/24
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones]]> 13227299
They have had many names: The Erinyes. The Eumenides. The Dirae. The Furies. Agents of vengeance, implacable and unstoppable, the y do not rest until the crime they seek to punish is washed clean with blood. It is to them, THE KINDLY ONES, that Lyta Hall turns when her baby Daniel is taken from her, and it is Dream of the Endless who becomes their target. But behind a mother's grief and unyielding rage, there are darker forces at work, and what they set in motion will eventually demand a sacrifice greater than any the Dreaming has yet known.]]> 320 Neil Gaiman 140123545X Vala 5 4.54 1995 The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/13
date added: 2022/08/24
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]]> The Sandman: Overture 18310944 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story

Twenty-five years since The Sandman first changed the landscape of modern comics, Neil Gaiman's legendary series is back in a deluxe edition!

The Sandman: Overture heralds New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman's return to the art form that made him famous, ably abetted by artistic luminary JH Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea), whose lush, widescreen images provide an epic scope to The Sandman's origin story. From the birth of a galaxy to the moment that Morpheus is captured, THE Sandman: Overture will feature cameo appearances by fan-favorite characters such as The Corinthian, Merv Pumpkinhead and, of course, the Dream King's siblings: Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny.]]> 224 Neil Gaiman 1401248969 Vala 0 4.03 2015 The Sandman: Overture
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/14
date added: 2022/08/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Cemetery Boys (Cemetery Boys, #1)]]> 52339313
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.]]> 344 Aiden Thomas 1250250463 Vala 0 4.26 2020 Cemetery Boys (Cemetery Boys, #1)
author: Aiden Thomas
name: Vala
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/15
date added: 2022/08/15
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]]> Survive the Night 55628983
Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.

Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.]]> 336 Riley Sager 0593183169 Vala 0 3.51 2021 Survive the Night
author: Riley Sager
name: Vala
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/03
date added: 2022/08/05
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]]> <![CDATA[The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires]]> 44074800 Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.]]> 410 Grady Hendrix Vala 0 3.78 2020 The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Vala
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/08/05
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]]> Hotel Magnifique 55812605 For fans of Caraval and The Night Circus, this decadent and darkly enchanting YA fantasy, set against the backdrop of a Belle Époque-inspired hotel, follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.

All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.

The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.

With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.]]> 400 Emily J. Taylor 0593404513 Vala 0 3.76 2022 Hotel Magnifique
author: Emily J. Taylor
name: Vala
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/02
date added: 2022/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 8: Worlds' End]]> 25103 160 Neil Gaiman 1563891700 Vala 0 4.47 1993 The Sandman, Vol. 8: Worlds' End
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/07/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Five ​Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns, #4)]]> 35391237
Katharine’s reign remains intact—for now. When Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce, Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share. But as the two circle each other, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted.

In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens. It always has.]]> 452 Kendare Blake 0062686178 Vala 0 3.90 2019 Five ​Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns, #4)
author: Kendare Blake
name: Vala
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/07/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Two Dark Reigns (Three Dark Crowns, #3)]]> 37486213
Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.

Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep.

This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake returns with the highly anticipated third book in the Three Dark Crowns series! And while Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katharine all have their own scores to settle, they aren’t the only queens stirring things up on Fennbirn Island.]]> 464 Kendare Blake 0062686143 Vala 0 3.96 2018 Two Dark Reigns (Three Dark Crowns, #3)
author: Kendare Blake
name: Vala
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/07/19
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]]> <![CDATA[One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2)]]> 29923707
With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.]]> 448 Kendare Blake 0062690450 Vala 0 4.02 2017 One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2)
author: Kendare Blake
name: Vala
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2022/07/19
date added: 2022/07/19
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives]]> 25105 256 Neil Gaiman 1563891379 Vala 0 4.55 1993 The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/07/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections]]> 25106
The critically acclaimed THE SANDMAN: FABLES AND REFLECTIONS continues the fantastical epic of Morpheus, the King of Dreams, as he observes and interacts with an odd assortment of historical and fictional characters throughout time. Featuring tales of kings, explorers, spies, and werewolves, this book of myth and imagination delves into the dark dreams of Augustus Caesar, Marco Polo, Cain and Abel, Norton I, and Orpheus to illustrate the effects that these subconscious musings have had on the course of history and mankind.

A new edition of this title collecting issues #29-31, 38-40, 50 and SANDMAN SPECIAL #1 with recolored pages.]]> 264 Neil Gaiman 1563891069 Vala 0 4.44 1993 The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at: 2022/07/15
date added: 2022/07/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You]]> 25102 The Doll's House, who here finds herself a princess in a vivid dreamworld. collecting The Sandman #32�37]]> 192 Neil Gaiman 1563890933 Vala 0 4.43 1992 The Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at: 2022/06/27
date added: 2022/06/29
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation]]> 55276620
We all think we know the South. Even those who have never lived there can rattle off a list of signifiers: the Civil War, Gone with the Wind, the Ku Klux Klan, plantations, football, Jim Crow, slavery. But the idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and habits of the region are stranger and more complex than much of the country tends to acknowledge. In South to America, Imani Perry shows that the meaning of American is inextricably linked with the South, and that our understanding of its history and culture is the key to understanding the nation as a whole.

This is the story of a Black woman and native Alabaman returning to the region she has always called home and considering it with fresh eyes. Her journey is full of detours, deep dives, and surprising encounters with places and people. She renders Southerners from all walks of life with sensitivity and honesty, sharing her thoughts about a troubling history and the ritual humiliations and joys that characterize so much of Southern life.

Weaving together stories of immigrant communities, contemporary artists, exploitative opportunists, enslaved peoples, unsung heroes, her own ancestors, and her lived experiences, Imani Perry crafts a tapestry unlike any other. With uncommon insight and breathtaking clarity, South to America offers an assertion that if we want to build a more humane future for the United States, we must center our concern below the Mason-Dixon Line.]]> 410 Imani Perry 0062977407 Vala 0 to-read 3.96 2022 South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
author: Imani Perry
name: Vala
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/27
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists]]> 25101
Collects THE SANDMAN #21-28.]]> 224 Neil Gaiman 1563890356 Vala 0 4.54 1991 The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/06/27
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country]]> 25100 160 Neil Gaiman 156389226X Vala 0 4.26 1990 The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/06/27
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House]]> 25099 The Doll's House, after a decades-long imprisonment, the Sandman has returned to find that a few dreams and nightmares have escaped to reality. Looking to recapture his lost possessions, Morpheus ventures to the human plane only to learn that a woman named Rose Walker has inadvertently become a dream vortex and threatens to rip apart his world. Now as Morpheus takes on the last escaped nightmare at a serial killers convention, the Lord of Dreams must mercilessly murder Rose or risk the destruction of his entire kingdom.

Collecting issues #9-16, this new edition of The Doll's House features the improved production values and coloring from the Absolute Edition.

]]> 232 Neil Gaiman 1563892251 Vala 0 4.44 1990 The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/06/27
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes]]> 23754
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey, Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.

This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.

Includes issues 1-8 of the original series.]]> 240 Neil Gaiman 1563892278 Vala 0 4.25 1988 The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Vala
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/06/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns, #1)]]> 28374007 When kingdom come, there will be one.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.]]> 403 Kendare Blake 0062385437 Vala 3 3.78 2016 Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns, #1)
author: Kendare Blake
name: Vala
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/18
date added: 2022/06/18
shelves:
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]]> Piranesi 48496334
On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food and waterlilies to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.

Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and
what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims?

Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous.

The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.]]> 273 Susanna Clarke Vala 0 4.29 2020 Piranesi
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Vala
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/06/13
date added: 2022/06/13
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]]> Malibu Rising 60456894 Malibu 1983. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of one night, each of their lives will be changed forever in this propulsive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six .

Malibu is buzzing with anticipation for Nina Riva's annual party. Everyone wants to be in the company of the famous Rivas: Nina, the surfer and model; her brothers, Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other his renowned photographer; and Kit, the adored baby of the family. As if that picture-perfect family isn't enough, their father is Mick Riva, the legendary singer.

By morning, the Riva mansion will have burned to the ground. And no one will know how the fire started. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play and the loves and secret yearnings that shaped this family across generations will all come bubbling to the surface to make for a night no one will ever forget.

This is a story about family: about what you choose to keep from the people who made you, and what you must leave behind.]]> 389 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798673 Vala 0 to-read 4.06 2021 Malibu Rising
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Vala
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> Memory's Legion 36130437
Contents:

Drive (2012)
The Butcher of Anderson Station (2011)
The Churn (2014)
Gods of Risk (2012)
The Vital Abyss (2015)
Strange Dogs (2017)
Auberon (2019)
The Sins of our Fathers (2022)

*does not include The Last Flight of the Cassandra]]> 423 James S.A. Corey Vala 0 currently-reading 4.33 2022 Memory's Legion
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leviathan Falls (The Expanse, #9)]]> 28335699
In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte’s missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself. And on the Rocinante, James Holden and his crew struggle to build a future for humanity out of the shards and ruins of all that has come before.

As nearly unimaginable forces prepare to annihilate all human life, Holden and a group of unlikely allies discover a last, desperate chance to unite all of humanity, with the promise of a vast galactic civilization free from wars, factions, lies, and secrets if they win.

But the price of victory may be worse than the cost of defeat.]]> 528 James S.A. Corey 0356510395 Vala 0 4.48 2021 Leviathan Falls (The Expanse, #9)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2022/05/27
date added: 2022/05/28
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]]> Nemesis Games (Expanse #5) 24942533 A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land-rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle.

Ships are disappearing without a trace. Private armies are being secretly formed. The sole remaining protomolecule sample is stolen. Terrorist attacks previously considered impossible bring the inner planets to their knees. The sins of the past are returning to exact a terrible price.

And as a new human order is struggling to be born in blood and fire, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante must struggle to survive and get back to the only home they have left.

]]> 544 James S.A. Corey 0356504247 Vala 0 4.47 2015 Nemesis Games (Expanse #5)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2022/05/28
date added: 2022/05/28
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]]> Upgrade 59838811 You are the next step in human evolution.

At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.

But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.

The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.

Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.

Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.

And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?

Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, Upgrade is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.]]> 352 Blake Crouch 0593157532 Vala 0 to-read 3.77 2022 Upgrade
author: Blake Crouch
name: Vala
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Trilogy, #1)]]> 58725025
What follows is a story of wonder and betrayal, from the gaslit streets of London, and the wooden theaters of Meiji-era Tokyo, to an eerie estate outside Edinburgh where other children with gifts--like Komako, a witch-child and twister of dust, and Ribs, a girl who cloaks herself in invisibility--are forced to combat the forces that threaten their safety. There, the world of the dead and the world of the living threaten to collide. With this new found family, Komako, Marlowe, Charlie, Ribs, and the rest of the Talents discover the truth about their abilities. And as secrets within the Institute unfurl, a new question arises: What truly defines a monster?

Riveting in its scope, exquisitely written, Ordinary Monsters presents a catastrophic vision of the Victorian world--and of the gifted, broken children who must save it.]]> 672 J.M. Miro 1250833663 Vala 0 to-read 3.75 2022 Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Trilogy, #1)
author: J.M. Miro
name: Vala
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/05/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse, #8)]]> 40481287 Thirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper.

In the dead systems where gates lead to stranger things than alien planets, Elvi Okoye begins a desperate search to discover the nature of a genocide that happened before the first human beings existed, and to find weapons to fight a war against forces at the edge of the imaginable. But the price of that knowledge may be higher than she can pay.

At the heart of the empire, Teresa Duarte prepares to take on the burden of her father's godlike ambition. The sociopathic scientist Paolo Cortázar and the Mephistophelian prisoner James Holden are only two of the dangers in a palace thick with intrigue, but Teresa has a mind of her own and secrets even her father the emperor doesn't guess.

And throughout the wide human empire, the scattered crew of the Rocinante fights a brave rear-guard action against Duarte's authoritarian regime. Memory of the old order falls away, and a future under Laconia's eternal rule - and with it, a battle that humanity can only lose - seems more and more certain. Because against the terrors that lie between worlds, courage and ambition will not be enough . . .

]]> 544 James S.A. Corey 0356510336 Vala 0 4.64 2019 Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse, #8)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2022/05/12
date added: 2022/05/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7)]]> 36454614 In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife-edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the ageing gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace.

In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and the Belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance, still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity - and the power to enforce it.

New technologies clash with old, as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient pattern of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity - and of the Rocinante - unexpectedly and for ever�

]]> 499 James S.A. Corey Vala 0 4.46 2017 Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2022/05/05
date added: 2022/05/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse, #6)]]> 28183825 A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.

The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

]]> 448 James S.A. Corey Vala 0 4.34 2016 Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse, #6)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2022/04/24
date added: 2022/04/24
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]]> The Sun Down Motel 45885644
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…]]> 327 Simone St. James 0440000173 Vala 3 3.99 2020 The Sun Down Motel
author: Simone St. James
name: Vala
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/11
date added: 2022/04/11
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]]> Cibola Burn (Expanse, #4) 19878591 NOW A PRIME ORIGINAL TV SERIESCibola Burn is the fourth book in the New York Times bestselling and Hugo-award winning Expanse series.The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonise has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Illus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire. Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world.James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the heart of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail. And the whispers of a dead man remind him that the great galactic civilisation which once stood on this land is gone. And that something killed them.The Expanse is the biggest science fiction series of the last decade and is now a major TV series.Praise for the 'The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire' NPR Books'As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form' io9.com'Great characters, excellent dialogue, memorable fights' wired.com'High adventure equalling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology and a group of unforgettable characters . . . Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce' Library Journal'This is the future the way it's supposed to be' Wall Street Journal'Tense and thrilling' SciFiNowThe Expanse Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis RisingTiamat's WrathLeviathan Falls Memory's The Complete Expanse Story Collection]]> 593 James S.A. Corey Vala 0 4.37 2014 Cibola Burn (Expanse, #4)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/29
date added: 2022/03/29
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]]> <![CDATA[Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #3)]]> 20189187 The book that everyone has been waiting for . . . the much anticipated final novel in Laini Taylor's breathtakingly imaginative Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?]]> 625 Laini Taylor Vala 0 4.29 2014 Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #3)
author: Laini Taylor
name: Vala
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/30
date added: 2022/03/21
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]]> <![CDATA[Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2)]]> 16091218
Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel � a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.]]> 529 Laini Taylor Vala 0 4.25 2012 Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2)
author: Laini Taylor
name: Vala
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2022/01/21
date added: 2022/03/21
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]]> Abaddon's Gate (Expanse, #3) 17793631 ASIN B009SQ018I moved to the more recent edition

For generations, the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt - was humanity's great frontier.

Until now.

The alien artefact working through its programme under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark.

Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artefact.

But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core.

As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them.]]> 566 James S.A. Corey Vala 0 4.35 2013 Abaddon's Gate (Expanse, #3)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/19
date added: 2022/03/19
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]]> Caliban's War (Expanse, #2) 12964289 ASIN B007PR3238 moved to the more recent edition

For someone who didn't intend to wreck the solar system's fragile balance of power, Jim Holden did a pretty good job of it.

While Earth and Mars have stopped shooting each other, the core alliance is shattered. The outer planets and the Belt are uncertain in their new - possibly temporary - autonomy.

Then, on one of Jupiter's moons, a single super-soldier attacks, slaughtering soldiers of Earth and Mars indiscriminately and reigniting the war. The race is on to discover whether this is the vanguard of an alien army, or if the danger lies closer to home.]]> 608 James S.A. Corey Vala 0 4.46 2012 Caliban's War (Expanse, #2)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/07
date added: 2022/03/07
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]]> The Final Girl Support Group 55939506
Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece. But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.]]> 352 Grady Hendrix 0593201256 Vala 4 3.64 2021 The Final Girl Support Group
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Vala
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/18
date added: 2022/02/18
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]]> Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1) 11483885 579 James S.A. Corey Vala 3 4.25 2011 Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Vala
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2017/07/12
date added: 2022/02/14
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)]]> 36307674
The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.]]> 592 Leigh Bardugo 1510109188 Vala 4 4.34 2021 Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Vala
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/01
date added: 2022/01/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #1)]]> 55566545 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word in this fresh, sizzling rom-com by Lana Harper.

Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn't been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.

But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.

On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?

But most concerning of all: Why can't she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?]]> 352 Lana Harper 0593336062 Vala 0 to-read 3.57 2021 Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #1)
author: Lana Harper
name: Vala
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/10/28
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]]> All These Bodies 56382351 Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.

Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.

September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.

Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.

As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?]]> 288 Kendare Blake 0062977164 Vala 0 to-read 3.27 2021 All These Bodies
author: Kendare Blake
name: Vala
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/08/31
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]]> All Boys Aren’t Blue 44280883
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.]]> 304 George M. Johnson 0374312710 Vala 3 4.19 2020 All Boys Aren’t Blue
author: George M. Johnson
name: Vala
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/11/06
date added: 2021/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Skammdegisskuggar (Hrímland, #1)]]> 55837066 þágu. Yfir borginni vomir Loftkastalinn, óhugnanlegt fljúgandi hervirki sem aldrei sefur. Miskunnarlaus aðskilnaðarstefna Trampes greifa hyglar mannfólki á kostnað annarra tegunda og huldufólk, marbendlar og náskárar mega lepja dauðann úr skel.

Sæmundur er metnaðarfullur galdramaður sem hefur verið rekinn úr Svartaskóla fyrir stórhættulegt fikt við svartagaldur. Róttæki huldufólksblendingurinn Garún vill losa Hrímland undan
kúgurunum og skapa réttlátara samfélag hvað sem það kostar. Og til þess að knýja fram byltinguna sem hún þráir leitar hún til Sæmundar � með ófyrirséðum afleiðingum.]]> 490 Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson 9979342684 Vala 0 currently-reading 3.71 2019 Skammdegisskuggar (Hrímland, #1)
author: Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson
name: Vala
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lives of Saints (Grishaverse)]]> 54205369 Length: 2 hours and 14 minutes

Enter the world of the Grishaverse and Shadow and Bone, soon to be a Netflix original series!

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse.

These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint.

This beautiful collection includes stunning full-color illustrations of each story.]]> 121 Leigh Bardugo 125076520X Vala 0 to-read 3.95 2020 The Lives of Saints (Grishaverse)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Vala
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/04/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents]]> 51152447 The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.�

In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.]]> 544 Isabel Wilkerson 0593230256 Vala 0 to-read 4.52 2020 Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
author: Isabel Wilkerson
name: Vala
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/12/15
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]]> Secret Santa 53869658
Out of work for months, Lussi Meyer is desperate to work anywhere in publishing. Prestigious Blackwood-Patterson isn’t the perfect fit, but a bizarre set of circumstances leads to her hire and a firm mandate: Lussi must find the next horror superstar to compete with Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Peter Straub. It’s the �80s, after all, and horror is the hottest genre.

But as soon as she arrives, Lussi finds herself the target of her co-workers' mean-spirited pranks. The hazing reaches its peak during the company’s annual Secret Santa gift exchange, when Lussi receives a demonic-looking object that she recognizes but doesn't understand. Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie, and Lussi suspects that her gift is involved. With the help of her former author, the flamboyant Fabien Nightingale, Lussi must track down her anonymous Secret Santa and figure out the true meaning of the cursed object in her possession before it destroys the company—and her soul.]]> 220 Andrew Shaffer 1683692055 Vala 0 to-read 3.43 2020 Secret Santa
author: Andrew Shaffer
name: Vala
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/12/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick (Zoey Ashe, #2)]]> 49127471 New York Times bestselling author David Wong's Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick is the latest—and arguably greatest–sci-fi thriller in the Zoey Ashe Series.

In the futuristic city of Tabula Ra$a, Zoey Ashe is like a fish so far out of water that it has achieved orbit. After inheriting a criminal empire, the twenty-three year-old finds herself under threat from all sides as a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life enemies think they smell weakness.

On the eve of the world's most lavish and ridiculous Halloween celebration, a steamer trunk-sized box arrives at Zoey's door and she is shocked to find that it contains a disembowelled corpse. She is even more shocked when that corpse, controlled by an unknown party, rises and goes on a rampage through the house. Speaking in an electronic voice, it publicly accuses Zoey of being its murderer. This is the kind of thing that almost never happened at her old job.

The city was already a ticking time bomb of publicity-hungry vigilantes with superhuman enhancements and Zoey knows this turn of events is unlikely to improve the situation. Now, she and her team of high-tech tricksters have to solve this bizarre murder while simultaneously keeping Tabula Ra$a from descending into chaos.]]> 368 David Wong 1250195799 Vala 0 to-read 4.09 2020 Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick (Zoey Ashe, #2)
author: David Wong
name: Vala
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/12/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Gauti vinur minn (Icelandic Edition)]]> 462673 Icelandic 94 Vigdís Grímsdóttir 9979103019 Vala 3 3.40 1996 Gauti vinur minn (Icelandic Edition)
author: Vigdís Grímsdóttir
name: Vala
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/07
date added: 2020/12/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Vampírur, vesen og annað tilfallandi]]> 55810189
Vampírur, vesen og annað tilfallandi hlýtur Íslensku barnabókaverðlaunin 2020.

Höfundurinn, Rut Guðnadóttir, elskar uppistand, múmínálfana og að horfa á sömu sjónvarpsseríurnar aftur og aftur. Rut er ekki góð í stærðfræði, er skíthrædd við uppvakninga (en ekki geimverur) og hún er með mjólkuróþol. Rut finnst óþægilegt að skrifa um sjálfa sig í þriðju persónu. Hún hefur áður skrifað pistla og smásögur en Vampírur, vesen og annað tilfallandi er fyrsta skáldsaga hennar. Rut vonar að þú lesir hana.]]> 283 Rut Guðnadóttir 9979225955 Vala 3 3.67 Vampírur, vesen og annað tilfallandi
author: Rut Guðnadóttir
name: Vala
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/11/22
date added: 2020/11/22
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]]> Fyrstu mánuðirnir 40892948
Anna Eðvaldsdóttir hefur starfað sem ljósmóðir frá 1994 og aðstoðað þúsundir foreldra í mæðravernd, fæðingum og sængurlegu. Hún býr því yfir mikilli reynslu í heimaþjónustu við foreldra og nýbura.

Sylvía Rut Sigfúsdóttir, blaðamaður og móðir, tók saman öll bestu ráð Önnu í eina bók svo að þau gagnist sem flestum. Höfundarnir kynntust þegar Anna var heimaljósmóðir Sylvíu Rutar.

Bókin er skreytt með fallegum teikningum Estherar Ragnarsdóttur og Ara Arnaldssonar og aftast er handhægur orðalisti svo að auðvelt er að fletta upp því sem leitað er að hverju sinni.

Fyrstu mánuðirnir: Ráðin hennar Önnu ljósu er full af hjálplegum ráðum. Hér er að finna svör við þeim spuringum sem Anna ljósa hefur fengið um árin. Og þessi ráð virka! Þetta er bók sem í raun skyldueign allra foreldra.]]> 182 Anna Eðvaldsdóttir 9935486869 Vala 0 4.41 Fyrstu mánuðirnir
author: Anna Eðvaldsdóttir
name: Vala
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2020/11/13
date added: 2020/11/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Year of the Witching (Bethel, #1)]]> 49789629 A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.]]> 368 Alexis Henderson 0593099605 Vala 0 to-read 3.79 2020 The Year of the Witching (Bethel, #1)
author: Alexis Henderson
name: Vala
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> Slade House 24499258 Keep your eyes peeled for a small black iron door.

Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t. Every nine years, the house’s residents—an odd brother and sister—extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late. . . .

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward an astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story—as only David Mitchell could imagine it.]]> 238 David Mitchell 0812998685 Vala 0 to-read 3.81 2015 Slade House
author: David Mitchell
name: Vala
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/10/07
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]]> NOS4A2 17913467
Charles Talent Manx has a gift of his own. He likes to take children for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the vanity plate NOS4A2. In the Wraith, he and his innocent guests can slip out of the everyday world and onto hidden roads that lead to an astonishing playground of amusements he calls Christmasland.

The journey across the highway of Charlie's twisted imagination transforms his precious passengers, leaving them as terrifying and unstoppable as their benefactor.

Then comes the day when Vic goes looking for trouble...and finds her way to Charlie. That was a lifetime ago. Now, the only kid ever to escape Charlie's evil is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx hasn't stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. On the road again, he won't slow down until he's taken his revenge. He's after something very special - something Vic can never replace.

As a life-and-death battle of wills builds, Vic McQueen prepares to destroy Charlie once and for all - or die trying.]]> 20 Joe Hill Vala 3 4.04 2013 NOS4A2
author: Joe Hill
name: Vala
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2020/10/07
date added: 2020/10/07
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]]> The Last Time I Lied 36626748
Now a rising star in the NYC art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings.. They catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of the very same Camp Nightingale--and when Francesca implores Emma to return to the camp as a painting counselor, Emma sees an opportunity to find closure and move on.

Yet, it is immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by surfacing memories, Emma is suddenly plagued by a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca, and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian apparently left behind about the camp's twisted origins. And as history begins to repeat itself and three girls go missing again, Emma must face threats from both man and nature in order to uncover all the buried secrets--including what really happened all those years ago.]]> 402 Riley Sager Vala 3 4.02 2018 The Last Time I Lied
author: Riley Sager
name: Vala
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/28
date added: 2020/09/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Getting Wrecked: Women, Incarceration, and the American Opioid Crisis]]> 44092494

]]> 260 Kimberly Sue 0520293215 Vala 0 to-read 4.23 Getting Wrecked: Women, Incarceration, and the American Opioid Crisis
author: Kimberly Sue
name: Vala
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/09/26
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]]> <![CDATA[Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory]]> 23612838
Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty - a 20-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre - took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life's work. With an original voice that combines fearless curiosity and mordant wit, Caitlin tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters, gallows humor, and vivid characters (both living and very dead). Describing how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes), and cared for bodies of all shapes and sizes, Caitlin becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the deceased. Her eye-opening memoir shows how our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead). In the spirit of her popular Web series, "Ask a Mortician", Caitlin's engaging narrative style makes this otherwise scary topic both approachable and profound.

Caitlin Doughty, the host and creator of the "Ask a Mortician" Web series and the collective Order of the Good Death, is on a mission to change the way we think about death.]]> 8 Caitlin Doughty Vala 4 4.13 2014 Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory
author: Caitlin Doughty
name: Vala
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/17
date added: 2020/09/17
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]]> Rebecca 17899948 Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.]]> 449 Daphne du Maurier 0316323705 Vala 0 to-read 4.28 1938 Rebecca
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Vala
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1938
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Hunting Party 37642030 Everyone's invited...everyone's a suspect...

For fans of Ruth Ware and Tana French, a shivery, atmospheric, page-turning novel of psychological suspense in the tradition of Agatha Christie, in which a group of old college friends are snowed in at a hunting lodge . . . and murder and mayhem ensue.

All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.

Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?]]> 406 Lucy Foley 0008297126 Vala 3 3.59 2018 The Hunting Party
author: Lucy Foley
name: Vala
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/05
date added: 2020/09/05
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]]> Dark Matter 27833670 A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.]]> 342 Blake Crouch 1101904224 Vala 3 4.13 2016 Dark Matter
author: Blake Crouch
name: Vala
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2020/09/04
date added: 2020/09/04
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]]> Recursion 42046112 Memory makes reality.

That's what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.]]> 326 Blake Crouch 1524759783 Vala 0 to-read 4.15 2019 Recursion
author: Blake Crouch
name: Vala
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/02
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]]> Nornin 48625665
Nornin er framhald Ljónsins sem kom út 2018. Ljónið hlaut Barnabókaverðlaun Reykjavíkur og var tilnefnd til Íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunanna. Hildur Knútsdóttir hefur skrifað fjölda vinsælla ungmennabóka og hlotið fyrir mikið lof gagnrýnenda. Hún hlaut Íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunin fyrir Vetrarhörkur, sem ásamt Vetrarfríi var jafnframt tilnefnd sem ungmennabók ársins í Tékklandi.]]> 330 Hildur Knútsdóttir Vala 2 3.79 2019 Nornin
author: Hildur Knútsdóttir
name: Vala
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2020/08/20
date added: 2020/08/20
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]]> Ambergris (Ambergris, #1-3) 50403446 From the author of Borne and Annihilation comes the one-volume hardcover reissue of his cult classic Ambergris Trilogy.

Before Area X, there was Ambergris. Jeff VanderMeer conceived what would become his first cult classic series of speculative works: the Ambergris Trilogy. Now, for the first time ever, the story of the sprawling metropolis of Ambergris is collected into a single volume, including City of Saints and Madmen, Shriek: An Afterword, and Finch.]]> 880 Jeff VanderMeer 0374103178 Vala 0 to-read 4.24 2020 Ambergris (Ambergris, #1-3)
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Vala
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 36337550
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]> 432 Stuart Turton Vala 3 3.78 2018 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Vala
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/08
date added: 2020/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[The Cabin at the End of the World]]> 36381091
One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, "None of what’s going to happen is your fault". Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: "Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world."]]> 272 Paul Tremblay 0062679104 Vala 0 currently-reading 3.31 2018 The Cabin at the End of the World
author: Paul Tremblay
name: Vala
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/08/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (The Thorne Chronicles, #1)]]> 45154546
Princess Rory Thorne must use the fairy blessings gifted to her at birth to change the multiverse—or possibly destroy it.

Rory Thorne is a princess with 13 fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairy tale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.]]> 416 K. Eason 0756415306 Vala 0 gafst-upp 3.83 2019 How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (The Thorne Chronicles, #1)
author: K. Eason
name: Vala
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2019/12/14
date added: 2020/08/07
shelves: gafst-upp
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]]> Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth 36694607 74 Joe Hill 1684064368 Vala 0 to-read 3.99 2017 Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth
author: Joe Hill
name: Vala
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/08/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Talisman (The Talisman, #1)]]> 59219
You are about to take a journey... a terrifying trip across America where young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape... a journey into the dark heart of horror.]]> 656 Stephen King 0375507779 Vala 0 to-read 4.13 1984 The Talisman (The Talisman, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Vala
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1984
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/08/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America]]> 37486540
Beginning with a single dealer who lands in a small Virginia town and sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose statistics, Macy endeavors to answer a grieving mother's question-why her only son died-and comes away with a harrowing story of greed and need. From the introduction of OxyContin in 1996, Macy parses how America embraced a medical culture where overtreatment with painkillers became the norm. In some of the same distressed communities featured in her bestselling book Factory Man, the unemployed use painkillers both to numb the pain of joblessness and pay their bills, while privileged teens trade pills in cul-de-sacs, and even high school standouts fall prey to prostitution, jail, and death.

Through unsparing, yet deeply human portraits of the families and first responders struggling to ameliorate this epidemic, each facet of the crisis comes into focus. In these politically fragmented times, Beth Macy shows, astonishingly, that the only thing that unites Americans across geographic and class lines is opioid drug abuse. But in a country unable to provide basic healthcare for all, Macy still finds reason to hope-and signs of the spirit and tenacity necessary in those facing addiction to build a better future for themselves and their families.]]> 384 Beth Macy 0316523178 Vala 3 4.06 2018 Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America
author: Beth Macy
name: Vala
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/07
date added: 2020/08/07
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3)]]> 26032912 He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity�

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.]]> 321 Holly Black 0316310409 Vala 3 4.33 2019 The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3)
author: Holly Black
name: Vala
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/02
date added: 2020/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]> 370 Holly Black 0316310271 Vala 0 4.01 2018 The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)
author: Holly Black
name: Vala
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2020/07/22
date added: 2020/07/30
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)]]> 26032887 The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.]]> 336 Holly Black 0316310336 Vala 0 4.27 2019 The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)
author: Holly Black
name: Vala
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2020/07/30
date added: 2020/07/30
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]]> íԲöڳð 48893542 Kínversk mæðgin koma til Íslands um miðjan tíunda áratuginn. Nýja fjölskyldan á sér gamlar sorgir, sársaukinn liggur kynslóða á milli. Eins og strengur.
Sagan fléttast frá upphafi seinni heimsstyrjaldarinnar með viðkomu á lítilli, breiðfirskri eyju, suðurhluta Kína. Og útverfi Kópavogs.

íԲöڳð er fyrsta skáldsaga höfundar, sem hlaut tilnefningu til íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunanna fyrir ljóðabókina Flórída.]]> 236 Bergþóra Snæbjörnsdóttir 9935488543 Vala 0 to-read 4.36 2019 íԲöڳð
author: Bergþóra Snæbjörnsdóttir
name: Vala
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant]]> 26532283
One fateful night � different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful � Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.� Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.]]> 8 Drew Hayes Vala 3 3.58 2014 The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant
author: Drew Hayes
name: Vala
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/12
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
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]]> Gone Girl 8442457 What have we done to each other?

These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.

So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?]]> 399 Gillian Flynn Vala 4 3.93 2012 Gone Girl
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Vala
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves:
review:

]]>