en-US Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:09:15 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 15839976 "I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.]]> 382 Pierce Brown 0345539788 Briana 0 currently-reading 4.26 2014
author: Pierce Brown
name: Briana
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 216997496 Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister. Even pretend to be one of them.

After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.

It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to an Instamommy.

The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.

Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really a threat to be eliminated.]]> 271 Elizabeth Rose Quinn 1662524803 Briana 4
The whole concept was interesting and I came to really enjoy Adrienne as a character. I liked that she actually started to like some of the mothers she was meeting.

I do have a couple of complaints though. First...I have NO idea why the author decided to show us that Chiara died in the beginning. We totally could have had her perspective in the beginning still, but leave out when she was attacked so there would be some doubt about maybe she DID run off.

I also hate the Bernice double crossed Adrienne. It was fine that the Mom Squad were just all sociopaths, but it kept the book from being too mom bashing that all the other moms were basically normal, if flawed. The fact that Bernice was basically willing to let Adrienne die...for money...was a poor choice. Like it was definitely shocking, but I think undercut the book's likability.

Finally I felt like all the murders at the end were a little over the top.

But overall it was a fun book and I would definitely check out more from this author.]]> 3.52 2025
author: Elizabeth Rose Quinn
name: Briana
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves:
review:
I actually really enjoyed this book. It felt very Jawbreaker-esque in it's cheesiness and satire vibe, which I enjoyed. It was also cool to see my not-well-known-at-all hometown mentioned...even if it was essentially used to make clear that Adrienne is poor.

The whole concept was interesting and I came to really enjoy Adrienne as a character. I liked that she actually started to like some of the mothers she was meeting.

I do have a couple of complaints though. First...I have NO idea why the author decided to show us that Chiara died in the beginning. We totally could have had her perspective in the beginning still, but leave out when she was attacked so there would be some doubt about maybe she DID run off.

I also hate the Bernice double crossed Adrienne. It was fine that the Mom Squad were just all sociopaths, but it kept the book from being too mom bashing that all the other moms were basically normal, if flawed. The fact that Bernice was basically willing to let Adrienne die...for money...was a poor choice. Like it was definitely shocking, but I think undercut the book's likability.

Finally I felt like all the murders at the end were a little over the top.

But overall it was a fun book and I would definitely check out more from this author.
]]> 50196744
Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways–there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

Know My Name will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic.]]> 384 Chanel Miller 0735223718 Briana 5 4.69 2019
author: Chanel Miller
name: Briana
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves:
review:
This is an absolute must read for...well...everyone. Chanel's story is harrowing and she tells it brilliantly. She is such an incredible writer. I'm also so glad I listened to the audiobook as hearing her tell her story in her own voice made the story even more moving. Be ready to feel all of the emotions as you read/listen to this and then be inspired to join the fight against sexual assault and the broken, corrupt justice system.
]]> 58684524
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere� ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

The New York Times bestselling author of Life's Too Short delivers a refreshingly modern fairy tale perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry.]]> 389 Abby Jimenez 1538704374 Briana 4
Also I struggle with books with over the top awful characters and her Father and friends were so over the top.

But yeah...Alexis and Daniel were both super likeable as were his friends and of course all the animal secondary characters. I wish we could have gotten more of Alexis' brother as I was interested in him as a character, but I know there are two more books set in this same universe and the second one is about Bri. I'm excitedto read that. I liked her. Maybe the brother will be part of the third?

But anyway. Solid romance. Solid banter. And thankfully closed door, which I prefer. Will definitely check out more books by Abby in the future.]]> 4.26 2022
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Briana
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
This was a very cute romance. The only reason I am docking it a star is because of the magic stuff. Like I could have rolled with it up until the lightning bolt hitting a tree to drop a branch when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I could roll with the town being sentient...just make its moves follow the laws of nature, k?

Also I struggle with books with over the top awful characters and her Father and friends were so over the top.

But yeah...Alexis and Daniel were both super likeable as were his friends and of course all the animal secondary characters. I wish we could have gotten more of Alexis' brother as I was interested in him as a character, but I know there are two more books set in this same universe and the second one is about Bri. I'm excitedto read that. I liked her. Maybe the brother will be part of the third?

But anyway. Solid romance. Solid banter. And thankfully closed door, which I prefer. Will definitely check out more books by Abby in the future.
]]> 210719174 The beloved author of Don’t Cry for Me and Perfect Peace returns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago—a novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans of The Great Believers and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.

Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life. Growing up in Missouri, the son of a caustic, hard-driving father, he was conditioned to suppress his artistic pursuits and physical desires, notions that didn’t align with a traditional view of masculinity. But now, in late �80s Chicago, Isaac has finally carved out a life of his own. He is sensitive and tenderhearted and has built up the courage to seek out a community. Yet just as he begins to embrace who he is, two social catalysts—the AIDS crisis and Rodney King’s attack—collectively extinguish his hard-earned joy. At a therapist’s encouragement, Isaac begins to write down his story. In the process, he taps into a creative energy that will send him on a journey back to his family, his ancestral home in Arkansas and the inherited trauma of the nation’s dark past. But a surprise discovery will either unlock the truths he’s seeking or threaten to derail the life he’s fought so hard to claim.

Poignant, sweeping and luminously told, Isaac's Song is a return to the beloved characters of Don’t Cry for Me and a high-water mark in the career of an award-winning author.]]> 320 Daniel Black 133509041X Briana 0 to-read 4.30 2025
author: Daniel Black
name: Briana
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 382 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Briana 5
First of all - I love that Haymitch was in love with a Covey girl. And Lenore Dove was fantastic. Definitely very reminiscent of Lucy Grey while still absolutely feeling like her own person. And their "I love you like all-fire" - UGH. I knew from the beginning we were going to lose her and it hurt immediately. Oh - and her wailing on the ridge as Haymitch drives away on the train??? That broke me. "The moments our hearts shattered. It belongs to us." And to me...cause my heart...yup...shattered.

Okay - so first BIG fucking shock. Haymitch wasn't reaped???? When the first chapter ended with NOT Haymitch being called I was so confused. And then everything that happens and him being forcibly reaped. So. damn. devastating. OH - and Drusilla? Yeah - probably my second most hated character in this whole series right after Snow. What an absolute dumpsterfire of a human being. But her character did a great job of showing the hatred the Capitol feels for the districts. We really don't GET very much of that in the original trilogy, but it's obviously a strong theme in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - and it's interesting to see here, that even 50 years removed from the Dark Days - there are still Capitol Citizens who hold on to that hatred. (Now obviously the Hunger Games happening is proof of the hatred - but I think what this book makes clear is that the average capitol citizen doesn't actually hold onto that kind of hatred - they've just been brainwashed through propaganda that this is what is best for everyone)

Next big shock? Plutarch. I clocked him immediately as being the same morally gray - but ultimately in favor of overthrowing the Capitol regime - guy we met in Catching Fire. I know some people thought that maybe he was still a Capitol guy and we might see him flip at some point in this book, but I had a feeling from the moment he saved Lenore Dove's life (under the guise of wanting the "emotional goodbye") that he was the same Plutarch we knew. Still not a good person. Never a fan of Plutarch. He's definitely the ends justify the means kind of a guy...but he was a huge part of ending the Hunger Games. So definitely ultimately a "good guy."

Alright - I feel like I'm not moving through things fast enough, but there is so much I want to talk about. Let's start talking about characters. I'll start with the other District 12 tributes.

Louella - oh my god...what a sweetheart. And when Haymitch said he only had one sweetheart and it was her...but we know he eventually calls Katniss sweetheart. MY HEART BROKE. (I actually wish this hadn't have been mentioned in the epilogue as I noticed it on my own, but I did appreciate how he said that it just slipped out with Katniss.) And when she DIED? Before the games even began. That definitely had me crying. And seeing Haymitch's response? Chills. I know a lot of people aren't going to like this - but he reminded me a lot of Gale. That anger and fire and a bit of a lack of understanding about the consequences of his actions... that was all Gale. Clapping at Snow? So damn powerful...and so damn terrifying. Again - we knew going in that Haymitch had no one, but in that moment I was like...oh no Haymitch. Oh no.

Wyatt - there was something incredibly likeable about Wyatt. It really didn't feel like he had all that much "screen time" and yet I found myself liking him a lot. He's clearly very smart, and yet also humble. And the way he became so incredibly protective over Lou Lou - who side note was ALSO so damn devastating. Like - I don't think anyone will ever understand how devastating this book is until they read it themselves. But yeah. I liked Wyatt a lot, and it kind of sucks that he dies off screen - just because I feel like he deserved more. But I appreciate that he died a hero protecting Lou Lou - someone he didn't even ACTUALLY know and yet he recognized needed protecting.

Maysilee - I saved her for last, because MY GOD did I love Maysilee. She might be my favorite character in this whole damn book, and definitely a top 5 in the whole series. Her utter lack of fear, and her sass, and the way that we see her soften over the course of the games. The way she helps all of the tributes with their tokens and then says she'll be Ampert's sister without missing a beat...and then says she'll be Haymitch's... UGH. And the fact that Haymitch couldn't stand her in the beginning but comes the respect and even love her. And her death! UGH...I just...I wish I could fully capture how much I loved her. Like - she's NOT a nice person, but she's still a person who didn't deserve this and then she directs all that animosity at the real monsters and she was SUCH a good character. And knowing she was Katniss' mom's best friend AND the original owner of Katniss' mockingjay pin? I just...she's so perfect.

And finally - the only other tribute that I personally became attached to Ampert. Oh sweet, perfect Ampert. His death was by far the worst for me. I could not stop crying. It was just so gruesome and he was so smart, and good, and brave and HE WAS BEETEE'S SON. When he said, I want you to meet my dad... I KNEW it was going to be Beetee. And my heart SHATTERED. Because we knew that no tribute besides Haymitch was surviving these games, so I knew that Beetee was going to lose his son. I adored Beetee in the original trilogy, but was never quite able to forgive him for creating the horrible invention that killed Prim...not just because it was what killed her, but because it was such a cruel invention in the first place. But NOW... oh I get how he could be cruel like that. AND YET...he voted against the symbolic hunger games. THEY KILLED HIS CHILD...and he was still able to see that killing other people's children was not the way to go. UGH...Ampert would have been one of my favorite characters all on his own (the moment with him and Maysilee I mentioned earlier!), but his connection to Beetee just made him even more heart wrenching.

Okay, so now we're talking about returning characters. I was PRETTY sure before reading the book that Mags was going to be Haymitch's mentor. I knew there were no District 12 mentors and I assumed they would have victors from other districts do it, and I just KNEW it would be Mags and she was every bit as wonderful as she was in Catching Fire. She is a mama bear through and through. And her being tortured for helping Haymitch...knowing now that her being mute probably had nothing to do with a "stroke"...just every bit of this book is designed to destroy you.

Now Wiress...she was a surprise to me and I loved getting a little bit of information about how she won her games. Her arena sounded SUPER intense and of course she used her brilliant mind to outsmart her way to a victory. And it was so nice to see her young with her mind fully in tact, and my naive ass never imagined that her mind would be taken away from her SO YOUNG. Also - as punishment for helping Haymitch. I can't remember if they give her age or not, but she could only have been 19 at the oldest, since she won the games the year before Haymitch. And we know that her mind is still not all there 25 years later. WHY IS IT ALL SO SAD?????

Okay...another returning character: Effie. Now I have to constantly remind myself that Effie is not all that great of a person, because she REALLY gets changed in the movies, but at her core she is definitely a KIND person who has just been completely brainwashed by the Capital. And seeing her next to her predecessor definitely highlights her kindness even more. And I love that she and Haymitch have so much history, and that she knew him before he is turned into what he becomes. I know a lot of people have complained about all the cameos and call it fan service, but I think it makes total sense that Effie HAD to have met Haymitch before the games, because he did always seem to have a soft spot for her, and I don't think he could have developed one for her if he had only known her AFTER everything that happened to him.

And finally Snow. I've seen a few people say (as a joke) that Suzanne Collins wrote this book because so many people thirsted after young Snow after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Well - she definitely highlighted that as physically attractive as he may have been when he was young he is the absolute ugliest human being in this entire universe. MY GOD the things that he did to Haymitch, both in the arena and afterwards. I know I've said that my heart breaks for him...but I cannot express enough how much it physically hurt. And the reference he made to his twisted fucked up view of Lucy Grey...how anyone could come away from TBOSAS LIKING Snow is beyond me. But hopefully this book put everything back into perspective for people.

Okay...this has been going on for too long. So a few last thoughts. The fact that Haymitch PUT the poisoned gum drop that killed Lenore Dove in her mouth. Why? WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY? And the promise he made to her? That he would stop the games. The only reason he continued to live was to fulfill that promise...and yet he voted WITH KATNISS to hold another games. Like...we already knew that Haymitch knew Katniss well enough to know she was up to something...but this puts the trust he had in her into a whole new perspective. He trusted her enough to put the promise he made to the only girl he ever loved on the line. Like...my jaw dropped when he made that promise, because I immediately thought of the vote.

And finally...that epilogue. That epilogue was TWO PAGES LONG and I think those two pages broke me more than anything else in the book. Those were two of the most beautifully written pages I have ever seen. And thinking about how Haymitch FINALLY completely let Katniss and Peeta in, oh, it healed a lot of the pain the rest of the book put me through.

I have always been a huge fan of The Hunger Games and all the books in the series - but this book - it is something else. I know I will need to read it again and again to fully get everything out of it. But I'm glad I was able to get a lot of my thoughts down - even though I know I missed some stuff. I just realized I didn't even talk about the mindfuckery of the poisoned milk or Haymitch's whole goal in the games. Like...this book just has so many layers. SO SO SO SO freaking good.]]> 4.64 2025
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Briana
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:
Oh my God. I knew this book was going to be amazing and devastating and yet I was still surprised by HOW amazing and devastating it was. I'm going to try to talk about everything I want to talk about chronologically.

First of all - I love that Haymitch was in love with a Covey girl. And Lenore Dove was fantastic. Definitely very reminiscent of Lucy Grey while still absolutely feeling like her own person. And their "I love you like all-fire" - UGH. I knew from the beginning we were going to lose her and it hurt immediately. Oh - and her wailing on the ridge as Haymitch drives away on the train??? That broke me. "The moments our hearts shattered. It belongs to us." And to me...cause my heart...yup...shattered.

Okay - so first BIG fucking shock. Haymitch wasn't reaped???? When the first chapter ended with NOT Haymitch being called I was so confused. And then everything that happens and him being forcibly reaped. So. damn. devastating. OH - and Drusilla? Yeah - probably my second most hated character in this whole series right after Snow. What an absolute dumpsterfire of a human being. But her character did a great job of showing the hatred the Capitol feels for the districts. We really don't GET very much of that in the original trilogy, but it's obviously a strong theme in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - and it's interesting to see here, that even 50 years removed from the Dark Days - there are still Capitol Citizens who hold on to that hatred. (Now obviously the Hunger Games happening is proof of the hatred - but I think what this book makes clear is that the average capitol citizen doesn't actually hold onto that kind of hatred - they've just been brainwashed through propaganda that this is what is best for everyone)

Next big shock? Plutarch. I clocked him immediately as being the same morally gray - but ultimately in favor of overthrowing the Capitol regime - guy we met in Catching Fire. I know some people thought that maybe he was still a Capitol guy and we might see him flip at some point in this book, but I had a feeling from the moment he saved Lenore Dove's life (under the guise of wanting the "emotional goodbye") that he was the same Plutarch we knew. Still not a good person. Never a fan of Plutarch. He's definitely the ends justify the means kind of a guy...but he was a huge part of ending the Hunger Games. So definitely ultimately a "good guy."

Alright - I feel like I'm not moving through things fast enough, but there is so much I want to talk about. Let's start talking about characters. I'll start with the other District 12 tributes.

Louella - oh my god...what a sweetheart. And when Haymitch said he only had one sweetheart and it was her...but we know he eventually calls Katniss sweetheart. MY HEART BROKE. (I actually wish this hadn't have been mentioned in the epilogue as I noticed it on my own, but I did appreciate how he said that it just slipped out with Katniss.) And when she DIED? Before the games even began. That definitely had me crying. And seeing Haymitch's response? Chills. I know a lot of people aren't going to like this - but he reminded me a lot of Gale. That anger and fire and a bit of a lack of understanding about the consequences of his actions... that was all Gale. Clapping at Snow? So damn powerful...and so damn terrifying. Again - we knew going in that Haymitch had no one, but in that moment I was like...oh no Haymitch. Oh no.

Wyatt - there was something incredibly likeable about Wyatt. It really didn't feel like he had all that much "screen time" and yet I found myself liking him a lot. He's clearly very smart, and yet also humble. And the way he became so incredibly protective over Lou Lou - who side note was ALSO so damn devastating. Like - I don't think anyone will ever understand how devastating this book is until they read it themselves. But yeah. I liked Wyatt a lot, and it kind of sucks that he dies off screen - just because I feel like he deserved more. But I appreciate that he died a hero protecting Lou Lou - someone he didn't even ACTUALLY know and yet he recognized needed protecting.

Maysilee - I saved her for last, because MY GOD did I love Maysilee. She might be my favorite character in this whole damn book, and definitely a top 5 in the whole series. Her utter lack of fear, and her sass, and the way that we see her soften over the course of the games. The way she helps all of the tributes with their tokens and then says she'll be Ampert's sister without missing a beat...and then says she'll be Haymitch's... UGH. And the fact that Haymitch couldn't stand her in the beginning but comes the respect and even love her. And her death! UGH...I just...I wish I could fully capture how much I loved her. Like - she's NOT a nice person, but she's still a person who didn't deserve this and then she directs all that animosity at the real monsters and she was SUCH a good character. And knowing she was Katniss' mom's best friend AND the original owner of Katniss' mockingjay pin? I just...she's so perfect.

And finally - the only other tribute that I personally became attached to Ampert. Oh sweet, perfect Ampert. His death was by far the worst for me. I could not stop crying. It was just so gruesome and he was so smart, and good, and brave and HE WAS BEETEE'S SON. When he said, I want you to meet my dad... I KNEW it was going to be Beetee. And my heart SHATTERED. Because we knew that no tribute besides Haymitch was surviving these games, so I knew that Beetee was going to lose his son. I adored Beetee in the original trilogy, but was never quite able to forgive him for creating the horrible invention that killed Prim...not just because it was what killed her, but because it was such a cruel invention in the first place. But NOW... oh I get how he could be cruel like that. AND YET...he voted against the symbolic hunger games. THEY KILLED HIS CHILD...and he was still able to see that killing other people's children was not the way to go. UGH...Ampert would have been one of my favorite characters all on his own (the moment with him and Maysilee I mentioned earlier!), but his connection to Beetee just made him even more heart wrenching.

Okay, so now we're talking about returning characters. I was PRETTY sure before reading the book that Mags was going to be Haymitch's mentor. I knew there were no District 12 mentors and I assumed they would have victors from other districts do it, and I just KNEW it would be Mags and she was every bit as wonderful as she was in Catching Fire. She is a mama bear through and through. And her being tortured for helping Haymitch...knowing now that her being mute probably had nothing to do with a "stroke"...just every bit of this book is designed to destroy you.

Now Wiress...she was a surprise to me and I loved getting a little bit of information about how she won her games. Her arena sounded SUPER intense and of course she used her brilliant mind to outsmart her way to a victory. And it was so nice to see her young with her mind fully in tact, and my naive ass never imagined that her mind would be taken away from her SO YOUNG. Also - as punishment for helping Haymitch. I can't remember if they give her age or not, but she could only have been 19 at the oldest, since she won the games the year before Haymitch. And we know that her mind is still not all there 25 years later. WHY IS IT ALL SO SAD?????

Okay...another returning character: Effie. Now I have to constantly remind myself that Effie is not all that great of a person, because she REALLY gets changed in the movies, but at her core she is definitely a KIND person who has just been completely brainwashed by the Capital. And seeing her next to her predecessor definitely highlights her kindness even more. And I love that she and Haymitch have so much history, and that she knew him before he is turned into what he becomes. I know a lot of people have complained about all the cameos and call it fan service, but I think it makes total sense that Effie HAD to have met Haymitch before the games, because he did always seem to have a soft spot for her, and I don't think he could have developed one for her if he had only known her AFTER everything that happened to him.

And finally Snow. I've seen a few people say (as a joke) that Suzanne Collins wrote this book because so many people thirsted after young Snow after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Well - she definitely highlighted that as physically attractive as he may have been when he was young he is the absolute ugliest human being in this entire universe. MY GOD the things that he did to Haymitch, both in the arena and afterwards. I know I've said that my heart breaks for him...but I cannot express enough how much it physically hurt. And the reference he made to his twisted fucked up view of Lucy Grey...how anyone could come away from TBOSAS LIKING Snow is beyond me. But hopefully this book put everything back into perspective for people.

Okay...this has been going on for too long. So a few last thoughts. The fact that Haymitch PUT the poisoned gum drop that killed Lenore Dove in her mouth. Why? WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY? And the promise he made to her? That he would stop the games. The only reason he continued to live was to fulfill that promise...and yet he voted WITH KATNISS to hold another games. Like...we already knew that Haymitch knew Katniss well enough to know she was up to something...but this puts the trust he had in her into a whole new perspective. He trusted her enough to put the promise he made to the only girl he ever loved on the line. Like...my jaw dropped when he made that promise, because I immediately thought of the vote.

And finally...that epilogue. That epilogue was TWO PAGES LONG and I think those two pages broke me more than anything else in the book. Those were two of the most beautifully written pages I have ever seen. And thinking about how Haymitch FINALLY completely let Katniss and Peeta in, oh, it healed a lot of the pain the rest of the book put me through.

I have always been a huge fan of The Hunger Games and all the books in the series - but this book - it is something else. I know I will need to read it again and again to fully get everything out of it. But I'm glad I was able to get a lot of my thoughts down - even though I know I missed some stuff. I just realized I didn't even talk about the mindfuckery of the poisoned milk or Haymitch's whole goal in the games. Like...this book just has so many layers. SO SO SO SO freaking good.
]]> 214565614 A chilling historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912 following a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits. This is an American Indian revenge story written by one of the new masters of horror, Stephen Graham Jones.]]> 448 Stephen Graham Jones 1668075083 Briana 0 to-read 4.26 2025
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Briana
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/26
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]]> 210411871 A story of sisters separated by hundreds of years but bound together in more ways than they can imagine

2019: Lucy awakens in her ex-lover’s room in the middle of the night with her hands around his throat. Horrified, she flees to her sister’s house on the coast of New South Wales hoping Jess can help explain the vivid dreams that preceded the attack—but her sister is missing. As Lucy waits for her return, she starts to unearth strange rumours about Jess’s town—tales of numerous missing men, spread over decades. A baby abandoned in a sea-swept cave. Whispers of women’s voices on the waves. All the while, her dreams start to feel closer than ever.

1800: Mary and Eliza are torn from their loving home in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship heading for Australia. As the boat takes them farther and farther away from all they know, they begin to notice unexplainable changes in their bodies.

A breathtaking tale of female resilience, The Sirens is an extraordinary novel that captures the sheer power of sisterhood and the indefinable magic of the sea.]]> 352 Emilia Hart 1250280826 Briana 0 to-read 3.84 2025
author: Emilia Hart
name: Briana
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
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]]> 60654349 I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 329 Emilia Hart 125028080X Briana 5 4.03 2023
author: Emilia Hart
name: Briana
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
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This is definitely the best book I've read so far this year and definitely in the top 5 that I've read ever, honestly. I absolutely adored this book. I was completely invested in all three plot lines, caring deeply about Altha, Violet, and Kate. While they all obviously had some strong similarities they definitely all felt like their own unique characters and they felt real. None of them were perfect. They all made mistakes. But they all had a strength to them that was admirable. I'm also glad that the character Graham existed as it was a little unbelievable that EVERY man in these women's lives were just the worst kind of man. Between the doctors of every generation, and Violet's father, and Frederick, and Simon...it was a bit heavy handed. But...I did understand the message that men like that would be drawn to women like the Weyward women so that they could try to control them. Actually I really appreciated the very small character of the young man who was kind to Altha, so she chose him to help her create a daughter. I thought both he and Graham were a nice juxtaposition to all the other men in the novel. One thing I am curious about still and am disappointed the book never addressed was why there are no records of Weyward women between Altha and Violet's mother. In the end we learn that Altha chooses to stay...so why are there no records? Is that just supposed to mean that they lived completely cut off from the rest of society? I suppose that's a plausible explanation. There's only a record of Altha because of her trial and then Violet's mother chose to abandon the tradition of not marrying and married, therefore creating a record. I guess that's it...but I was hoping for something more. Still. Amazing book. I think calling books 6/5 stars is silly, because then what does the scale even mean, but I kind of give away 5 stars like candy and this book is far better than most of those, so 6 stars it is!
]]> 61169655 Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023

"Haynes is master of her trade . . . She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories."--Telegraph (UK)

The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly perceptive take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman.

They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster.

The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge--on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.

Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman--injured by a powerful man--is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa's story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.]]> 381 Natalie Haynes 0063258412 Briana 3 3.81 2022
author: Natalie Haynes
name: Briana
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
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So I liked this, but it took me a while to get through it. It put me into a little bit of a reading slump. I am a huge, huge fan of Medusa and love any story that paints her as a sympathetic character instead of a monster and this definitely did that, but I wish the story was more focused on her and less on EVERYTHING else that was going on. I consider myself to be pretty well versed on Greek mythology, but this was just pulling from way too much. I did enjoy the depiction of Perseus as being the absolute worst. I didn't LOVE Athene's portrayal, even though obviously in a book focused on Medusa, Athena does have to be a bit of a bad guy. I don't know - I LIKED the book, but I definitely didn't love it.
]]> 124950295 397 Hannah Bonam-Young 1778027784 Briana 0 to-read 4.25 2023
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Briana
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
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]]> 46000520
But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

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

Alternate cover edition can be found here .]]> 382 Richard Osman Briana 0 to-read 3.87 2020
author: Richard Osman
name: Briana
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
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]]> 127152907
Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.]]> 348 Rebecca Yarros 1662511566 Briana 5 4.22 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Briana
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
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I really enjoyed this book. I will say that this was my first time ever listening to a book with spicy scenes and I definitely did NOT enjoy that aspect of the book. I barely deal with READING those scenes. Listening to them was just too much. BUT - if we get past those completely unnecessary scenes, the overall book was good. I enjoyed both characters although the entire basis of their original "break up" being that they both didn't believe the other really loved them was pretty infuriating. I get that as the reader I have the added insight of being inside both character's heads, and in this case where they spent so little time together, I guess it's SOMEWHAT believable that they would have doubts, but it was still annoying. I also didn't love the overwhelmingly pro-military angle that seemed to be spoon fed down our throat every so often. But overall this was a nice love story. The twist about talking to dead people in the end was interesting as well. I absolutely did not see that coming and kind of wish I had a physical copy of the book so I could go back and confirm that no one else was interacting with his dead friend. This review is kind of all over the place...oh...I also didn't like the completely unrealistic parents. Like I could buy him having an abusive father. That's not all that hard to believe. But parents that refuse to come back from a trip after their daughter is in a plane crash? REALLY? That one felt like a stretch. Okay...I think I'm done rambling. Overall enjoyable book. Solid romance. Good other stuff.
]]> 58988396 From the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, an utterly original memoir-in-essays that is as deeply moving as it is hilariously funny

Growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants in Chicago in the '90s, Erika Sanchez was a self-described pariah, misfit, and disappointment—a foul-mouthed, melancholic rabble-rouser who painted her nails black but also loved comedy, often laughing so hard with her friends that she had to leave her school classroom. Twenty-five years later, she's now an award-winning novelist, poet, and essayist, but she's still got an irrepressible laugh, acerbic wit, and singular powers of perception about the world around her.

In these essays, Sanchez writes about everything from sex to white feminism to debilitating depression, revealing an interior life rich with ideas, self-awareness, and perception. Raunchy, insightful, unapologetic, and brutally honest, Crying in the Bathroom is Sanchez at her best—a book that will make you feel that post-confessional high that comes from talking for hours with your best friend.]]> 256 Erika L. Sánchez 0593296931 Briana 0 to-read 3.96 2022
author: Erika L. Sánchez
name: Briana
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 34964998
Raised by a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in Los Angeles, Patrisse Khan-Cullors experienced firsthand the prejudice and persecution Black Americans endure at the hands of law enforcement. For Patrisse, the most vulnerable people in the country are Black people. Deliberately and ruthlessly targeted by a criminal justice system serving a white privilege agenda, Black people are subjected to unjustifiable racial profiling and police brutality. In 2013, when Trayvon Martin’s killer went free, Patrisse’s outrage led her to co-found Black Lives Matter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.

Condemned as terrorists and as a threat to America, these loving women founded a hashtag that birthed the movement to demand accountability from the authorities who continually turn a blind eye to the injustices inflicted upon people of Black and Brown skin.

Championing human rights in the face of violent racism, Patrisse is a survivor. She transformed her personal pain into political power, giving voice to a people suffering in equality and a movement fueled by her strength and love to tell the country—and the world—that Black Lives Matter.

When They Call You a Terrorist is Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele’s reflection on humanity. It is an empowering account of survival, strength and resilience and a call to action to change the culture that declares innocent Black life expendable.]]> 257 Patrisse Khan-Cullors 1250171083 Briana 0 to-read 4.49 2018
author: Patrisse Khan-Cullors
name: Briana
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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]]> 29540318 Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder and Catch, reveals how saying YES changed her life -- and how it can change yours too. With three hit shows on television and three children at home, Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say no when invitations arrived. Hollywood party? No. Speaking engagement? No. Media appearances? No. And to an introvert like Shonda, who describes herself as 'hugging the walls' at social events and experiencing panic attacks before press interviews, there was a particular benefit to saying no: nothing new to fear. Then came Thanksgiving 2013, when Shonda's sister Delorse muttered six little words at her: You never say yes to anything. Profound, impassioned and laugh-out-loud funny, in Year of Yes Shonda Rhimes reveals how saying YES changed -- and saved -- her life. And inspires readers everywhere to change their own lives with one little word: Yes.]]> 352 Shonda Rhimes 1471157326 Briana 0 to-read 4.04 2015
author: Shonda Rhimes
name: Briana
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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]]> 123027172
Now, I’m gonna be honest: Some of the details might be vague because a b*tch is fifty-five and she’s smoked a ton of weed. But while bits might be a touch hazy, I can promise you the underlying truth is REAL. Whether I’m talking about my childhood growing up in the South, my early stand-up days driving from gig to gig through the darkest parts of our country and praying I wouldn’t get murdered, what Chris Rock told Lorne Michaels, that time I wanted to shoot Whoopi Goldberg on SNL, and yeah, I’ll tell you all about Ghostbusters and the nudes and Supermarket Sweep and The Daily Show . . . I’m sharing it all in these pages. It’s not easy being a woman in comedy, especially when you’re a tall-*ss Black woman with a trumpet voice. I have to fight so that no one takes me for granted, and no one takes advantage. These are the stories that explain why. (Cue the Law & Order theme.)]]> 288 Leslie Jones 1538706490 Briana 0 to-read 4.09 2023
author: Leslie Jones
name: Briana
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 195790788
Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia Levings learned that being a good Christian meant following a list of additional life principles—a series of secret, special rules to obey. Being a godly and submissive wife in Christian Patriarchy included strict discipline, isolation, and an alternative lifestyle that appeared wholesome to outsiders. Women were to be silent, “keepers of the home.�

Tia knew that to their neighbors her family was strange, but she also couldn't risk exposing their secret lifestyle to police, doctors, teachers, or anyone outside of their church. Christians were called in scripture to be “in the world, not of it.� So, she hid in plain sight as years of abuse and pain followed. When Tia realized she was the only one who could protect her children from becoming the next generation of patriarchal men and submissive women, she began to resist and question how they lived. But in the patriarchy, a woman with opinions is in danger, and eventually, Tia faced an urgent and extreme stay and face dire consequences, or flee with her children.

Told in a beautiful, honest, and sometimes harrowing voice, A Well-Trained Wife is an unforgettable and timely memoir about a woman's race to save herself and her family and details the ways that extreme views can manifest in a marriage.]]> 304 Tia Levings 1250288282 Briana 0 to-read 4.31 2024
author: Tia Levings
name: Briana
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 55510928 From the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls comesĚýthe never-before-told story of a small cadre of influential female spies in the precarious early days of the CIA—women who helped create the template for cutting-edge espionage (and blazed new paths for equality in the workplace) in the treacherous post-WWII era.

In the wake of World War II, four agents were critical in helping build a new organization that we now know as the CIA. Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, and Elizabeth Sudmeier, called the “wise gals� by their male colleagues because of their sharp sense of humor and even quicker intelligence, were not the stereotypical femme fatale of spy novels. They were smart, courageous, and groundbreaking agents at the top of their class, instrumental in both developing innovative tools for intelligence gathering—and insisting (in their own unique ways) that they receive the credit and pay their expertise deserved.
ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýThroughout the Cold War era, each woman had a vital role to play on the international stage. AdelaideĚýrose through the ranks,Ěýdeveloping new cryptosystems that advanced how spiesĚýcommunicate with each other.Ěý Mary worked overseas in Europe and Asia, building partnerships and allegiances that would last decades. Elizabeth would risk her life in the Middle East in order to gain intelligence on deadly SovietĚýweaponry. Eloise would wield influence on scientific and technical operations worldwide, ultimately exposing global terrorism threats.ĚýThrough their friendship and shared sense of purpose, they rose to positions of power and were able to make real change in a traditionally “male, pale, and Yaleâ€� organization—but not without some tragic losses and real heartache along the way. ĚýĚý
ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýMeticulously researched and beautifully told, Holt uses firsthand interviews with past and present officials and declassified government documents to uncover the stories of these four inspirational women.ĚýWise GalsĚýsheds a light on the untold history of the women whose daring foreign intrigues, domestic persistence, and fighting spirit have been and continue to be instrumental to our country’s security.]]> 400 Nathalia Holt 0593328485 Briana 0 to-read 3.86 2022
author: Nathalia Holt
name: Briana
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 40539126 The true story of the woman who became WWII's most highly decorated spy

The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father’s footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission. It is here that she meets her commanding officer Captain Peter Churchill.

As they successfully complete mission after mission, Peter and Odette fall in love. All the while, they are being hunted by the cunning German secret police sergeant, Hugo Bleicher, who finally succeeds in capturing them. They are sent to Paris’s Fresnes prison, and from there to concentration camps in Germany where they are starved, beaten, and tortured. But in the face of despair, they never give up hope, their love for each other, or the whereabouts of their colleagues.

In Code Name: Lise, Larry Loftis paints a portrait of true courage, patriotism, and love—of two incredibly heroic people who endured unimaginable horrors and degradations. He seamlessly weaves together the touching romance between Odette and Peter and the thrilling cat and mouse game between them and Sergeant Bleicher.]]> 384 Larry Loftis 1501198653 Briana 0 to-read 3.94 2019
author: Larry Loftis
name: Briana
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 44909230 A PEN America Literary Award Finalist
A Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ Choice Awards Nominee
An Amazon Best of the Year Selection

The untold story of some of WW2's most hidden figures and the heartbreaking tragedy that unites them all. Readers of Born Survivors and A Train Near Magdeburg will devour the tragic tale of the first 999 women in Auschwitz concentration camp. This is the hauntingly resonant true story that everyone should know.

On March 25, 1942, nearly a thousand young, unmarried Jewish women, many of them teenagers, boarded a train in Poprad, Slovakia. Believing they were going to work in a factory for a few months, they were eager to report for government service and left their parents� homes wearing their best clothes and confidently waving good-bye. Instead, the young women were sent to Auschwitz. Only a few would survive. Now acclaimed author Heather Dune Macadam reveals their stories, drawing on extensive interviews with survivors, and consulting with historians, witnesses, and relatives of those first deportees to create an important addition to Holocaust literature and women’s history.]]> 464 Heather Dune Macadam 0806539364 Briana 0 to-read 4.52 2020
author: Heather Dune Macadam
name: Briana
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 56132724
The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line - conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored.

No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose...]]> 540 Kate Moore 1492696722 Briana 0 to-read 4.29 2021
author: Kate Moore
name: Briana
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 78299256
Alfred Hitchcock was fixated—not just on the dark, twisty stories that became his hallmark, but also by the blond actresses who starred in many of his iconic movies. The director of North by Northwest , Rear Window , and other classic films didn’t much care if they wore wigs, got their hair coloring out of a bottle, or were the rarest human specimen—a natural blonde—as long as they shone with a golden veneer on camera. The lengths he went to in order to showcase (and often manipulate) these women would become the stuff of movie legend. But the women themselves have rarely been at the center of the story, until now.

In Hitchcock’s Blondes, bestselling biographer Laurence Leamer offers an intimate journey into the lives of eight legendary actresses whose stories helped chart the course of the troubled, talented director’s career—from his early days in the British film industry, to his triumphant American debut, to his Hollywood heyday and beyond. Through the stories of June Howard-Tripp, Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Janet Leigh, Kim Novak, Eva Marie Saint, and Tippi Hedren—who starred in fourteen of Hitchcock’s most notable films and who bore the brunt of his fondness and sometimes fixation—we can finally start to see the enigmatic man himself. After all, “his� blondes (as he thought of them) knew the truths of his art, his obsessions and desires, as well as anyone.

From the acclaimed author of Capote’s Women comes an intimate, revealing, and thoroughly modern look at both the enduring art created by a man obsessed…and the private toll that fixation took on the women in his orbit.]]> 336 Laurence Leamer 0593542975 Briana 0 to-read 3.36 2023
author: Laurence Leamer
name: Briana
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 177186345
In an innovative and engaging narrative of everyday life in Shakespeare’s England, Ramie Targoff carries us from the sumptuous coronation of Queen Elizabeth in the mid-sixteenth century into the private lives of four women writers working at a time when women were legally the property of men. Some readers may have heard of Mary Sidney, accomplished poet and sister of the famous Sir Philip Sidney, but few will have heard of Aemilia Lanyer, the first woman in the seventeenth century to publish a book of original poetry, which offered a feminist take on the crucifixion, or Elizabeth Cary, who published the first original play by a woman, about the plight of the Jewish princess Mariam. Then there was Anne Clifford, a lifelong diarist who fought for decades against a patriarchy that tried to rob her of her land in one of England’s most infamous inheritance battles. These women had husbands and children to care for and little support for their art, yet against all odds they defined themselves as writers, finding rooms of their own where doors had been shut for centuries. Targoff flings those doors open, revealing the treasures left by these extraordinary women; in the process, she helps us see the Renaissance in a fresh light, creating a richer understanding of history and offering a much-needed female perspective on life in Shakespeare’s day.]]> 336 Ramie Targoff 0525658033 Briana 0 to-read 3.82 2024
author: Ramie Targoff
name: Briana
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 199797799
Everyone knows Judy Blume.

Her books have garnered her fans of all ages for decades and sold tens of millions of copies. But why were people so drawn to them? And why are we still talking about them now in the 21st century?

In The Genius of Judy , her remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure. Blume wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary—she just wanted to tell honest stories—but in doing so, she created a cohesive, culture-altering vision of modern adolescence.

Blume’s bravery provoked backlash, making her the country’s most-banned author in the mid-1980s. Thankfully, her works withstood those culture wars and it’s no coincidence that Blume has resurfaced as a cultural touchstone now. Young girls are still cat-called, sex education curricula are getting dismissed as pornography, and entire shelves of libraries are being banned. As we face these challenges, it’s only natural we look to Blume, the grand dame of so-called dirty books. This is the story of how a housewife became a groundbreaking artist, and how generations of empowered fans are her legacy, today more than ever.]]> 288 Rachelle Bergstein 1668010909 Briana 0 to-read 3.79 2024
author: Rachelle Bergstein
name: Briana
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 103489828 A renowned feminist thinker argues we need to get in the way of happiness, our own and other people’s, to build a more just worldĚý

Do you refuse to laugh at offensive jokes? Have you ever been accused of ruining dinner by pointing out your companion’s sexist comment? Are you often told to stop being so “wokeâ€�? If so, you might be a feminist killjoy—and this handbook is for you. In this book, feminist theorist Sara Ahmed shows how killing joy can be a radical world-making project.Ěý

Presenting sharp analysis of literature, film, and influential feminist works, and drawing on her own experiences as a queer feminist scholar-activist of color, Ahmed reveals the invaluable lessons of the feminist killjoy, from the importance of asking questions to the power of the eye roll. The Feminist Killjoy Handbook offers an outstretched hand to feminist killjoys everywhere and an essential intellectual guide to the transformative power of getting in the way.Ěý]]> 304 Sara Ahmed 1541603753 Briana 0 to-read 3.95 2023
author: Sara Ahmed
name: Briana
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 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 Briana 0 to-read 4.26 2019
author: Amanda Montell
name: Briana
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
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]]> 63876551 A groundbreaking exploration of the ancient rules women unwittingly follow in order to be considered "good," revealing how the Seven Deadly Sins still control and distort their lives and illuminating a path toward a more balanced, spiritually complete way to live

Women congratulate themselves when they resist the doughnut in the office break-room. They celebrate their restraint when they hold back from sending an e-mail in anger. They feel virtuous when they wake up at dawn to get a jump on the day. They put others' needs ahead of their own and believe this makes them exemplary. In On Our Best Behavior, journalist Elise Loehnen explains that these impulses--often lauded as unselfish, distinctly feminine instincts--are actually ingrained in women by a culture that reaps the benefits, via an extraordinarily effective collection of mores known as the Seven Deadly Sins.

Since being codified by the Christian church in the fourth century, the Seven Deadly Sins--pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth--have exerted insidious power. Even today, in our largely secular, patriarchal society, they continue to circumscribe women's behavior. For example, seeing sloth as sinful leads women to deny themselves rest; a fear of gluttony drives them to ignore their appetites; and an aversion to greed prevents them from negotiating for themselves and contributes to the 55 percent gender wealth gap. Loehnen reveals how women have been programmed to obey the rules represented by these sins and how doing so qualifies them as "good."

This probing analysis of contemporary culture and thoroughly researched history explains how women have internalized the patriarchy, and how they unwittingly reinforce it. By sharing her own story and the spiritual wisdom of other traditions, Loehnen shows how women can break free and discover the integrity and wholeness they seek.]]> 384 Elise Loehnen 059324303X Briana 0 to-read 3.78 2023
author: Elise Loehnen
name: Briana
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123279482 Renowned journalist and author of The Heart is a Shifting Sea Elizabeth Flock investigates what few dare to confront, or even imagine: the role and necessity of female-led violence in response to systems built against women.

In The Furies, Elizabeth Flock examines how three real-life women have used violence to fight back, and how views of women who defend their lives are often distorted by their depictions in media and pop culture. These three immersive narratives follow Brittany Smith, a young woman from Stevenson, Alabama, who killed a man she said raped her but was denied the protection of the Stand-Your-Ground law; Angoori Dahariya, leader of a gang in Uttar Pradesh, India, dedicated to avenging victims of domestic abuse; and Cicek Mustafa Zibo, a fighter in a thousands-strong all-female militia that battled ISIS in Syria. Each woman chose to use lethal force to gain power, safety, and freedom when the institutions meant to protect them—government, police, courts—utterly failed to do so. Each woman has been criticized for their actions by those who believe that violence is never the answer.

Through Flock’s propulsive prose and remarkable research on the ground—embedded with families, communities, and organizations in America, India, and Syria�The Furies examines, with exquisite nuance, whether the fight for women’s safety is fully possible without force. Do these women’s acts of vengeance help or hurt them, and ultimately, all women? Did they create lasting change in entrenched misogynistic and paternalistic systems? And ultimately, what would societies in which women have real power look like?

Across mythologies and throughout history, the stories of women’s lives frequently end with their bodies as sites of violence. But there are also celebrated tales of women, real and fictional, who have fought back. The novelistic accounts of these three women provoke questions about how to achieve true gender equality, and offer profound insights in the quest for answers.]]> 304 Elizabeth Flock 0063048809 Briana 0 to-read 3.91 2024
author: Elizabeth Flock
name: Briana
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 44767249
Nothing could have prepared Kantor and Twohey for what followed the publication of their initial Weinstein story on October 5, 2017. Within days, a veritable Pandora’s box of sexual harassment and abuse was opened. Women all over the world came forward with their own traumatic stories. Over the next twelve months, hundreds of men from every walk of life and industry were outed following allegations of wrongdoing. But did too much change—or not enough? Those questions hung in the air months later as Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, and Christine Blasey Ford came forward to testify that he had assaulted her decades earlier. Kantor and Twohey, who had unique access to Ford and her team, bring to light the odyssey that led her to come forward, the overwhelming forces that came to bear on her, and what happened after she shared her allegation with the world.

In the tradition of great investigative journalism, She Said tells a thrilling story about the power of truth, with shocking new information from hidden sources. Kantor and Twohey describe not only the consequences of their reporting for the #MeToo movement, but the inspiring and affecting journeys of the women who spoke up—for the sake of other women, for future generations, and for themselves.]]> 310 Jodi Kantor 0525560343 Briana 0 to-read 4.35 2019
author: Jodi Kantor
name: Briana
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 38532207 A transformative book urging twenty-first century-women to embrace their anger and harness it as a tool for lasting personal and societal change.

Women are angry, and it isn’t hard to figure out why.

We are underpaid and overworked. Too sensitive, or not sensitive enough. Too dowdy or too made-up. Too big or too thin. Sluts or prudes. We are harassed, told we are asking for it, and asked if it would kill us to smile. Yes, yes it would.

Contrary to the rhetoric of popular “self-help� and an entire lifetime of being told otherwise, our rage is one of the most important resources we have, our sharpest tool against both personal and political oppression. We’ve been told for so long to bottle up our anger, letting it corrode our bodies and minds in ways we don’t even realize. Yet our anger is a vital instrument, our radar for injustice and a catalyst for change. On the flip side, the societal and cultural belittlement of our anger is a cunning way of limiting and controlling our power.

We are so often told to resist our rage or punished for justifiably expressing it, yet how many remarkable achievements in this world would never have gotten off the ground without the kernel of anger that fueled them? Rage Becomes Her makes the case that anger is not what gets in our way, it is our way, sparking a new understanding of one of our core emotions that will give women a liberating sense of why their anger matters and connect them to an entire universe of women no longer interested in making nice at all costs.

Following in the footsteps of classic feminist manifestos like The Feminine Mystique and Our Bodies, Ourselves, Rage Becomes Her is an eye-opening book for the twenty-first century woman: an engaging, accessible credo offering us the tools to re-understand our anger and harness its power to create lasting positive change.]]> 364 Soraya Chemaly 1501189557 Briana 0 to-read 4.35 2018
author: Soraya Chemaly
name: Briana
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62919732
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,� but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus , they tell from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? A captivating story of women helping each other, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a triumphant reimagining of the life of one person who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.]]> 352 Lisa See 1982117087 Briana 0 to-read 4.31 2023
author: Lisa See
name: Briana
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 60194162 "Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver 0063251922 Briana 0 to-read 4.46 2022
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Briana
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> 21936809 The Girl on the Train will love this modern reimagining of Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train from the author of the acclaimed The Girl with a Clock for a Heart—which the Washington Post said “should be a contender for crime fiction’s best first novel of 2014.�

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.

But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.� After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .

Back in Boston, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda's demise. But there are a few things about Lily’s past that she hasn’t shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.

Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive . . . with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.]]> 320 Peter Swanson 0062267523 Briana 0 to-read 3.98 2015
author: Peter Swanson
name: Briana
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56783258 When everything is lost, it’s our stories that survive.

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

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

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

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

Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience and a celebration of storytelling itself. Like its predecessor All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is a tale of hope and of profound human connection.]]> 626 Anthony Doerr 1982168439 Briana 0 to-read 4.24 2021
author: Anthony Doerr
name: Briana
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 45047384
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 394 T.J. Klune Briana 0 to-read 4.37 2020
author: T.J. Klune
name: Briana
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> 128029
With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women's endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move people to act in unexpected ways, lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a portrait of a wounded country and a story of family and friendship, of an unforgiving time, an unlikely bond, and an indestructible love.]]> 372 Khaled Hosseini 1594489505 Briana 0 to-read 4.44 2007
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Briana
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 113877384
Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the English village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.

Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship.

Sipsworth is a reminder that there can be second chances. No matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes the world has plans of its own. Simon Van Booy’s lyrical storytelling is a delight even as it will fill your heart.]]> 240 Simon Van Booy 1567927947 Briana 0 to-read 4.11 2024
author: Simon Van Booy
name: Briana
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 4473 637 John Irving 0552135399 Briana 0 to-read 4.24 1989
author: John Irving
name: Briana
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 173754979 A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780385550369.]]> 303 Percival Everett Briana 4
But if I separate the book from that self-imposed issue - it's a great book. Jim is a fantastic character who I couldn't help but love. I definitely enjoyed the parts of the book when he was with Huck as their relationship is so interesting to read about, but I enjoyed the parts where he was on his own away from Huck more. Part of that may have been because that's when I could most just ENJOY the book as I knew that it wasn't something that was originally in Huck Finn.

I really enjoyed the twist at the end where Jim reveals that he is Huck's biological father. I literally had to stop and look up whether or not that was in the original book...and it should not have been so hard to find that answer, but at first the internet seemed to tell me that WAS revealed in the original and I could not believe I had forgotten that, but upon further inspection, it definitely wasn't. BUT - he was 100% a father FIGURE in Huck Finn, and the only one Huck ever really had since his actual father was awful, and I love that this book decides - you know what - nah. Let's say that he is Huck's ACTUAL father. It surprised me, but it didn't come out of nowhere as I do remember at some point earlier in the book Huck had said something about his skin tone or something. I can't remember - but I recall thinking...huh...at the time.

So yeah - overall, great book, but I will say if you're anything like me where you know your brain will search for comparisons, it might be a good idea to reread Huck Finn first.

]]> 4.47 2024
author: Percival Everett
name: Briana
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this book a lot, but I really wish I had reread The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before reading it, as I haven't read that in over 20 years and I often found myself wondering which scenes were completely new, which were slightly altered, and which were very similar to Huck Finn. This is my own fault - but wondering those things pulled me out of the story a lot, which did lessen my enjoyment a little.

But if I separate the book from that self-imposed issue - it's a great book. Jim is a fantastic character who I couldn't help but love. I definitely enjoyed the parts of the book when he was with Huck as their relationship is so interesting to read about, but I enjoyed the parts where he was on his own away from Huck more. Part of that may have been because that's when I could most just ENJOY the book as I knew that it wasn't something that was originally in Huck Finn.

I really enjoyed the twist at the end where Jim reveals that he is Huck's biological father. I literally had to stop and look up whether or not that was in the original book...and it should not have been so hard to find that answer, but at first the internet seemed to tell me that WAS revealed in the original and I could not believe I had forgotten that, but upon further inspection, it definitely wasn't. BUT - he was 100% a father FIGURE in Huck Finn, and the only one Huck ever really had since his actual father was awful, and I love that this book decides - you know what - nah. Let's say that he is Huck's ACTUAL father. It surprised me, but it didn't come out of nowhere as I do remember at some point earlier in the book Huck had said something about his skin tone or something. I can't remember - but I recall thinking...huh...at the time.

So yeah - overall, great book, but I will say if you're anything like me where you know your brain will search for comparisons, it might be a good idea to reread Huck Finn first.


]]> 38819868
My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...]]> 226 Oyinkan Braithwaite 0385544235 Briana 0 to-read 3.65 2018
author: Oyinkan Braithwaite
name: Briana
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60811826 Deep underground, forty women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only a vague recollection of their lives before.


As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl—the fortieth prisoner—sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.


Jacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, in 1929, and fled to Casablanca with her family during WWII. Informed by her background as a psychoanalyst and her youth in exile, I Who Have Never Known Men is a haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic novel of female friendship and intimacy, and the lengths people will go to maintain their humanity in the face of devastation. Back in print for the first time since 1997, Harpman’s modern classic is an important addition to the growing canon of feminist speculative literature.]]> 184 Jacqueline Harpman 1945492600 Briana 0 to-read 4.12 1995
author: Jacqueline Harpman
name: Briana
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207298784
Avan Jogia grew up as a teen idol. He stumbled into the spotlight during the birth of the internet, the early days of Instagram and Twitter, before everyone online was a star. He spent his time in that spotlight writing, observing the cult of celebrity, the hilarity, the absurdity, and sometimes sinister side of being idolized before you’ve even had the chance to decide for yourself who you are.

Now, in his most revealing and honest work to date, he has assembled a book of poems as an act of self-dissection. Part boozy lovesick rage and part personal reflection on the nature of fame, Autopsy (of an Ex-Teen Heartthrob) is a sharp, tantalizing collection of poems examining Avan’s relationship with ego, idolatry, love as an act of worship, rage as an act of prayer, and sadness as confession.

Through vivid imagery (and sometimes startling honesty) Avan cuts himself open and observes the false gods he has worshipped, the ways he has sinned, and exhumes a version of himself that looks like someone we all know: a person searching for the means to cure pain, mend the wounds of insecurity, and satiate cravings for love.]]> 240 Avan Jogia 1668062275 Briana 5
Avan's poems were at times heartbreaking, at times funny, but always beautiful. Again - I wish I would have READ this book as I would be able to flip through it right now and remember some of my favorites - but there is one that absolutely stands out to me that I don't need to have the physical copy in front of me, and that's "Room Service" What an incredibly raw poem. It seems like Avan is no longer in the headspace he was in when that poem was written and/or experienced, and I am so thankful for that.

Overall, I super recommend this book, not only to fans of him, but also to just fans of confessional style poetry (OH - which reminds me of another poem that stands out to me - I can't remember the name, it may have just been "Sylvia Plath" - but it's a poem about how much he likes her poetry - and wants to fuck her... and honestly... same.)]]> 3.40 2025
author: Avan Jogia
name: Briana
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
I listened to this on audiobook and did not realize going in that it was a collection of poems. I definitely want to read this again in a physical book as I feel like I will get even more out of the poems by reading them, but even just listening to them two things were very clear to me: #1 - Avan is incredibly talented. I love him as an actor - but I definitely think he might be even more talented as a writer, and I hope we see more of this side of him in the future. #2 - Hollywood seriously needs to get its shit together and start protecting young actors. I feel like a lot of the time this conversation is focused around young girls, but it is clear that our boys ALSO need to be protected.

Avan's poems were at times heartbreaking, at times funny, but always beautiful. Again - I wish I would have READ this book as I would be able to flip through it right now and remember some of my favorites - but there is one that absolutely stands out to me that I don't need to have the physical copy in front of me, and that's "Room Service" What an incredibly raw poem. It seems like Avan is no longer in the headspace he was in when that poem was written and/or experienced, and I am so thankful for that.

Overall, I super recommend this book, not only to fans of him, but also to just fans of confessional style poetry (OH - which reminds me of another poem that stands out to me - I can't remember the name, it may have just been "Sylvia Plath" - but it's a poem about how much he likes her poetry - and wants to fuck her... and honestly... same.)
]]> 39971465
But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis and revolutionize modern communication...if anyone would listen to her.

A novel based on the true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.]]> 312 Marie Benedict 1492666866 Briana 0 to-read 3.75 2019
author: Marie Benedict
name: Briana
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 65678550
Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which served the neighborhood's quirky collection of blacks and European immigrants, helped by her husband, Moshe, a Romanian-born theater owner who integrated the town's first dance hall. When the state came looking for a deaf black child, claiming that the boy needed to be institutionalized, Chicken Hill's residents—roused by Chona's kindess and the courage of a local black worker named Nate Timblin—banded together to keep the boy safe.

As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear how much the people of Chicken Hill have to struggle to survive at the margins of white Christian America and how damaging bigotry, hypocrisy, and deceit can be to a community. When the truth is revealed about the skeleton, the boy, and the part the town’s establishment played in both, McBride shows that it is love and community—heaven and earth—that ultimately sustain us.]]> 385 James McBride 0593422945 Briana 0 to-read 3.83 2023
author: James McBride
name: Briana
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208209832 Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that take readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

This collection includes:
That Night in Prague (novella)
The Same Backward as Forward (novella)
The Cowboy and the Goth
Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn't)
One Hawthorne Night*
What Happens in the Treehouse*
$3CR3T $@NT@
Pain at the Right Gun

*previously published in limited release]]> 448 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 031657371X Briana 5
That Night in Prague: I'm never going to say no to some Avery/Jameson goodness. This showed off their relationship and why they are perfect for each other beautifully. During the original trilogy I went back and forth with whether I though Grayson or Jameson was the better fit for her - but this sweet story definitely showed that Jameson is her soul mate.

The Same Backward and Forward: I LOVED this. Definitely my favorite story in the collection AND it helped me remember some key information that I had forgotten from the original trilogy. Like - I had completely forgotten about the Rooney family. I literally had to look up Hannah Rooney when I first started the story and then I remembered everything. And watching Hannah and "Harry" fall in love? So so so so good!

The Cowboy and the Goth: Nash and Libby are so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute. Also - did we know that she was pregnant already? I can't remember. BUT I LOVE IT!

Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (& One Time He Didn't): I will never ever ever say no to more Xander content. My only complaint? It wasn't nearly long enough. I need a whole Xander book, DAMMIT!

One Hawthorne Night: A story about all four Hawthorne boys? Yes, please. Still...needed more Xander! (Also - the ANGST of being in Grayson's head when he interacts with Avery. Aaaaaggghhhh.

$3CR3T $@NT@: 2nd favorite story in the collection. Needed to be 10x longer. Also this story and That Night in Prague reminded me how much I've missed Avery's POV in the last two books. But this story was SO much fun and I felt really captured the magic of the relationships that we saw created in the first three books.

What Happens in the Treehouse: Cute - but not my favorite. Definitely preferred the One Hawthorne Night story for all four boys shenanigans.

Pain At The Right Gun: A CLEVER little anagram of the first story, and definitely the most important one as far as furthering the plot leading into the final (?) book of the series. Alice is a VERY interesting character...

Was this a cash grab? Probably. Did I love every moment of reading it? DAMN RIGHT.

]]> 4.08 2024
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Briana
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves:
review:
What a great collection of novellas and short stories from this world that I have fallen in love with. I would seriously read like 12 more collections like this.

That Night in Prague: I'm never going to say no to some Avery/Jameson goodness. This showed off their relationship and why they are perfect for each other beautifully. During the original trilogy I went back and forth with whether I though Grayson or Jameson was the better fit for her - but this sweet story definitely showed that Jameson is her soul mate.

The Same Backward and Forward: I LOVED this. Definitely my favorite story in the collection AND it helped me remember some key information that I had forgotten from the original trilogy. Like - I had completely forgotten about the Rooney family. I literally had to look up Hannah Rooney when I first started the story and then I remembered everything. And watching Hannah and "Harry" fall in love? So so so so good!

The Cowboy and the Goth: Nash and Libby are so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute. Also - did we know that she was pregnant already? I can't remember. BUT I LOVE IT!

Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (& One Time He Didn't): I will never ever ever say no to more Xander content. My only complaint? It wasn't nearly long enough. I need a whole Xander book, DAMMIT!

One Hawthorne Night: A story about all four Hawthorne boys? Yes, please. Still...needed more Xander! (Also - the ANGST of being in Grayson's head when he interacts with Avery. Aaaaaggghhhh.

$3CR3T $@NT@: 2nd favorite story in the collection. Needed to be 10x longer. Also this story and That Night in Prague reminded me how much I've missed Avery's POV in the last two books. But this story was SO much fun and I felt really captured the magic of the relationships that we saw created in the first three books.

What Happens in the Treehouse: Cute - but not my favorite. Definitely preferred the One Hawthorne Night story for all four boys shenanigans.

Pain At The Right Gun: A CLEVER little anagram of the first story, and definitely the most important one as far as furthering the plot leading into the final (?) book of the series. Alice is a VERY interesting character...

Was this a cash grab? Probably. Did I love every moment of reading it? DAMN RIGHT.


]]> 43708708 7 Robin DiAngelo 0807071161 Briana 3 4.14 2018
author: Robin DiAngelo
name: Briana
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:
I went into this book assuming that I wasn't the target audience, and was immediately told that by thinking I'm not the target audience I proved that I was, indeed, the target audience. I still think that I'm not completely the target audience - but I understood her point. I have been aware of and thinking about race, and white privilege, and understanding that experiencing sexism or socio-economic discrimination didn't magically erase my white privilege - these are all things I've been aware of and working on for the majority of my adult life. And there were many things in the book that I disagreed with and found to be condescending, and sometimes even problematic. However there were other parts that I found valuable. The chapter on white women's tears was particularly interesting to me. Again - this is a phenomenon I am very aware of already and understand ALL of the historical significance, but there was some added depth in this chapter that I appreciated digging into. I will say if this is the ONLY book a white person read upon deciding they want to look inward at their own biases and work towards understanding racism, that would be a very bad idea. And I think reading books written by people of color is crucial if someone actually wants to do the real work. BUT - as an introductory book, it's not bad.
]]> 211399784 To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER � An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

“P˛ą°ůłŮ Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones & The Six, this novel is as brilliantly choreographed as a gold medal performance and will keep you guessing until its last page.”—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story� through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.]]> 448 Layne Fargo 0593732049 Briana 0 to-read 4.18 2025
author: Layne Fargo
name: Briana
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60109530
Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their dream home was once a house of horrors.

In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband.

Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family—but is it already too late?]]> 380 John Marrs 1542017289 Briana 0 to-read 4.08 2022
author: John Marrs
name: Briana
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201771735 “An absolute joy to read....Obuobi’s perfect balance of humor and wisdom made this one a true standout.� �Emily Henry, #1 NYT bestselling author

Kennedy Ryan meets Carley Fortune in this swoon-worthy story of love and friendship in the age of social media—where what you see might not be all you get.Ěý

To thousands of Instagram followers Josephine Boateng is the dazzling Dr. Jojo, and her opinions on health and self-love matter. Her be smart, be significant, and do not put up with foolish men.

Off-camera, Jo’s story is more complicated. She's grappling with depression and the pressures of her career, and her love life is nonexistent thanks to a longtime unrequited crush on her best friend, romcom heartthrob Ezra Adelman. But when Ezra shows up to his thirtieth birthday party with her childhood bully on his arm, Jo realizes enough is enough. It’s time to take her own advice and prioritize herself.

No one is more shocked than Malcolm Waters when his debut novel turns him into a literary darling, the type who gets invited to a swanky penthouse party to discuss film opportunities. Rubbing elbows with the elite of entertainment will be great for his career—except he's terrible with people, and even worse at networking.

Just when Malcolm is ready to throw in the towel, he’s rescued by none other than Dr. Jojo. He’s been following her on social media for years, and she’s even more impressive in real life. And to his bewilderment, the feeling is mutual.

But Jo, Ezra, and Malcolm exist in a world where the line between private and public is as blurred as the line between friendship and love. The question is, can they risk defining those lines to create something real?]]> 364 Shirlene Obuobi 0063307332 Briana 5
I'm also very happy with how the book ended. While at no point was I rooting for Jo and Ezra to get together, I 100% saw Malcolm as Jo's perfect match, I was very much rooting for them to stay friends. Because they were both so important to one another. Was Ezra perfect? Absolutely not. But in that sense he felt real. People aren't perfect - and none of these characters were (though Malcolm was pretty close).

I LOVED Jo. I read through a few reviews and I do not understand people saying it took them a while to warm up to her. I liked her immediately. Does she have flaws? Of course. I LIKE my characters with flaws. I like my characters to feel real and she 100% felt like a real person.

Overall this book was very refreshing. It didn't feel formulaic at all. There were several different storylines going on at once and it just felt like reading about someone's real life. The commentary on social media and being an influencer was also great.

I just super highly recommend this book. Especially for people who are maybe not super into romances - because this definitely has elements of romance, but has so so much more for the non-romance reader to enjoy.]]> 4.08 2024
author: Shirlene Obuobi
name: Briana
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book! While it can certainly be classified as a romance, it felt like so much more than that. The commentary on mental health and the way different people handle it was very well done. The fact that it was revealed at the end that the "Jo saving Ezra's life" incident was actually Jo saving him after he had tried to commit suicide completely surprised me. The book was doing a great job showing how depression and anxiety can affect people in the characters of Jo and Malcolm, but I really appreciated them have ALL of the three main characters have struggles.

I'm also very happy with how the book ended. While at no point was I rooting for Jo and Ezra to get together, I 100% saw Malcolm as Jo's perfect match, I was very much rooting for them to stay friends. Because they were both so important to one another. Was Ezra perfect? Absolutely not. But in that sense he felt real. People aren't perfect - and none of these characters were (though Malcolm was pretty close).

I LOVED Jo. I read through a few reviews and I do not understand people saying it took them a while to warm up to her. I liked her immediately. Does she have flaws? Of course. I LIKE my characters with flaws. I like my characters to feel real and she 100% felt like a real person.

Overall this book was very refreshing. It didn't feel formulaic at all. There were several different storylines going on at once and it just felt like reading about someone's real life. The commentary on social media and being an influencer was also great.

I just super highly recommend this book. Especially for people who are maybe not super into romances - because this definitely has elements of romance, but has so so much more for the non-romance reader to enjoy.
]]> 216595852
I'm just a girl. And it turns out, I'm Hercules.

I'm struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I'm part of the powerful elite. I'm one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There's just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I'm pretty sure either someone's stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity's slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I'm surrounded by Villains and they're smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they're messing with.




]]> 496 Jasmine Mas Briana 0 to-read 3.85 2024
author: Jasmine Mas
name: Briana
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 32920226 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781501126062

In Jesmyn Ward’s first novel since her National Book Award–winning Salvage the Bones, this singular American writer brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. Drawing on Morrison and Faulkner, The Odyssey and the Old Testament, Ward gives us an epochal story, a journey through Mississippi’s past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle. Ward is a major American writer, multiply awarded and universally lauded, and in Sing, Unburied, Sing she is at the height of her powers.

Jojo and his toddler sister, Kayla, live with their grandparents, Mam and Pop, and the occasional presence of their drug-addicted mother, Leonie, on a farm on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Leonie is simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high; Mam is dying of cancer; and quiet, steady Pop tries to run the household and teach Jojo how to be a man. When the white father of Leonie’s children is released from prison, she packs her kids and a friend into her car and sets out across the state for Parchman farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, on a journey rife with danger and promise.

Sing, Unburied, Sing grapples with the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power, and limitations, of the bonds of family. Rich with Ward’s distinctive, musical language, Sing, Unburied, Sing is a majestic new work and an essential contribution to American literature.]]> 285 Jesmyn Ward Briana 0 to-read 4.00 2017
author: Jesmyn Ward
name: Briana
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 43317482 251 Carmen Maria Machado 1644450038 Briana 0 to-read 4.41 2019
author: Carmen Maria Machado
name: Briana
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 44890081
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.

2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?

Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.]]> 373 Kate Elizabeth Russell 006294150X Briana 0 to-read 4.09 2020
author: Kate Elizabeth Russell
name: Briana
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60468332
Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, Frida, and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds in search of his children. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before.

As Florida continues to unravel, Wanda grows. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature.

Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time� The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.

Includes a Reading Group Guide.]]> 336 Lily Brooks-Dalton 1538708272 Briana 0 to-read 4.01 2022
author: Lily Brooks-Dalton
name: Briana
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Briana 5
I'm very curious about what the ending was all about. It definitely seems like Bodhi has turned, which sucks, and I guess Xaden has gone full venin, which also sucks. There's absolutely no way this series ends with Xaden as a full on bad guy though, so I'm sure we'll be figuring that shit out in the next book (or possibly the last book). The revelation of SO MANY second signets was super interesting in this book. Violet's seems a little anticlimactic at this point - but the fact that she seems to be able to manipulate dreams definitely has some possibility. Also - I called Aeric being a precog from the moment he told Violet to protect the temple, so that wasn't much of a reveal.

Finally - what is up with Violet's dad? He was such a larger than life, revered character in the first two books. And now it turns out he "dedicated" Violet as a baby? What does that even mean? It sounds bad. I can't wait to learn more about all of that in the next book as well.

It's going to be a bit of a wait for the next book, so I think I will definitely do a reread of the first three in the months leading up to that release. I learned my lesson with this one.]]> 4.18 2025
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Briana
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:
I have so many thoughts! I'll start by saying - it would be really helpful to have a people & places guide handy while reading this book, because man was I a little lost in the beginning. I probably should have done a Fourth Wing/Iron Flame re-read before reading this one, but honestly, even if I had, I probably still would have had a hard time keeping all the characters straight. But ultimately, it was fine, as I was able to power through and follow the story just fine. I will say the first half of the book dragged a little, but once the squad left to search for the irids, it really picked up and was solid the rest of the book. I'm a little disappointed that Rebecca seemed to have pulled her punches in this book as we didn't really lose any characters of note (not that I WANTED to lose any characters - just that I was expecting we would.) Although I will say the back to back chapters where I thought that we were first going to lose Garrick and then Ridoc had me in shambles. But for me the most heartbreaking moments all belonged to Andarna. The only time I was actually shedding tears was first when her kind rejected her (Rebecca did SUCH a good job describing that pain) and then when she left Violet. Violet's pain WRECKED me.

I'm very curious about what the ending was all about. It definitely seems like Bodhi has turned, which sucks, and I guess Xaden has gone full venin, which also sucks. There's absolutely no way this series ends with Xaden as a full on bad guy though, so I'm sure we'll be figuring that shit out in the next book (or possibly the last book). The revelation of SO MANY second signets was super interesting in this book. Violet's seems a little anticlimactic at this point - but the fact that she seems to be able to manipulate dreams definitely has some possibility. Also - I called Aeric being a precog from the moment he told Violet to protect the temple, so that wasn't much of a reveal.

Finally - what is up with Violet's dad? He was such a larger than life, revered character in the first two books. And now it turns out he "dedicated" Violet as a baby? What does that even mean? It sounds bad. I can't wait to learn more about all of that in the next book as well.

It's going to be a bit of a wait for the next book, so I think I will definitely do a reread of the first three in the months leading up to that release. I learned my lesson with this one.
]]> 61718053
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends� hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week� in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0593441273 Briana 5 3.95 2023
author: Emily Henry
name: Briana
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
I'm a little annoyed, because I swear I already wrote a review for this when I read it earlier this month, but apparently I didn't. I enjoyed this book a lot. It's my second Emily Henry and like Book Lovers it absolutely excels in banter. I liked the non-linear storytelling, jumping between flashbacks and the current timeline. The characters were all very likeable. Definitely an easy recommend for anyone who enjoys the romance genre.
]]> 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

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

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

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Briana 5 4.11 2024
author: Alison Espach
name: Briana
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
This book was absolutely delightful. I really didn't know what to expect from it, but had just heard so many people rave about it. I listened to it on audiobook and found the narrator to be very pleasant. I think the best thing about this book were the characters. All of them felt very real. All of them had flaws, which also still having strengths that made them very likeable. Phoebe was a fantastic protagonist and I loved seeing her growth throughout the book. Juice was also a fantastic character. And Lilah may have been my favorite. She was certainly one of the most frustrating, and yet, she felt the most real and therefore became the one I was rooting for the most. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone.
]]> 206009505 In his continuing quest to earn college recommendation letters from the gods, Percy has to pet sit the goddess Hecate's polecat and giant mastiff during Halloween week. What could go wrong?

Rick Riordan’s newest Percy Jackson adventure is full of hilarious set pieces, a diverse cast of gods and monsters, and many other delightful tricks and treats.

Percy Jackson, now a high school senior, needs three recommendation letters from the Greek gods in order to get into New Rome University. He earned his first one by retrieving Ganymede’s chalice. Now the goddess Hecate has offered Percy another “opportunity”—all he has to do is pet sit her polecat, Gale, and mastiff, Hecuba, over Halloween week while she is away. Piece of cake, right?

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavored potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Gale and Hecuba escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.]]> 288 Rick Riordan 1368107648 Briana 5 4.38 2024
author: Rick Riordan
name: Briana
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:
Like the previous book this was another fun adventure. Again, the stakes aren't nearly as high as the original series, but it is just fun hanging out with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Loved that Hecate was the central goddess in this book and really enjoyed all the animal characters. I'm assuming there will be one more book to round out this trilogy focused on Percy getting his final letter and I look forward to it!
]]> 4223
As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.]]> 752 Dan Brown 0739326740 Briana 5 3.64 2003
author: Dan Brown
name: Briana
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 60932 Parable of the Sower continues the story of Lauren Olamina in socially and economically depressed California in the 2030s. Convinced that her community should colonize the stars, Lauren and her followers make preparations. But the collapse of society and rise of fanatics result in Lauren's followers being enslaved, and her daughter stolen from her. Now, Lauren must fight back to save the new world order.]]> 448 Octavia E. Butler 0446610380 Briana 5
It was difficult reading through the majority of the book knowing that Lauren was not going to rescue her daughter as a child. It was infuriating learning that Marc allowed that to be true. What a truly despicable character. But I did enjoy getting to know Larkin/Asha through her sections and my heart broke for her having to live the life she lived knowing how truly loved she could have been.

I would be tempted to read this book again to try to get more out of it, except I don't think I could read the section where Lauren and the people of Acorn are collared again.

BUT...everyone should definitely read this book once. Parable of the Sower is good. This book is great.]]> 4.31 1998
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Briana
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
review:
It feels wrong to say I loved this book, because it is so very upsetting at times, and yet it is a book worthy of love. It is a book that deserves to be read and discussed and analyzed. Butler was truly a woman who understood humanity and the intersection of religion and politics and how very, very bad that could be. I am thankful that she did not live to see her fictional work become eerily prophetic. I can only hope that real life DOES imitate art in the way the American people ultimately saw Jarret for what he really was and turned their backs on him.

It was difficult reading through the majority of the book knowing that Lauren was not going to rescue her daughter as a child. It was infuriating learning that Marc allowed that to be true. What a truly despicable character. But I did enjoy getting to know Larkin/Asha through her sections and my heart broke for her having to live the life she lived knowing how truly loved she could have been.

I would be tempted to read this book again to try to get more out of it, except I don't think I could read the section where Lauren and the people of Acorn are collared again.

BUT...everyone should definitely read this book once. Parable of the Sower is good. This book is great.
]]> 40595446 The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."

This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization deemed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France.

Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic flare, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.]]> 352 Sonia Purnell 073522529X Briana 0 to-read 4.08 2019
author: Sonia Purnell
name: Briana
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 48635408
Men Who Hate Women examines the rise of secretive extremist communities who despise women and traces the roots of misogyny across a complex spider web of groups. It includes eye-opening interviews with former members of these communities, the academics studying this movement, and the men fighting back.

Women's rights activist Laura Bates wrote this book as someone who has been the target of many hate-fueled misogynistic attacks online. At first, the vitriol seemed to be the work of a small handful of individual men... but over time, the volume and consistency of the attacks hinted at something bigger and more ominous. As Bates went undercover into the corners of the internet, she found an unseen, organized movement of thousands of anonymous men wishing violence (and worse) upon women.
In the book, Bates explores:

Extreme communities like incels, pick-up artists, MGTOW, Men's Rights Activists and more
The hateful, toxic rhetoric used by these groups
How this movement connects to other extremist movements like white supremacy
How young boys are targeted and slowly drawn in
Where this ideology shows up in our everyday lives in mainstream media, our playgrounds, and our government

By turns fascinating and horrifying, Men Who Hate Women is a broad, unflinching account of the deep current of loathing toward women and anti-feminism that underpins our society and is a must-read for parents, educators, and anyone who believes in equality for women.]]> 366 Laura Bates Briana 0 to-read 4.34 2020
author: Laura Bates
name: Briana
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55671327 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court, where a young law clerk finds herself embroiled in a shocking mystery crafted by one of the most preeminent judges in America--from celebrated national leader and bestselling author Stacey Abrams.

"Abrams follows in Dan Brown's footprint with this masterfully plotted thriller that unfolds like the ultimate chess match--bold move to bolder move with lives hanging in the balance."--Lisa Gardner, author of Before She Disappeared

"A first-class legal thriller, favorably compared to many of the best, starting with The Pelican Brief, which it brings to mind. It's fast-paced and full of surprises--a terrific read."--Scott Turow, author of Presumed Innocent

Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together--excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn--the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases--has slipped into a coma, Avery's life turns upside down. She is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney. Plunged into an explosive role she never anticipated, Avery finds that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching one of the most controversial cases before the court--a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm, which promises to unleash breathtaking results in the medical field. She also discovers that Wynn suspected a dangerously related conspiracy that infiltrates the highest power corridors of Washington.

As political wrangling ensues in Washington to potentially replace the ailing judge whose life and survival Avery controls, she begins to unravel a carefully constructed, chesslike sequence of clues left behind by Wynn. She comes to see that Wynn had a much more personal stake in the controversial case and realizes his complex puzzle will lead her directly into harm's way in order to find the truth. While Justice Sleeps is a cunningly crafted, sophisticated novel, layered with myriad twists and a vibrant cast of characters. Drawing on her astute inside knowledge of the court and political landscape, Stacey Abrams shows herself to be not only a force for good in politics and voter fairness but also a major new talent in suspense fiction.]]> 367 Stacey Abrams 0385546572 Briana 0 to-read 3.84 2021
author: Stacey Abrams
name: Briana
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 49504061
But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.]]> 517 Alix E. Harrow 0316422045 Briana 0 to-read 4.01 2020
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Briana
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 128123545 He’s coming for you.

Death is meant to come on a chariot of broken dreams or in the dark trenches of a storm, not in love letters and gifts.

He did not take my soul when I was meant to die. He did not want it all the other times that I’ve offered it to him on a silver platter. Yet, time and time again, he reminds me that I am his: His night monster, his dark love, his perfect other.

Death was the only thing keeping me alive. He watches me from his corner, taunts me with sweet messages, marks my body with his touch as I sleep.

He took the people that I love away from me. Still, no one believed me when I said that I saw the faceless man on the night of the accident.

No one can escape death.

Me? I’m chasing it.]]> 178 Avina St. Graves Briana 2 3.38 2023
author: Avina St. Graves
name: Briana
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
Let's be real...this is really a 1 star book...but I'm being kind and rating it based on what kind of book it is. For what it is, it's perfectly adequate. I wasn't expecting much coming into the book beyond mindless smut...and that's what it is. It TRIES to be deeper than it is and that's really the most off putting part of it. Honestly, I would love to see a more capable author take on this concept. Maybe show WHY death is so obsessed with this woman. Give some backstory the shows what the FMC was like before her accident. I could see some great Hades and Persephone parallels be used. But again...was not expecting that from this. If you like mindless smut, you'll love this. If you need ANY level of depth to what you read...definitely skip this.
]]> 199798179 A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all:

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats� from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge�: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as �1847� or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,� “Spotify,� and “the collapse of the British Empire.� But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.]]> 339 Kaliane Bradley 1668045141 Briana 3 3.54 2024
author: Kaliane Bradley
name: Briana
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
I liked this, but I feel like it was a bit overhyped. The main character felt very flat and sometimes unlikeable, though I recognize that was by design. And Graham also felt very flat. I am ashamed to admit I didn't see the twist coming though I certainly should have given the premise of the book, but I will say I found the ending very satisfying. Maggie was my favorite character and I wish the book had more of her. Worth the read, but I would recommend tempering your expectations as it's not as good as some people claim. Also...with this book I met my 50 book goal for the year. So yay!
]]> 127282939 From the acclaimed author of Parakeet, Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland is a wise, tender novel about a woman who doesn't feel at home on Earth.

At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but she reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she is different: She possesses knowledge of a faraway planet. The arrival of a fax machine enables her to contact her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the oddities of Earthlings.

For years, as she moves through the world and makes a life for herself among humans, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and surprising joys of their existence. Then, at a precarious moment, a beloved friend urges Adina to share her messages with the world. Is there a chance she is not alone?

Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland is a novel of startling originality about the fragility and resilience of life on our Earth and in our universe. It is a remarkable evocation of the feeling of being in exile at home, and it introduces a gentle, unforgettable alien for our times.]]> 327 Marie-Helene Bertino 0374109281 Briana 0 to-read 4.08 2024
author: Marie-Helene Bertino
name: Briana
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60310757 Welcome to the Centennial.

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.]]> 416 Alex Aster 1419760866 Briana 0 to-read 3.84 2022
author: Alex Aster
name: Briana
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 52397
Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.

When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.]]> 345 Octavia E. Butler 0446675504 Briana 4
I am already a little familiar with Octavia E. Butler's work having read Kindred so that I can offer it as a book during my Literature Circle Unit. Students who choose it always end up really loving it, and I remember appreciating it as well, though it's been a few years since I read it.

I appreciated this book, too, but it's a difficult book to say I LOVE. It's hard to read at times (as was Kindred) and I appreciate that Butler does not shy away from difficult content. I think the only reason I'm not giving it a full 5 stars is because I feel like she's trying to do a bit too much. The entire premise of living in this distopian future where the world has fallen apart and the government doesn't do anything to help anymore, and we have basically reverted back to a time of slavery - all of that is easy to wrap my mind around. The idea of this young woman trying to create her own new religion (or trying to impart the religion that she didn't create, but that she discovered) is a little harder to wrap my mind around - but I can roll with it. It adds some depth to Lauren and really drives her ultimate motivation. But her "sharing" ability just seems unnecessary. For the first half of the book, I kept forgetting that it was even a thing. In the second half where it becomes more relevant, I at least always had it at the forefront of my mind, but it never REALLY effected the story. There were never really any consequences of her "sharing" ability. I did recently learn that there is a sequel to this book, so maybe it will become more relevant in the second book, but I feel like that component could have been left out and the book really would have been exactly the same.

So yeah - that's why I took off half a star. But aside from that complaint, this book is incredibly well written and definitely kept me reading wanting to find out what happened next. All of the other characters are very interesting and the world building was great. I'm very interested to see what happens in the second book.]]> 4.21 1993
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: Briana
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
4.5 stars

I am already a little familiar with Octavia E. Butler's work having read Kindred so that I can offer it as a book during my Literature Circle Unit. Students who choose it always end up really loving it, and I remember appreciating it as well, though it's been a few years since I read it.

I appreciated this book, too, but it's a difficult book to say I LOVE. It's hard to read at times (as was Kindred) and I appreciate that Butler does not shy away from difficult content. I think the only reason I'm not giving it a full 5 stars is because I feel like she's trying to do a bit too much. The entire premise of living in this distopian future where the world has fallen apart and the government doesn't do anything to help anymore, and we have basically reverted back to a time of slavery - all of that is easy to wrap my mind around. The idea of this young woman trying to create her own new religion (or trying to impart the religion that she didn't create, but that she discovered) is a little harder to wrap my mind around - but I can roll with it. It adds some depth to Lauren and really drives her ultimate motivation. But her "sharing" ability just seems unnecessary. For the first half of the book, I kept forgetting that it was even a thing. In the second half where it becomes more relevant, I at least always had it at the forefront of my mind, but it never REALLY effected the story. There were never really any consequences of her "sharing" ability. I did recently learn that there is a sequel to this book, so maybe it will become more relevant in the second book, but I feel like that component could have been left out and the book really would have been exactly the same.

So yeah - that's why I took off half a star. But aside from that complaint, this book is incredibly well written and definitely kept me reading wanting to find out what happened next. All of the other characters are very interesting and the world building was great. I'm very interested to see what happens in the second book.
]]> 49496241
The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, as a child she dreamed of one day dancing on Broadway. As a teen, a bubble-bursting choreographer told her to "find another dream", so she set her sights on becoming a soap star, undeterred by the fact that the odds were against her. While chasing fame, she found her voice in stand-up comedy, performing in multiple languages in sold-out shows all over the world.

When not touring, Maysoon Zayid is a passionate advocate who fights for access to education for disabled students worldwide and battles bullying online. In this Audible Original x Hello Sunshine, Maysoon tells tales of family, friendship, love, and career. She takes us on a hilarious, poignant journey of failures and successes. When her dreams turn into nightmares, she finds another dream until finally, the one she least expected comes true.]]> Maysoon Zayid Briana 2 3.74
author: Maysoon Zayid
name: Briana
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
Again - another short audiobook to help me reach my reading goal for the year. I listen to a LOT of memoirs, and most of them are fantastic - this was not. It was fine, but at times Maysoon came off as very spoiled, superficial, selfish, and sometimes downright annoying. I also think she chose to include some details that would have been better left out. Like - it seems like her father was a wonderful father who loved her very much, but maybe don't include that your mother is his cousin who he had known since she was a baby and her was more than a decade older than her? And that he later married another woman half his age - a literal "mail order bride" (her words, not mine). And maybe don't include that YOU dated your cousin? Like - WHY would you include information like that for the world to hear? Some of her stories were entertaining, but a lot of them very much rubbed me the wrong way. I could probably give people a list of 20 amazing memoirs at this point to read - this would definitely not be on this list.
]]> 49462803
When the Dickenson clan sits down for Thanksgiving dinner in 2016, it is the last holiday when their tight-knit family will ever be the same. Oldest brother Pete and his wife are expecting their first child. Youngest sibling Sophie is too busy running her restaurant, The Little Plum, to bother with any kind of social life. And middle child Charlie's happy, uncomplicated life as a Midwestern science professor is upended when his wife Annette is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Knowing this will be her last Thanksgiving, Annette asks Sophie to look after Charlie after she's gone. Which would be a lot easier if Charlie didn't show up with an insufferable new girlfriend at the next holiday meal.

From the best-selling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, this heartwarming novella embraces the spirit and gratitude of the holiday, and shows how a family's love can endure anything.

Listening Length: 3 hours and 5 minutes]]> 4 Kelly Harms Briana 3 3.64 2019
author: Kelly Harms
name: Briana
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
This was a cute little story I listened to because it was short and I'm trying to reach my reading goal for the year. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, so can't remember any of the characters' names anymore, but I definitely remember finding the main character a little annoying, but at the same time, she felt very real. She was a little snobby, but she definitely cared about her family very much. It was a cute listen and I enjoyed it.
]]> 36454667 Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.

It was not his war.
On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. The galaxy remembers him as a the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders.
But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.
Fleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and into the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, he will find himself fight a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.]]> 753 Christopher Ruocchio 0756413028 Briana 0 to-read 4.01 2018
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Briana
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55868456 Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.

But that god cannot be contained forever.

With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.
]]> 525 Simon Jimenez 0593156595 Briana 0 to-read 4.17 2022
author: Simon Jimenez
name: Briana
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 13543121
Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned.

As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.]]> 432 Christopher Buehlman 1937007863 Briana 0 to-read 4.20 2012
author: Christopher Buehlman
name: Briana
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Briana 0 to-read 4.17 2022
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Briana
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56791389 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B08BKGYQXW


The apocalypse will be televised!

A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.

In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth—from Buckingham Palace to the tiniest of sheds—collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground.

The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe.

Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. And what's worse, each level has a time limit. You have but days to find a staircase to the next level down, or it's game over. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style.

You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big.

You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game—with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game.]]> 446 Matt Dinniman Briana 0 to-read 4.49 2020
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Briana
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 23692271 512 Yuval Noah Harari Briana 0 to-read 4.33 2011
author: Yuval Noah Harari
name: Briana
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

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

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Briana 5
I adored the character of Luc. What a wonderful villain. Pretty much just straight evil - but as the book went on, he grew layers. I love that him "falling in love" with Addie didn't really make him any less evil. Because, as she pointed out, he never really loved her, because he's not capable of love. He just wanted (or perhaps even needed as he claimed) to possess her. And yet - that desire to possess her did still show growth. I think he loved her as much as he is capable of loving.

I'm not sure how I felt about the character of Henry. I figured out pretty early into his introduction that he was also cursed. I noticed the way people treated him and guessed correctly that he had made a deal for everyone to love him. I also figured out that there was no way that was a coincidence and figured that Luc had orchestrated everything as a new way to get Addie to bend to him. So yeah - no real surprises there, but still enjoyable story telling.

I was also not surprised by Addie's sacrifice to save him. As soon as she got out of the bed that one night from Henry's perspective, I knew she had gone to Luc to make a deal. I WAS pleasantly surprised by the very end though - the fact that Addie was still playing the game. I liked that it wasn't just a happily ever after for her and Luc - because that wouldn't have fit her character at all.

I really enjoyed Addie's character overall. While her original deal was made in desperation and was certainly more than a little selfish - I couldn't really fault her for it, either. And while I wish her character had grown in more substantial ways over the course of 300 years, I enjoyed her intelligence and ability to work around her curse as much as possible. And I have nothing but respect for the amount of stubbornness she has to continuously push through the sometimes heartbreaking life she lives, more than anything, just because she doesn't want to let Luc win. Relatable.

So yeah - loved the book. Would recommend.]]> 4.16 2020
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Briana
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:
What an incredibly beautiful book. I was immediately intrigued by the concept and shortly after starting the book shared the concept with my partner. His response: "I would commit so many crimes" So color me surprised when that funny little joke turned out to be prophetic - but instead of being funny, ended up being quite sad. Addie has to steal - because what other choice does she have? You hear the concept of "she is forgotten any time someone loses sight of her" and that sounds devastating, but the more you think about it - the more it seems beyond devastating.

I adored the character of Luc. What a wonderful villain. Pretty much just straight evil - but as the book went on, he grew layers. I love that him "falling in love" with Addie didn't really make him any less evil. Because, as she pointed out, he never really loved her, because he's not capable of love. He just wanted (or perhaps even needed as he claimed) to possess her. And yet - that desire to possess her did still show growth. I think he loved her as much as he is capable of loving.

I'm not sure how I felt about the character of Henry. I figured out pretty early into his introduction that he was also cursed. I noticed the way people treated him and guessed correctly that he had made a deal for everyone to love him. I also figured out that there was no way that was a coincidence and figured that Luc had orchestrated everything as a new way to get Addie to bend to him. So yeah - no real surprises there, but still enjoyable story telling.

I was also not surprised by Addie's sacrifice to save him. As soon as she got out of the bed that one night from Henry's perspective, I knew she had gone to Luc to make a deal. I WAS pleasantly surprised by the very end though - the fact that Addie was still playing the game. I liked that it wasn't just a happily ever after for her and Luc - because that wouldn't have fit her character at all.

I really enjoyed Addie's character overall. While her original deal was made in desperation and was certainly more than a little selfish - I couldn't really fault her for it, either. And while I wish her character had grown in more substantial ways over the course of 300 years, I enjoyed her intelligence and ability to work around her curse as much as possible. And I have nothing but respect for the amount of stubbornness she has to continuously push through the sometimes heartbreaking life she lives, more than anything, just because she doesn't want to let Luc win. Relatable.

So yeah - loved the book. Would recommend.
]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

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

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Briana 5
And I gotta say - this book, gets an easy 5 stars!]]> 4.37 2021
author: John Green
name: Briana
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:
This was a beautiful collection of essays! I listened to it on audiobook and I highly recommend enjoying the book that way, because along with being an incredible writer, John Green is also just a great story teller. I've been a fan of his for a long time, and I don't think I ever realized how much he really struggled with his mental health. The way he weaves stories of history and science into stories of his own life was entertaining, educational, and heart warming. It was very clear that many of these essays were written during the Pandemic and thus that became a driving theme throughout the whole book and he really captures the emotions of that time. I also LOVED the format of just choosing random things from the Anthropocene Era (and therefore - just random things from LIFE) and giving them a star rating.

And I gotta say - this book, gets an easy 5 stars!
]]> 188365460 Paedyn and Kai battle with duty and desire in this highly anticipated second installment in the sizzling and epic romantic fantasy trilogy that’s packed with spicy tension and edge-of-your-seat betrayal.

The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil�

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

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

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts—and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.]]> 396 Lauren Roberts 1665955457 Briana 4
I am glad that we finally got some smooching from Pae and Kai though after an entire book of slow burn. And I did like the progression from the hate kiss, to the "oh my god we're going to die" kiss, to the actual true and pure love kissing. And thank fucking god Kai was FINALLY ready to say fuck duty and let Pae go. The "my duty" shit was getting really annoying when he knew damn well he could be taking the woman he loved to her death. I get that he's a broken character, but COME ON.

Now - let's talk about the fact that he wasn't taking her to her death. OF ALL THE STUPID FUCKING PLOT TWISTS - that I actually saw coming. When Calum (which more on THAT in a minute), gave Kitt a "small box" I was like - that's not an engagement ring, is it? Like IMMEDIATELY, that's where my mind went. "Is he going to propose to Pae...no no no...that would be SO FUCKING STUPID." And then lo and behold, I'm sure what she thought was a *gaspshockinggasp* twist, happens. Not being even remotely surprising, EXCEPT in it's stupidity. BUT...I'm willing to reserve judgement for ONE reason...

Calum. What the fuck is going on with Calum? So in my Powerless review, I said that if there wasn't a reason behind the resistance fucking everything up, I was going to be pissed. We still didn't GET that reason, but I had already suspected, and now am even more certain, that Calum is the actual bad guy. I'm not entirely sure WHAT the goal is, but he definitely wanted the resistance to fail. He WANTED that fight to break out. And now, again, I don't understand why - he wants Pae to be queen. But here's the thing - he's a mind reader, right? I'm thinking his power has somehow evolved and he's actually CONTROLLING Kitt. Because it makes no sense for Kitt to want to marry Pae. Not after she killed his father. Now - if it turns out there is not a deeper story here and this was just nonsense thrown in to create a love triangle - I will throw up. But Calum being involved makes me think it's definitely not just that.

The reveal that the Ordinaries aren't actually diseased was not surprising at all. I like that Kai knows that now. Pae being ADOPTED though - that was a surprise, and one I actually did not see coming at all. When we learned about the people with diluted powers and Pae realized it was weird that she was Ordinary, it didn't even cross my mind that her father wasn't actually her father. I was thinking maybe it would turn out she WASN'T Ordinary...although I wasn't sure how that was going to work. Either way - it was a good twist.

Ummm...I think that's everything. I'm excited for the final book and I just found out there is apparently an in between book about Adena that I might check out. But yeah. Overall, I still recommend this series, though NOT as a "If you like the Hunger Games, you'll like this" book. Comparing this to the Hunger Games is laughable. The Hunger Games is a masterpiece with so much depth. This is fun, but definitely not deep. It could NEVER be on the same level and the only people who would think so probably recommend the Hunger Games to people as "books with a really great love triangle" - you know, people who don't actually understand them.]]> 4.16 2024
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Briana
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves:
review:
Okay, so I don't know whether or not I liked this more than Reckless. I think I liked it the same. I will say it's really hard for me to root for a love story between two people who keep doing literal bodily harm to each other, but I get some people are into that toxic shit. For me to be able to enjoy them as a couple, I kind of have to forget that that stuff kept happening in the beginning of the book. Also - like I said at the end of my review for Powerless - I do not for one second buy Kai hating Pae for killing his father. His father was a literal monster. Pae struggling with her feelings for Kai over the fact that HE killed her father - completely believable, Kai struggling with his? Not at all.

I am glad that we finally got some smooching from Pae and Kai though after an entire book of slow burn. And I did like the progression from the hate kiss, to the "oh my god we're going to die" kiss, to the actual true and pure love kissing. And thank fucking god Kai was FINALLY ready to say fuck duty and let Pae go. The "my duty" shit was getting really annoying when he knew damn well he could be taking the woman he loved to her death. I get that he's a broken character, but COME ON.

Now - let's talk about the fact that he wasn't taking her to her death. OF ALL THE STUPID FUCKING PLOT TWISTS - that I actually saw coming. When Calum (which more on THAT in a minute), gave Kitt a "small box" I was like - that's not an engagement ring, is it? Like IMMEDIATELY, that's where my mind went. "Is he going to propose to Pae...no no no...that would be SO FUCKING STUPID." And then lo and behold, I'm sure what she thought was a *gaspshockinggasp* twist, happens. Not being even remotely surprising, EXCEPT in it's stupidity. BUT...I'm willing to reserve judgement for ONE reason...

Calum. What the fuck is going on with Calum? So in my Powerless review, I said that if there wasn't a reason behind the resistance fucking everything up, I was going to be pissed. We still didn't GET that reason, but I had already suspected, and now am even more certain, that Calum is the actual bad guy. I'm not entirely sure WHAT the goal is, but he definitely wanted the resistance to fail. He WANTED that fight to break out. And now, again, I don't understand why - he wants Pae to be queen. But here's the thing - he's a mind reader, right? I'm thinking his power has somehow evolved and he's actually CONTROLLING Kitt. Because it makes no sense for Kitt to want to marry Pae. Not after she killed his father. Now - if it turns out there is not a deeper story here and this was just nonsense thrown in to create a love triangle - I will throw up. But Calum being involved makes me think it's definitely not just that.

The reveal that the Ordinaries aren't actually diseased was not surprising at all. I like that Kai knows that now. Pae being ADOPTED though - that was a surprise, and one I actually did not see coming at all. When we learned about the people with diluted powers and Pae realized it was weird that she was Ordinary, it didn't even cross my mind that her father wasn't actually her father. I was thinking maybe it would turn out she WASN'T Ordinary...although I wasn't sure how that was going to work. Either way - it was a good twist.

Ummm...I think that's everything. I'm excited for the final book and I just found out there is apparently an in between book about Adena that I might check out. But yeah. Overall, I still recommend this series, though NOT as a "If you like the Hunger Games, you'll like this" book. Comparing this to the Hunger Games is laughable. The Hunger Games is a masterpiece with so much depth. This is fun, but definitely not deep. It could NEVER be on the same level and the only people who would think so probably recommend the Hunger Games to people as "books with a really great love triangle" - you know, people who don't actually understand them.
]]> 164444179 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593492918.

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

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

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

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]> 340 Ashley Elston Briana 0 to-read 3.97 2024
author: Ashley Elston
name: Briana
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 Briana 0 to-read 4.15 2019
author: Blake Crouch
name: Briana
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200987229 In her breathtaking debut—part space odyssey, part sapphic rom-com—Emily Hamilton tells a tale of galaxy-spanning friendship, improbable love, and found family.

So, here’s the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn’t mean to steal this spaceship. They just wanted to know why, twenty years ago, the entire Providence crew vanished without a trace, but then the stupid dark-matter engine started on its own. Now these four twenty-somethings are en route to Proxima Centauri and unable to turn around while being harangued by a hologram that has the face and snide attitude of the ship’s missing captain, Billie.

Cleo has dreamt of being an astronaut all her life, and Earth is a lost cause at this point, so this should be one of those blessings in disguise that people talk about. But as the ship travels deeper into space, the laws of physics start twisting; old mysteries come crawling back to life; and Cleo’s initially combative relationship with Billie turns into something deeper and more desperate than either woman was prepared for.]]> 336 Emily Hamilton 0063320819 Briana 0 to-read 3.70 2024
author: Emily Hamilton
name: Briana
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again�

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands � that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper � an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 Briana 0 to-read 4.14 2023
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Briana
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61418402 480 Dashka Slater 0374314349 Briana 0 to-read 4.25 2023
author: Dashka Slater
name: Briana
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198333106 🎧Listening Length = 10 hrs and 2 mins

Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Cynthia Erivo narrates Tomi Adeyemi’s long-awaited conclusion to the #1 NYT Legacy of Orïsha series. Featuring gorgeous spray-painted and stenciled edges, dazzling metallic foil designs on the jacket and case, and an exclusive endpaper map that reveals new unexplored territories, Tomi Adeyemi’s #1 New York Times-bestselling Legacy of Orïsha series comes to an earth-shaking conclusion.

New allies rise.
The Blood Moon nears.
ZĂ©lie faces her final enemy.
The king who hunts her heart.

When Zelie seized the royal palace that fateful night, she thought her battles had come to an end. The monarchy had finally fallen. The maji had risen again. ZĂ©lie never expected to find herself locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship. Now warriors with iron skulls traffic her and her people across the seas, far from their homeland.

Then everything changes when Zélie meets King Baldyr, her true captor, the ruler of the Skulls, and the man who has ravaged entire civilizations to find her. Baldyr’s quest to harness Zélie’s strength sends Zélie, Amari, and Tzain searching for allies in unknown lands.

But as Baldyr closes in, catastrophe charges Orïsha’s shores. It will take everything Zélie has to face her final enemy and save her people before the Skulls annihilate them for good.

The Complete Legacy of OrĂŻsha Series:

Children of Blood and Bone (Book 1)
Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Book 2)
Children of Anguish and Anarchy (Book 3)]]> 368 Tomi Adeyemi 1250171024 Briana 3
Unfortunately, it is not a standalone book. It really feels like Adeyemi had ideas for another book and instead of waiting and just writing a new book - she put those ideas into this series and it results in everything feeling very unconnected and disjointed.

Things that felt like they were abandoned: the magic system established in the first two books, every single character aside from the core four, the very interesting power struggle between the two sides fighting in Orisha. Like, she spent two books building everything up just to abandon basically all of it.

Also - and this was a problem with the first two books as well - the pacing was atrocious. We spent like 60+ pages trying to escape the ship and then we were traveling back and forth between places in no time flat, and then the fight at the end just seemed completely rushed.

Inan sacrificing himself to save Zelie should have felt powerful - but it was like the third time Zelie was brought back to life. It just felt so over the top.

I will say one thing that made me really happy was Amari's CLEAR attraction to women finally being acknowledged, but I'm pretty pissed it wasn't acknowledged with Zelie, because I still say they have incredible chemistry (based from the 1st book - certainly not in this one where they barely interacted).

In fact, I think that is another huge issue in this book. The 4 different perspectives felt like 4 completely different stories. For the most part the 4 characters barely interacted with each other, and part of what made the first book so great was the relationships between the characters.

I don't know, I'm just really disappointed. And really I should probably be giving this 2 stars, but I did actually like it better than the second (I still despise the destruction of Amari's character in the second book) - just not as an actual part of the trilogy. I gave the second 3 stars, so I feel like I CAN'T give this one less than that.

I feel like this series could have been so much more. Disappointed.]]> 3.83 2024
author: Tomi Adeyemi
name: Briana
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves:
review:
So I'm very torn on what I want to give this book - because on the one hand it is a TERRIBLE conclusion to the trilogy - but if I were looking at it as a standalone book, I'd say it was pretty solid.

Unfortunately, it is not a standalone book. It really feels like Adeyemi had ideas for another book and instead of waiting and just writing a new book - she put those ideas into this series and it results in everything feeling very unconnected and disjointed.

Things that felt like they were abandoned: the magic system established in the first two books, every single character aside from the core four, the very interesting power struggle between the two sides fighting in Orisha. Like, she spent two books building everything up just to abandon basically all of it.

Also - and this was a problem with the first two books as well - the pacing was atrocious. We spent like 60+ pages trying to escape the ship and then we were traveling back and forth between places in no time flat, and then the fight at the end just seemed completely rushed.

Inan sacrificing himself to save Zelie should have felt powerful - but it was like the third time Zelie was brought back to life. It just felt so over the top.

I will say one thing that made me really happy was Amari's CLEAR attraction to women finally being acknowledged, but I'm pretty pissed it wasn't acknowledged with Zelie, because I still say they have incredible chemistry (based from the 1st book - certainly not in this one where they barely interacted).

In fact, I think that is another huge issue in this book. The 4 different perspectives felt like 4 completely different stories. For the most part the 4 characters barely interacted with each other, and part of what made the first book so great was the relationships between the characters.

I don't know, I'm just really disappointed. And really I should probably be giving this 2 stars, but I did actually like it better than the second (I still despise the destruction of Amari's character in the second book) - just not as an actual part of the trilogy. I gave the second 3 stars, so I feel like I CAN'T give this one less than that.

I feel like this series could have been so much more. Disappointed.
]]> 210164498 A woman in the most challenging moment of her life faces impossible decisions in a poignant and deeply moving novel about love and loss, letting go, and moving on.

Asha’s husband, Charlie, isn’t dead, but he’s been gone just the same since the day his aneurysm trapped him in a coma. Everything that made him Charlie left this world a year ago for a limbo that has trapped Asha, too. She doesn’t want to stay in this situation, but she can’t bear to kiss the love of her life goodbye.

Luckily, she’s not alone. Asha has the support of her best friend, her father, and then, unexpectedly, Jason. Asha and Jason shared a tumultuous romance from junior high through her early college years, and he’s her first love. Now divorced, Jason wants to reconnect. Suddenly, the bittersweetness of her past brings Asha to life again. It feels weird. It feels wrong. But for now, it also feels kind of wonderful.

Exploring love—and its infinite variations�Then, Again deftly captures the choices made in the face of monumental loss and the power in memories of better things to carry us through impossible times.]]> 309 Jaclyn Youhana Garver 1662519915 Briana 0 to-read 4.01
author: Jaclyn Youhana Garver
name: Briana
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203608444 The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy's Girl.

On the day she arrives in Canada for her older brother's wedding, Eliot Beck hasn't seen her family in three years. Eliot adores her big, wacky, dysfunctional collection of siblings and in-laws, but there's a reason she fled to Manhattan and buried herself in her work—and she’s not ready to share it with anyone. Not when speaking it aloud could send her back into the never-ending cycle of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that consumed her for years.

Eliot thinks she's prepared to survive the four-day-long wedding extravaganza—until she sees her best friend, Manuel, waiting for her at the marina and looking as handsome as ever. He was the person who, when they met as children, felt like finding the missing half of her soul. The person she tried so hard not to fall in love with� but did anyway.

Manuel's presence at the wedding threatens to undo the walls Eliot has built around herself. The fortress that keeps her okay. If she isn't careful, by the end of this wedding, the whole castle might come crumbling down.]]> 400 Emma Noyes 0593639022 Briana 0 to-read 3.83 2024
author: Emma Noyes
name: Briana
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61431953
Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie.

Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose.

He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity.

All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day.

Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom.

But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap.

Nor will his ultimate revenge…]]> 448 Cecy Robson 1649374054 Briana 0 to-read 3.57 2024
author: Cecy Robson
name: Briana
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198530925
They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.]]> 400 Rainbow Rowell 0063380196 Briana 0 to-read 3.63 2024
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Briana
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 19161852
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.]]> 468 N.K. Jemisin Briana 0 to-read 4.29 2015
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Briana
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17645 Now that all the others have run out of air, it's my turn to do a little story-making.

In Homer's account in The Odyssey, Penelope—wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy—is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan War after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumors, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters, and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and—curiously—twelve of her maids.

In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged maids, asking: "What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?" In Atwood's dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the story-telling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality—and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery.]]> 198 Margaret Atwood 1841957178 Briana 0 to-read 3.71 2005
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Briana
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59554746
After the sudden death of her husband, Kate Turner is looking for a fresh start for herself and her teenage daughter, Alex. They relocate to the beachside town of Shoreham, Florida, where all is not as sunny as it seems.

Although Kate makes fast friends with a trio of fellow moms, their daughters take an instant dislike to Alex, who attempts to document their bullying in her video diary. Kate brushes off Alex’s concerns—until she receives a series of chilling warnings about the clique of moms from other parents and neighbors. As it becomes harder for her to ignore the malicious undercurrent she senses among her new friends, Kate grows increasingly unsure of who to believe—and who to trust.

As small-town gossip weaves a harrowing web of jealousy, deceit, and betrayal, Kate and Alex discover that whether you’re in or out, the status quo can turn on you deadly fast.]]> 299 Margot Hunt 1662504349 Briana 4 3.97 2023
author: Margot Hunt
name: Briana
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:
I liked this book. For the most part the characters were engaging and felt real. Even the over the top villains still felt like they had a little bit of depth, and a lot of the secondary villains definitely felt like they had some nuance to them. I will say I was kind of hoping for a twist in the end where it turned out Alex was the real killer and she had framed the other two girls. I had suspected early on that Alex was somehow responsible for her father's death and when it was revealed that she was the one driving the car I was pretty sure we'd find out it was not REALLY an accident, and we did end up getting that, but that was all. And there is definitely something to dig into there about whether or not she is the same as the other girls for what she did or if it was a split second decision that she did seem to regret. Either way - I'm GLAD it wasn't actually her as I was rooting for her, but it also would have been a total mindfuck if she really was that much of a mastermind. Either way this was a page turner for sure and I would recommend it.
]]> 20342617
Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to defending the poor, the incarcerated, and the wrongly condemned.

Just Mercy tells the story of EJI, from the early days with a small staff facing the nation’s highest death sentencing and execution rates, through a successful campaign to challenge the cruel practice of sentencing children to die in prison, to revolutionary projects designed to confront Americans with our history of racial injustice.

One of EJI’s first clients was Walter McMillian, a young Black man who was sentenced to die for the murder of a young white woman that he didn’t commit. The case exemplifies how the death penalty in America is a direct descendant of lynching � a system that treats the rich and guilty better than the poor and innocent.]]> 336 Bryan Stevenson Briana 5
Oh also - I forgot to mention one of my favorite quotes from the book. “The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?� If that doesn't put the death penalty into perspective - I don't know what will. Because the fact is, just because the law is sanctioning a murder, doesn't make it any less murder.]]> 4.62 2014
author: Bryan Stevenson
name: Briana
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:
I listened to this book on audiobook, and along with being a brilliant writer, Stevenson is also an incredible speaker - unsurprising since he's such a great lawyer. For me, this book was already preaching to the choir, as I have been against the death penalty for as long as I can remember, but this is a book that anyone on the fence about or in favor the death penalty MUST read. He is brilliant in the way he writes this, with a focus on a CLEARLY innocent man and his journey to get him free. Because that will draw any decent human being in. Of COURSE a man wrongly convicted does not deserve to die. But then he starts sprinkling in chapters about some of his other clients. People who are absolutely guilty of the crime they committed - but do THEY deserve to die? He does a brilliant job of proving that no, they do not. But this book isn't just about the death penalty and how it is wrong, it is also about how the justice system is broken in so many ways, but ESPECIALLY in the fact that to this day it is still incredibly racist. I also loved how towards the end he started talking about his work with the juvenile justice system and he highlighted the fact that even if juveniles aren't being sentenced to death, that being sentenced to life in prison for something they did when they were a child, is just as wrong. I teach a book called Our America that deals with this same messaging - about how you can't just look at the worst thing someone has done without also understanding the context in which they grew up. And as I was reading I kept wishing the book was just a little less dense, as I would love to use it in my teaching. I was thinking maybe I could just use a chapter or some excerpts, and THEN when I finished reading audible recommended a book I might like to me: Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)! I am definitely going to be looking into this book and thinking about replacing Our America with it in my curriculum. Overall I highly, highly recommend this book, especially as an audiobook.

Oh also - I forgot to mention one of my favorite quotes from the book. “The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?� If that doesn't put the death penalty into perspective - I don't know what will. Because the fact is, just because the law is sanctioning a murder, doesn't make it any less murder.
]]> 209496283 Time is a healer, but it helps to have a friend.

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

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

With little but their grief and this one day in common, Alice and Ben form a very special, very strange friendship, meeting just once a same day, same time, same place—different silly costume. As the years pass and grief alters, can their unique bond help them cope with the hardest part of life?]]> 314 Nick Spalding 1662519990 Briana 4
Overall this book gave a very realistic view of what grief is for some people. I don't think it is universal by any means, as I think MANY people deal with grief much better than these two did, but I recognize that for some people grief is ABSOLUTELY this debilitating. I also found Ben and Alice to feel like very real human beings. Overall, they were likeable, while also still being quite frustrating at times.

I had started to suspect the twist at the end pretty early on. When Alice would talk about not really knowing what happened with Joe - that stayed in the back of my mind. And the fact that Ben's whole family was doctors - I had assumed that SOMEONE in the family was going to have a hand in his death. I had assumed it would be one of Ben's parents though, not his brother, as I figured he would have been too far gone at that point to be involved. Of course that assumption meant that when it WAS revealed he was involved - I, unlike Alice, assumed that his sickness was what distracted all the nurses. And of course I was right.

But yeah. Overall I did enjoy the book even if sometimes I wanted to strangle the main characters. The ending was particularly satisfying, if a little predictable.]]> 4.24 2024
author: Nick Spalding
name: Briana
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book, but what I enjoyed the MOST is that it didn't turn into a romance. It was pretty obvious early on that it wasn't going to - I appreciated the fact that Alice always referred to Ben as "young man" - proving that she was never going to see him that way. Then when Ben met his wife I let out a held breath, because while I enjoy a good romance - I feel like if that's the way this book had gone it just would have felt icky. Alice and Ben developing a brother/sister relationship felt way more satisfying.

Overall this book gave a very realistic view of what grief is for some people. I don't think it is universal by any means, as I think MANY people deal with grief much better than these two did, but I recognize that for some people grief is ABSOLUTELY this debilitating. I also found Ben and Alice to feel like very real human beings. Overall, they were likeable, while also still being quite frustrating at times.

I had started to suspect the twist at the end pretty early on. When Alice would talk about not really knowing what happened with Joe - that stayed in the back of my mind. And the fact that Ben's whole family was doctors - I had assumed that SOMEONE in the family was going to have a hand in his death. I had assumed it would be one of Ben's parents though, not his brother, as I figured he would have been too far gone at that point to be involved. Of course that assumption meant that when it WAS revealed he was involved - I, unlike Alice, assumed that his sickness was what distracted all the nurses. And of course I was right.

But yeah. Overall I did enjoy the book even if sometimes I wanted to strangle the main characters. The ending was particularly satisfying, if a little predictable.
]]> 63048246 236 Rick Riordan 1368098274 Briana 5 4.39 2023
author: Rick Riordan
name: Briana
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
review:
Was this book really unnecessary? Yes. Am I still happy it exists? YES! Percy is just such a likeable character - and I loved the kind of meta comments he would make about how sure what he was doing in this book wasn't quite on the same level as saving the world - but getting to go to college with Annabeth was incredibly important to him still. I can imagine for fans of the series who had to wait a decade in between the first series and this book, it was a welcome little treat. Even though I didn't have to wait like that - it was still quite a treat. I don't really have too much to say, as there's not THAT much going on in the book. But the Greek mythology was on point as always and the characters and their interactions were on point as always. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it! And I'm excited to read the next one, whenever it becomes available at my library!
]]> 61375528 True love requires a little research and development in a funny, heart-racing romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Paid Bridesmaid.

How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams—who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig’s empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she’s game to play.

All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they’re falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after—if it weren’t for one hitch in the plan. There’s more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna’s feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real.

Blame it on chemistry. It’s unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?]]> 347 Sariah Wilson 1542039231 Briana 4
BUT - at some point in the book I realized that Anna was very neurodivergent-coded. I don't know if this was intentional on the author's part, but I really started to feel like that's what was going on, and that made me view her in a different way. There was also a point where she revealed that her parents (who had died) had met much in the same way that her first interaction with Mr. Crush had gone and that made me feel for her a lot more. The desperation for him to be that person made more sense. And then there was her meeting the ACTUAL person she should be with and he made her a million times more likeable.

Marco definitely suffered from Rom Com lead in that he was a bit too perfect, but that's okay I rolled with it. The book also suffered from the Rom Com trope of the FMC not recognizing that the MMC is clearly head over heels for her, but that's to be expected.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the ride as cliche as it could often be. A solid book that I would recommend to romance readers.]]> 3.94 2023
author: Sariah Wilson
name: Briana
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:
So if I was the kind of person who DNF'd books - I might have DNF'd this early on and given it a 1 star - but I'm not, and I'm glad for that, because this book gets exponentially better as it goes on. So I could not STAND Anna at the beginning of the book. Like there's delusional and then there's ANNA. I'm not saying I've never developed a misguided crush on someone, but I can confidently say I have never claimed to be IN LOVE with someone that I didn't even really know based off of ONE semi decent interaction and then cling to that false image of said person even when faced with VERY clear evidence that he did not have feelings for me in return.

BUT - at some point in the book I realized that Anna was very neurodivergent-coded. I don't know if this was intentional on the author's part, but I really started to feel like that's what was going on, and that made me view her in a different way. There was also a point where she revealed that her parents (who had died) had met much in the same way that her first interaction with Mr. Crush had gone and that made me feel for her a lot more. The desperation for him to be that person made more sense. And then there was her meeting the ACTUAL person she should be with and he made her a million times more likeable.

Marco definitely suffered from Rom Com lead in that he was a bit too perfect, but that's okay I rolled with it. The book also suffered from the Rom Com trope of the FMC not recognizing that the MMC is clearly head over heels for her, but that's to be expected.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the ride as cliche as it could often be. A solid book that I would recommend to romance readers.
]]> 205837319 The wonders and chaos of AI converge in a powerful and thrilling novel about rewriting history, identity, love, and what it means to be human.

Graham Gooding is a leader at a tech start-up when his brilliant coworker—and work crush—Nessie Locke asks for help testing a new algorithm. Graham jumps at the chance to impress her, and to improve his floundering personal life. He soon discovers that the algo is more powerful than Nessie—or anyone—realizes. It was built to detect lies on the internet, but when Graham makes a small edit to Nessie’s online profile, hoping to see if the program will catch the lie, Nessie changes in real life. The algo can alter the real world. Now, so can Graham.

No one knows what Graham has done, except his boss, enigmatic tech guru David Warwick. Graham is racked with guilt, but Warwick thrills to the possibilities of what they can do next. This promises to be the innovation that will make Warwick a household name. Drawn by the power of the algo but terrified by its potential for chaos, Graham must decide what to do and whom to trust in a world where one true reality no longer exists.

As love, trust, memories, and what it means to be human begin to slip away, Graham and Nessie work together to restore the past—before it’s lost to the anarchy of a world without truth.]]> 224 Bryan VanDyke 1662522592 Briana 2
The other MAJOR issue is that the whole algorithm was VERY poorly developed. Like I get that I need to be able to suspend my disbelief a little bit in a Sci Fi book - but things still need to make sense within the rules you've established IN THE BOOK. It was made pretty clear that for the algorithm to change the real world EVERYTHING in the digital space needed to be altered and/or erased. Like - it was very hard to do (which was part of what made the Nessie/tattoo thing extra creepy - like dude dug in DEEP), but then in the end it seemed like DoucheyMcdouchebag (I can't remember the main antagonist's name) was just able to change the entire world into his personal wet dream. And he seemed like a giant idiot. So how was he doing that? Also the rules around who would remember that the world had been different before was very unclear as well.

And yeah - I kind of touched on it - but the ending was SO disappointed. Like...you see the card don't trust DoucheyMcDouchebag and ignore that, but then listen to the card Know When To Let Go and think that means letting go of Nessie? Like...what? And you think that only after you get all butthurt about being rejected by her after you COMPLETELY don't have her back? He was just SOOOOOOO ew at the end.

You know what - I was going to give this 3 stars, but I think in writing this review, I convinced myself to drop it to 2. Not a book I really enjoyed that much and definitely not one I would recommend. Could have been great - but failed at almost every turn.]]> 3.54 2024
author: Bryan VanDyke
name: Briana
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:
This book was okay. It's one of the books I got for free as an Amazon First Reads and I was super intrigued by the premise, but unfortunately it really didn't deliver. The biggest thing I couldn't really get past was the fact that Graham was pretty unlikeable. His crush on Nessie could have been endearing, but his inner monologue was VERY incel-y. Like - dude, if you like her just tell her. The oh she could never see me like that crap was just...ugh. And when he literally edited her - like - gross. The fact that he actually showed some growth throughout the book only to revert back to the worst version of himself - just be the evil guy's lap dog - it was just very gross. I usually don't like reading books with female protagonists written by men, but apparently I don't really enjoy male protagonists written by men either.

The other MAJOR issue is that the whole algorithm was VERY poorly developed. Like I get that I need to be able to suspend my disbelief a little bit in a Sci Fi book - but things still need to make sense within the rules you've established IN THE BOOK. It was made pretty clear that for the algorithm to change the real world EVERYTHING in the digital space needed to be altered and/or erased. Like - it was very hard to do (which was part of what made the Nessie/tattoo thing extra creepy - like dude dug in DEEP), but then in the end it seemed like DoucheyMcdouchebag (I can't remember the main antagonist's name) was just able to change the entire world into his personal wet dream. And he seemed like a giant idiot. So how was he doing that? Also the rules around who would remember that the world had been different before was very unclear as well.

And yeah - I kind of touched on it - but the ending was SO disappointed. Like...you see the card don't trust DoucheyMcDouchebag and ignore that, but then listen to the card Know When To Let Go and think that means letting go of Nessie? Like...what? And you think that only after you get all butthurt about being rejected by her after you COMPLETELY don't have her back? He was just SOOOOOOO ew at the end.

You know what - I was going to give this 3 stars, but I think in writing this review, I convinced myself to drop it to 2. Not a book I really enjoyed that much and definitely not one I would recommend. Could have been great - but failed at almost every turn.
]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 Briana 0 to-read 4.26 2022
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Briana
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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