en-US Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:31:21 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 43263680
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs�� are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.]]> 461 Leigh Bardugo 1250313074 Frank 4 4.00 2019
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Frank
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/21
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]]> 11573 The Dead Zone.

Johnny Smith, the small-town schoolteacher who spun the wheel of fortune and won a four-and-a-half-year trip into The Dead Zone.

John Smith, who awakened from an interminable coma with an accursed power—the power to see the future and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in The Dead Zone.

~]]> 402 Stephen King 0451155750 Frank 0 currently-reading 3.96 1979
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 19288043 What have we done to each other?

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

So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?]]> 415 Gillian Flynn 0307588378 Frank 5 4.22 2012
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Frank
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
review:
This is the third Gillian Flynn book I've read this year and it's almost unbelievable how she's been able to consistently invent such brilliant, awful, manipulative characters. I would love to find an interview with her where she explains where she finds inspiration for these kinds of characters. I can't wait to read whatever she publishes next.
]]> 65916344 Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.

“Sometimes the universe throws you a rope.�� �� BILL HODGES

Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.]]> 449 Stephen King 1668016133 Frank 5 4.01 2023
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:
Another great book in the Mr. Mercedes/Holly Gibney series. King provides a fascinating parallel between Trumpers/Anti-Vaxxers/Covid Deniers and that of the antagonist cannibals in the book, illustrating how people can dellude themselves into believing seemingly obvious falsehoods, particularly when those falsehoods conveniently support the exact conclusion the person wants to be true.
]]> 57299259 3 Stephen King Frank 3 3.75
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
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]]> 53163059
Holly Gibney of the Finders Keepers detective agency is working on the case of a missing dog - and her own need to be more assertive - when she sees the footage on TV. Then she tunes in again, to the late-night report, and realises there is something not quite right about the correspondent who was first on the scene. So begins 'If It Bleeds', a stand-alone sequel to the No. 1 bestselling The Outsider featuring the incomparable Holly on her first solo case - and also the riveting title story in Stephen King's brilliant new collection.

Dancing alongside are three more wonderful long stories from this 'formidably versatile author' (The Sunday Times) In 'Mr Harrigan's Phone', young Craig introduces a curmudgeonly retired business tycoon to the wonders of a smartphone - and they keep their connection, even after Harrigan has died.

'The Life of Chuck' is a three act life-story 'presented in reverse order, like a film running backwards' - from the father and retiring accountant whose face lights up a billboard as the city lies dying, through the business who dances to the drums of a busker in Boston and back to the young orphan whose grandma warns him not to go into the cupola of their Victorian house.

The final story, 'Rat', sees an author head up to a remote cabin in the woods of North Maine, where, frozen and sick with flu, he makes a Faustian pact with a deal-making rat.

These four brilliant novellas display King's extraordinary range with grace, humour, horror and breathtaking suspense. A truly fascinating Author's Note gives us a wonderful insight into the origin of each story and the writer's unparalleled imagination.]]> 369 Stephen King 1529391539 Frank 4 3.99 2020
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
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]]> 57213544
Originally featured in the acclaimed story collection If It Bleeds, this unforgettable, mind-bending tale unfolds in reverse, taking readers through the extraordinary life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz.

In a crumbling world plagued by natural disasters, collapsing infrastructure, and mass panic, bizarre billboards and advertisements appear throughout town: "Charles Krantz. Thirty-nine great years. Thanks, Chuck!" Marty Anderson, a schoolteacher, becomes obsessed with these messages as the world, inexplicably linked to Chuck's life, seems to be approaching its end.

Told in three acts, presented in reverse order, The Life of Chuck explores one man's past. We see him in middle age on a business trip in Boston as he is seduced by a busker into spinning a gorgeous sidewalk dance. And we see him as a child, in a house haunted by a terrible secret, learning to dance with his grandmother. In these pages King reminds us that life's quotidian pleasures are even more glorious because they are fleeting: the outrageous good fortune of a beautiful blue day after a string of gray ones; the delight of dancing when every move feels perfect; a serendipitous meeting. King's ability to describe pure joy rivals his ability to terrify us.

Now a major motion picture and winner of the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award, The Life of Chuck is a glorious story about community and about humanity at its best, a celebration of joy, mystery, existential wonder, and the multitudes contained in all of us.]]> 58 Stephen King Frank 2 3.76
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
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]]> 150309373 88 Stephen King Frank 4 3.90
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
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]]> 36124936
An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.]]> 561 Stephen King 1501180983 Frank 4
My only (minor) complaint is that I felt the book’s climax loses too much of the tension that was present throughout the rest of the book in a dash to the finish. ]]> 3.98 2018
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:
Absolutely loved The Outsider. One recurring theme in Stephen King’s books is that things rarely happen to just one person, and he loves to show how tragedy affects everyone around the event. The Outsider is no different.

My only (minor) complaint is that I felt the book’s climax loses too much of the tension that was present throughout the rest of the book in a dash to the finish.
]]> 18045891
Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition - ISBN 10: 0307341550 (ISBN 13: 9780307341556)]]> 254 Gillian Flynn 0297851535 Frank 5 4.05 2006
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Frank
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
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]]> 5886881
Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back?

She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find.

Who did massacre the Day family?]]> 424 Gillian Flynn 0307341569 Frank 4 3.95 2009
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Frank
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 202507554 moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

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

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

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

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages. ]]> 718 Sarah A. Parker Frank 1
Author's vocabulary seems to be extremely limited. Someone else pointed out that some of the adjectives, similes, and metaphors used are so ill-fitting that she must've used Chat-GPT as a thesaurus. I can see how they'd come up with that conclusion.

There's a few good scenes, but basically zero narrative moving the story from scene to scene. It feels like the author thought "oh that's good! I need to use that!" about some of her chapter concepts, but never bothered figure out how to get the characters in position for those chapters... they're just there.

She loves to use incomplete sentences.
She loves to provide some metaphor for what the POV character is experiencing, only for the POV character to clarify "- ME!" as if to say "that metaphor was about ME! Did you GET it!?" It's cringey. ]]> 3.99 2024
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Frank
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves:
review:
Not including the customary glossary appendix (a nice touch), this book is 540 pages long. The word "fucking" appears exactly 101 times. You can do the math, but it stands out as awkward to say "fucking" to add emphasis that frequently.

Author's vocabulary seems to be extremely limited. Someone else pointed out that some of the adjectives, similes, and metaphors used are so ill-fitting that she must've used Chat-GPT as a thesaurus. I can see how they'd come up with that conclusion.

There's a few good scenes, but basically zero narrative moving the story from scene to scene. It feels like the author thought "oh that's good! I need to use that!" about some of her chapter concepts, but never bothered figure out how to get the characters in position for those chapters... they're just there.

She loves to use incomplete sentences.
She loves to provide some metaphor for what the POV character is experiencing, only for the POV character to clarify "- ME!" as if to say "that metaphor was about ME! Did you GET it!?" It's cringey.
]]> 107291 790 Stephen King Frank 2 3.98 1991
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1991
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:
Didn't really love the pacing of this book. Felt like it dragged on too long.... It doesn't take too long into the story to think "I get your point... Covetous materialism is a tool of the Devil, meant to tear us asunder. Got it." From there it just sort of feels like a million short stories of how the same thing happens to all 500 residents of Castle Rock. Sure they tie the chain together, but it probably could've been done with a much shorter chain.
]]> 25526965
In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city.

In End of Watch, Stephen King brings the Hodges trilogy to a sublimely terrifying conclusion, combining the detective fiction of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers with the heart-pounding, supernatural suspense that has been his bestselling trademark. The result is an unnerving look at human vulnerability and chilling suspense. No one does it better than King.]]> 432 Stephen King 1501129740 Frank 4 4.07 2016
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
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]]> 23492589 Wake up, genius.

The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

Not since Misery has King played with the notion of a reader whose obsession with a writer gets dangerous. Finders Keepers is spectacular, heart-pounding suspense, but it is also King writing about how literature shapes a life—for good, for bad, forever.]]> 434 Stephen King 1501100076 Frank 5 4.07 2015
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
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]]> 18775247
Months later, an ex-cop named Bill Hodges, still haunted by the unsolved crime, contemplates suicide. When he gets a crazed letter from "the perk," claiming credit for the murders, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, fearing another even more diabolical attack and hell-bent on preventing it.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of eccentric and mismatched allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady's next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.
--front flap]]> 437 Stephen King 1476754454 Frank 5 4.01 2014
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
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]]> 87591651
For hundreds of thousands of fans who read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift. And those who are listening to The Stand for the first time will discover a triumphant and eerily plausible work of the imagination that takes on the issues that will determine our survival.]]> Stephen King Frank 5 4.42 1978
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1978
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves:
review:
Had only the vaguest idea what "The Stand" was about going into this read. Found it fascinating much other distopian fallout media was influenced by this. Lost and The Walking Dead are clearly heavily influenced by King's writing here. I'm interested to watch one of the film adaptations of The Stand now.
]]> 157605258
Can an orphan captive learn the secrets of the Dragon Riders to stand up and avenge his people?

Jai lives as a royal hostage in the Sabine Court—ever since his father Rohan, leader of the Steppefolk, led a failed rebellion and was executed by the very emperor Jai now serves.

When the emperor’s son and heir is betrothed to Princess Erica of the neighboring Dansk Kingdom, she brings with her a dowry: dragons. Endemic to the northern nation, these powerful beasts come in several forms, but mystery surrounds them. Only Dansk royalty know the secret to soulbonding with these dangerous beasts to draw on their power and strength. This marriage—and the alliance that forms—will change that forever.

But conspirators lurk in the shadows, and soon the Sabine Court is in chaos. With his life in danger, Jai uses the opportunity to escape with the Dansk handmaiden, Frida, and a stolen hatchling. Hunted at every turn, he must learn to cultivate magic and become a soulbound warrior if he has any chance of finding safety, seizing his destiny…and seeking his revenge.]]> 576 Taran Matharu Frank 2 3.85 2024
author: Taran Matharu
name: Frank
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
The overall story had a lot of promise. There's definitely something here. But the writing just doesn't land. Details just don't add up. We're told about how secretive the elite Gryphon Guard... but our protagonist is able to _overhear_ enough from them talking in the royal dining halls to learn major details of how they perform their magic? Protagonist is also instantly successful at magical abilities that the readers are lead to believe are so difficult to learn, that some may never learn, even in a structured training environment. Things like this made this book feel like a chore to read.
]]> 10592
Make a date with terror and live the nightmare that is...Carrie
--back cover]]> 272 Stephen King 1416524304 Frank 5 4.00 1974
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
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]]> 16130549 WHSmith Collector's Edition

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special 12-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted fans of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.]]> 531 Stephen King 1476727651 Frank 5 4.11 2013
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
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]]> 10614 #1, #2, #3, #4

Paul Sheldon. He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader - she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.]]> 370 Stephen King 0450417395 Frank 5 4.22 1987
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
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]]> 33124137 This is an alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00K3NEE56. When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son-and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly car. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth-more terrifying than death itself-and hideously more powerful. The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better.]]> 580 Stephen King Frank 5 4.21 1983
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves:
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]]> 11588 497 Stephen King 0450040186 Frank 5 4.28 1977
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 944076
Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him, but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy: it's time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.

With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no-one is safe, and no-one can be trusted. And, as his days with a sword are far behind him, it's fortunate that he's deadly with his remaining weapons: threats, blackmail and torture.

Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is too painful an undertaking and turned his back on soldiering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too �� and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it.

While the King of the Union lies on his deathbead, the peasants revolt and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No-one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi has a plan to save the world �� as he always does �� but this time there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, after all, than to break the First Law...]]> 536 Joe Abercrombie 0575077905 Frank 5 4.35 2008
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Frank
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
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]]> 902715
Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem �� he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained, worst-led army in the world.

And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a perilous mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, but a deadly one. They might even stand a chance of saving mankind from the Eaters. If they didn't hate each other quite so much.

Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven �� but not before they are hanged.]]> 441 Joe Abercrombie 0575077883 Frank 5 4.35 2007
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Frank
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/17
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves:
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]]> 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 Frank 0 to-read 4.49 2020
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Frank
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 944073
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

]]> 515 Joe Abercrombie 0575079797 Frank 5 4.21 2006
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Frank
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves:
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]]> 56600833 Annie Proulx Frank 3 3.33
author: Annie Proulx
name: Frank
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 3
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date added: 2024/08/05
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]]> 31200948 A beautifully packaged, gifty daily devotional of Stoic wisdom, from the author of The Obstacle is the Way.
��
Modern readers praise Stoic philosophy for its unique blend of practicality and wisdom. But it's admittedly hard for the average reader to decipher the Dover Thrift edition of Marcus Aurelius' work. The antiquated, needlessly formal language of most modern translations is stripped down in this book, revealing powerful aphorisms that cut straight to the heart of our day-to-day challenges.
��
Presented in a page-per-day format, this daily resource of Stoic inspiration combines new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, Zeno by Stephen Hanselman with calls to further reflection--and action--by Ryan Holiday. Arranged topically following the same three movements (Perception, Action, Will) that Holiday used inThe Obstacle is the Way, this guide features twelve principles for overcoming obstacles and achieving greater satisfaction.
��
Aimed at the high-octane, action-oriented, doers of our wired world, this book is intended to open to them a new daily ritual and a new orientation that will bring balanced action, insight, effectiveness, and serenity.]]> 397 Ryan Holiday 0735211744 Frank 5 4.56 2016
author: Ryan Holiday
name: Frank
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
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]]> 420275 48 Guy de Maupassant 1568461933 Frank 5 3.86 1884
author: Guy de Maupassant
name: Frank
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1884
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
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]]> 20779185 Published in 'Night Shift' Stephen King Frank 5 3.49
author: Stephen King
name: Frank
average rating: 3.49
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/16
date added: 2024/06/15
shelves:
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]]> 176443087
By age seven, Rebecca Quin, now known in the ring as Becky Lynch, was already defying what the world expected of her. Raised in Dublin, Ireland in a devoutly Catholic family, Rebecca constantly invented new ways to make her mother worry—roughhousing with the neighborhood kids, hosting secret parties while her parents were away, enrolling in a warehouse wrestling school, nearly breaking her neck and almost kneecapping a WWE star before her own wrestling career even began—and she was always in search of a thrilling escape from the ordinary.

Rebecca’s deep love of wrestling as a child set her on an unlikely path. With few female wrestlers to look to for guidance, Rebecca pursued a wrestling career hoping to change the culture and move away from the antiquated disrespect so often directed at the elite female athletes that grace the ring. Even as a teenager, she knew that she would stop at nothing to earn a space among the greatest wrestlers of our time, and to pave a new path for female fighters.

Culled from decades of journal entries, Rebecca’s memoir offers a raw, personal, and honest depiction of the complex woman behind the character Rebecca Quin plays on TV.]]> 367 Rebecca Quin 1982157259 Frank 5 4.48 2024
author: Rebecca Quin
name: Frank
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/20
date added: 2024/05/19
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]]> 5060378 Millenium publisher Mikael Blomkvist has made his reputation exposing corrupt establishment figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with an investigation into sex trafficking, Blomkvist cannot resist waging war on the powerful figures who control this lucrative industry.

The Murder
When a young couple is found dead in their Stockholm apartment, it's a straightforward job for Inspector Bublanski and his team. The killer left the weapon at the scene - and the fingerprints on the gun point in only one direction.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Ex-security analyst Lisbeth Salander is wanted for murder. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. The only way Salander can be reached is by computer. But she can break into almost any network she chooses...]]> 503 Stieg Larsson 0307269981 Frank 4 4.25 2006
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Frank
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/10
date added: 2023/11/10
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]]> 17255186
The company's new IT initiative, code named Phoenix Project, is critical to the future of Parts Unlimited, but the project is massively over budget and very late. The CEO wants Bill to report directly to him and fix the mess in ninety days or else Bill's entire department will be outsourced.

With the help of a prospective board member and his mysterious philosophy of The Three Ways, Bill starts to see that IT work has more in common with manufacturing plant work than he ever imagined. With the clock ticking, Bill must organize work flow streamline interdepartmental communications, and effectively serve the other business functions at Parts Unlimited.

In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.]]> 345 Gene Kim 0988262592 Frank 3 4.23 2013
author: Gene Kim
name: Frank
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/12
date added: 2023/06/12
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]]> 155421 per se, but he has a knack for finding lost things. That's why he's been hired to descend into the Nightside, an otherworldly realm in the center of London where fantasy and reality share renting space and the sun never shines.]]> 230 Simon R. Green 0441010652 Frank 3 3.78 2003
author: Simon R. Green
name: Frank
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/05
date added: 2022/12/05
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]]> 57772487
A vivid trip through the mind of the top professional wrestler in the business—a nobody from nowhere who achieved his ambitions and walked away with the gold and the girl of his dreams.

Ride alongside Jon Moxley as he retraces some of the highways traveled on his remarkable journey. Revel in the never-before-told stories about his early life in Cincinnati, Ohio; the gritty independent wrestling scene where he cut his teeth; the complicated corporate landscape of the WWE where he bucked against authority; and the rebellious upstart AEW, where he won the championship in 2020 and was finally free to achieve the vision of the wrestler he’d always wanted to be.

With plenty of pitstops and revelatory insights, including grisly ultraviolent encounters, crazy characters who became lifelong friends, and his unforgettable matches in Japan, MOX is the riveting account of the life of a brawler. It is a tale written in blood and soaked in debauchery, with a good dose of wisdom accumulated along the way.

More than a backstage pass into the arena, MOX is a ticket into the ring. Once inside, you’ll never look at pro wrestling the same again.]]> 272 Jon Moxley 163758038X Frank 3 4.25 2021
author: Jon Moxley
name: Frank
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/15
date added: 2022/11/11
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]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

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

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

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Frank 0 to-read 4.16 2018
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Frank
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/08/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> 58539346
The definitive history of the 1990s New York Knicks, illustrating how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and unmatched grit.

For nearly an entire generation, the New York Knicks have been a laughingstock franchise. Since 2001, they’ve spent more money, lost more games, and won fewer playoff series than any other NBA team.

But during the preceding era, the Big Apple had a club it was madly in love with—one that earned respect not only by winning, but through brute force. The Knicks were always looking for fights, often at the encouragement of Pat Riley. They fought opposing players. They fought each other. Hell, they even occasionally fought their own coaches.

The NBA didn’t take kindly to their fighting spirit. Within two years, league officials moved to alter several rules to stop New York from turning its basketball games into bloody mudwrestling matches. Nevertheless, as the 1990s progressed, the Knicks endeared themselves to millions of fans; not for how much they won, but for their colorful cast of characters and their hardworking mentality.

Now, through his original reporting and interviews with more than two hundred people, author Chris Herring delves into the origin, evolution, and eventual demise of the iconic club. He takes us inside the locker room, executive boardrooms, and onto the court for the key moments that lifted the club to new heights, and the ones that threatened to send everything crashing down in spectacular fashion.

Blood in the Garden is a portrait filled with eye-opening details that have never been shared before, revealing the full story of the franchise in the midst of the NBA’s golden era. And rest assured, no punches will be pulled. Which is just how those rough-and-tumble Knicks would like it.]]> 368 Chris Herring 1982132124 Frank 4 4.28 2022
author: Chris Herring
name: Frank
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/01
date added: 2022/03/01
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]]> 332579 Secrets of Professional Pot-Limit Omaha is one of the first books to analyze medium- and high-stakes PLO in great depth. The author, long-time successful PLO cash game player Rolf Slotboom, reveals key information that has never appeared in print before. The following are just some of the topics that are discussed in this ground-breaking book: �� A revolutionary short-stack approach �� Adjustments for big-stack play �� A study on the proper bet size �� Correct seating position �� Blocker play �� The bare ace bluff �� Exploiting your opponents�� specific weaknesses Finally, the practice hands and the chapter on hand match-ups offer tremendous theoretical and practical advice. This book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to play PLO successfully.
]]> 240 Rolf Slotboom 1904468306 Frank 0 currently-reading 3.60 2006
author: Rolf Slotboom
name: Frank
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/13
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 13895
In The Fires of Heaven, the fifth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, four of the most powerful Forsaken band together against the Champion of Light, Rand al’Thor.

Prophesized to defeat the Dark One, Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has upset the balance of power across the land. Shaido Aiel are on the march, ravaging everything in their path. The White Tower's Amyrlin has been deposed, turning the Aes Sedai against one another. The forbidden city of Rhuidean is overrun by Shadowspawn.

Despite the chaos swirling around him, Rand continues to learn how to harness his abilities, determined to wield the One Power--and ignoring the counsel of Moiraine Damodred at great cost.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light]]> 912 Robert Jordan 1857232097 Frank 5 4.19 1993
author: Robert Jordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/18
date added: 2022/01/18
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]]> 9539
In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn.....]]> 1007 Robert Jordan 0812513738 Frank 5 4.27 1992
author: Robert Jordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/18
date added: 2021/12/18
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]]> 34897 The Dragon Reborn—the leader long prophesied who will save the world, but in the saving destroy it; the savior who will run mad and kill all those dearest to him—is on the run from his destiny.

Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, and with no one to teach him how—for no man has done it in three thousand years—Rand al'Thor knows only that he must face the Dark One. But how?

Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he?

Perrin Aybara is in pursuit with Moiraine Sedai, her Warder Lan, and Loial the Ogier. Bedeviled by dreams, Perrin is grappling with another deadly problem—how is he to escape the loss of his own humanity?

Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve are approaching Tar Valon, where Mat will be healed—if he lives until they arrive. But who will tell the Amyrlin their news—that the Black Ajah, long thought only a hideous rumor, is all too real? They cannot know that in Tar Valon far worse awaits...

Ahead, for all of them, in the Heart of the Stone, lies the next great test of the Dragon reborn....
]]> 624 Robert Jordan 0765305119 Frank 5 4.27 1991
author: Robert Jordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1991
rating: 5
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]]> 233649
Rand cannot run for ever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.

And the Pattern demands the Dragon.]]> 705 Robert Jordan 0812517725 Frank 5 4.25 1990
author: Robert Jordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/28
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]]> 228665
Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.]]> 800 Robert Jordan 0812511816 Frank 5 4.19 1990
author: Robert Jordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/26
date added: 2021/11/26
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]]> 28954189 Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art�� of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

An alternate cover edition of ISBN: 9781442472426]]> 435 Neal Shusterman Frank 5 4.32 2016
author: Neal Shusterman
name: Frank
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/23
date added: 2021/11/23
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]]> 36385830 "I have sensed a disturbance in the Force."

Ominous words under any circumstances, but all the more so when uttered by Emperor Palpatine. On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root—its existence little more than a glimmer, its consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals for the emperor's favor, and outspoken adversaries on Imperial affairs—including the Death Star project—the formidable pair seem unlikely partners for such a crucial mission. But the Emperor knows it's not the first time Vader and Thrawn have joined forces. And there's more behind his royal command than either man suspects.

In what seems like a lifetime ago, General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic, and Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, officer of the Chiss Ascendancy, crossed paths for the first time. One on a desperate personal quest, the other with motives unknown . . . and undisclosed. But facing a gauntlet of dangers on a far-flung world, they forged an uneasy alliance—neither remotely aware of what their futures held in store.

Now, thrust together once more, they find themselves bound again for the planet where they once fought side by side. There they will be doubly challenged—by a test of their allegiance to the Empire . . . and an enemy that threatens even their combined might.]]> 342 Timothy Zahn 052548048X Frank 4 3.94 2018
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Frank
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/21
date added: 2021/11/21
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]]> 36698976
After Thrawn is rescued from exile by Imperial soldiers, his deadly ingenuity and keen tactical abilities swiftly capture the attention of Emperor Palpatine. And just as quickly, Thrawn proves to be as indispensable to the Empire as he is ambitious; as devoted as its most loyal servant, Darth Vader; and a brilliant warrior never to be underestimated. On missions to rout smugglers, snare spies, and defeat pirates, he triumphs time and again—even as his renegade methods infuriate superiors while inspiring ever greater admiration from the Empire. As one promotion follows another in his rapid ascension to greater power, he schools his trusted aide, Ensign Eli Vanto, in the arts of combat and leadership, and the secrets of claiming victory. But even though Thrawn dominates the battlefield, he has much to learn in the arena of politics, where ruthless administrator Arihnda Pryce holds the power to be a potent ally or a brutal enemy.

All these lessons will be put to the ultimate test when Thrawn rises to admiral and must pit all the knowledge, instincts, and battle forces at his command against an insurgent uprising that threatens not only innocent lives but also the Empire’s grip on the galaxy—and his own carefully laid plans for future ascendancy.]]> 488 Timothy Zahn 0345542843 Frank 5 4.39 2017
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Frank
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/12
date added: 2021/09/12
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]]> 30231750 295 Laurence Gonzales 0393353710 Frank 3 3.92 1998
author: Laurence Gonzales
name: Frank
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/07
date added: 2021/09/07
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]]> 22299763
Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.]]> 561 Leigh Bardugo Frank 5 4.58 2016
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Frank
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/24
date added: 2021/07/24
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]]> 23437156 Alternate cover of ISBN 9781627792127

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.]]> 480 Leigh Bardugo 1627792120 Frank 5 4.47 2015
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Frank
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/05
date added: 2021/07/05
shelves:
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Loved it. Felt like it mixed elements of Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn" and Scott Lynch's "Lies of Locke Lamora", which worked really well. Would recommend for someone who likes heist stories, con-man ensembles like Oceans 11, and Fantasy stories.
]]> 51637946 Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before the Clone Wars...Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in the High Republic.

It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the farthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. But even the brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.

When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.

Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.]]> 380 Charles Soule 0593157710 Frank 0 to-read 3.91 2021
author: Charles Soule
name: Frank
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/30
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]]> 52454426
But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten.

In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.

Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.]]> 286 Max Brooks 1984826786 Frank 3 3.88 2020
author: Max Brooks
name: Frank
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/28
date added: 2021/06/28
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]]> 54954483
When NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, the league shut down immediately, bringing a shocking, sudden pause to the season. As the pandemic raged, it looked as if it might be the first year in league history with no champion. But four months later, after meticulous planning, twenty-two teams resumed play in a "bub­ble" at Disney World-a restricted, single-site locale cut off from the outside world.

Due to health concerns, the league invited only a handful of reporters, who were required to sacrifice medical privacy, live in a hotel room for more than three months, and submit to daily coronavirus test­ing in hopes of keeping the bubble from bursting. In exchange for the constant monitoring and restricted movement, they were allowed into a basketball fan's dream, with a courtside seat at dozens of games in nearly empty arenas.

Ben Golliver, the national NBA writer for the The Washington Post , was one of those allowed access. Bubbleball is his account of the season and life inside, telling the story of how basketball bounced back from its shutdown, how players staged headline-grabbing social justice protests, and how Lakers star LeBron James chased his fourth ring in unconventional and unforgettable circumstances. Based on months of reporting in the exclusive, confined environment, this is an entertaining record of an extraordinary season.]]> 304 Ben Golliver 1419755536 Frank 5 3.75 2021
author: Ben Golliver
name: Frank
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/14
date added: 2021/06/23
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]]> 18513593
COLLECTING: THOR: GOD OF THUNDER 12-18]]> 160 Jason Aaron 0785185550 Frank 5 3.62
author: Jason Aaron
name: Frank
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/30
date added: 2021/05/30
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]]> 17824758
As the dark origin of Gorr is revealed, along with the truth behind his bloody quest to butcher the gods, three time-bending Thors unite to lead an army of slave gods in the fight to save all of divinity. But will it all be for naught as the clock ticks down and the massive Godbomb is triggered at last? And after the dust clears, what will be left of the universe’s divinity?

Collecting: Thor: God of Thunder 6-11]]> 136 Jason Aaron 0785168435 Frank 5 4.29 2013
author: Jason Aaron
name: Frank
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/29
date added: 2021/05/29
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]]> 17251114
COLLECTING: Thor: God of Thunder 1-5]]> 136 Jason Aaron 0785168427 Frank 5 4.26 2012
author: Jason Aaron
name: Frank
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/27
date added: 2021/05/27
shelves:
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]]> 1870129
Collecting: Astonishing X-Men 19-24 & Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men 1]]> 192 Joss Whedon 0785122540 Frank 2 4.33 2008
author: Joss Whedon
name: Frank
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2021/05/26
date added: 2021/05/25
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]]> 31981 144 Joss Whedon 0785117598 Frank 2 4.23 2007
author: Joss Whedon
name: Frank
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2021/05/25
date added: 2021/05/25
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]]> 31975 152 Joss Whedon 078511677X Frank 3 4.19 2007
author: Joss Whedon
name: Frank
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2021/05/25
date added: 2021/05/25
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]]> 31979 Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America) present the explosive flagship X-Men series - marking a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men! Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world. But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started?

Collecting: Astonishing X-Men 1-6]]> 144 Joss Whedon 0785115315 Frank 5 4.20 2004
author: Joss Whedon
name: Frank
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/23
date added: 2021/05/23
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review:

]]> 29507117
Collecting: The Vision 7-12]]> 136 Tom King 0785196587 Frank 5 4.40 2016
author: Tom King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/23
date added: 2021/05/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 27163019 Behold the Visions! They’re the family next door, and they have the power to kill us all. What could possibly go wrong? Artificial hearts will be broken, bodies will not stay buried, the truth will not remain hidden, and the Vision will never be the same.

Collecting: The Vision 1-6]]> 136 Tom King 0785196579 Frank 5 4.26 2016
author: Tom King
name: Frank
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/23
date added: 2021/05/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 670341
Beginning his story in 1940, Morales incisively depicts the racism his various African-American characters confront both in civilian life and in the military. These black soldiers are compelled to act as test subjects for the super-soldier serum; some die, while others become deformed. Ultimately only one survives, Isaiah Bradley. Substituting for Captain America on a mission, Bradley discovers Jewish concentration camp inmates subjected to experiments.

Ranging from heroic figures to pointed caricatures, artist Baker makes his varied styles gel. Drawing on copious research, Morales dramatizes how racism corrupted American history, yet verges close to asserting moral equivalency between America and Nazi Germany. Roosevelt was ultimately in charge of the super-soldier program: would he have approved these human experiments? Besides, how can one talk about "truth" regarding a fictional creation? Simon and Kirby devised a fable about an American everyman tapping his inner strength to combat genocidal fascism; Kirby helped pioneer positive depictions of blacks in comics. By adding Morales's backstory to Captain America's origin, Marvel has turned the character into a white superman who owes his powers to the deaths and exploitation of African-Americans.]]> 168 Robert Morales 0785110720 Frank 5 4.02 2004
author: Robert Morales
name: Frank
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/23
date added: 2021/05/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 331201
Collecting: Young Avengers 7-12, Special]]> 144 Allan Heinberg 0785120211 Frank 4 4.27 2006
author: Allan Heinberg
name: Frank
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/19
date added: 2021/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 331205 Avengers Disassembled, a mysterious new group of teen super heroes appears. But who are they? Where did they come from? And what right do they have to call themselves the Young Avengers?

Collecting: Young Avengers 1-6]]> 144 Allan Heinberg 0785120181 Frank 4 4.18 2006
author: Allan Heinberg
name: Frank
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/17
date added: 2021/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 21343 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.

Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.]]> 228 Patrick Lencioni 0787960756 Frank 0 to-read 4.09 2002
author: Patrick Lencioni
name: Frank
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.]]> 388 Victoria Aveyard 0062310631 Frank 5 3.98 2015
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Frank
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/26
date added: 2021/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 256683
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...]]> 485 Cassandra Clare 1416914285 Frank 0 to-read 4.08 2007
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Frank
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 7171637 New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...]]> 479 Cassandra Clare 1416975861 Frank 0 to-read 4.31 2010
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Frank
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 3227063 New York Times Bestselling author Brent Weeks...
For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.]]> 645 Brent Weeks 0316033677 Frank 3
--

This will be a short review. I'll begin by saying that I _did_ like this book, only because it may be hard to tell that based off the complaints that are about to follow. I wanted a book about an assassin, and this book delivers. Even better, they're magic wielding assassins. Great.

That said, there were real issues with this book for me.

Our main character Azoth/Kylar is 11 to begin this story, as is his friend, a boy named Jarl. They are orphans who must steal enough to pay their dues to their guild of child thieves. This is very similar to start of Lies of Locke Lamora, but that's fine. I like the setup.

They take care of another orphan named Doll Girl, who is a mute and very young. It is unspecified exactly how old she is, it is only specified that she is under eight years old (the age guild dues are to be collected), so she is at MOST seven years old.

The leader of their "fist" of the guild is an older boy who is a deranged, violent, sociopathic bully named Rat. When our hero Azoth begins to gain a following in opposition of Rat, Rat kills one of Azoth's followers and _rapes_ Jarl. He refers to this as making him one of his little girls, and apparently he rapes many of these orphan boys.

This is my first problem with the book. I can't speak for others, but personally, I'm not a fan of using rape as a plot device, especially not child rape. Rape is also used throughout the book as a means to antagonize the main characters. I could definitely do without this in the story.

Azoth wants to be an apprentice to the most feared assassin in the city, Durzo Blint to take revenge on Rat for raping Jarl and to escape the life of a vulnerable orphan street thief.

Durzo commands him to kill Rat as his first assignment. I guess that's a good way to establish our protagonist as a killer without making him a villain, because nobody would think Rat doesn't deserve to die. He's given 7 days.

While Azoth is hesitating to kill Rat, on Day 4, Rat kidnaps Doll Girl. It doesn't specify that he rapes her, but again, it is known that he uses rape as a common means of humiliating his victims. Even if he doesn't rape this little girl, he does permanently disfigure her by mutilating her face with a knife, leaving her with permanent horrific scars. Another horrific moment used as the purpose of character development for Azoth. Not spectacular.

Before accepting Azoth as an apprentice, Durzo points out that Azoth thinks he is in love with Doll Girl (and points out that eleven is too young to know if he's in love). Now, I won't begrudge an 11 year old character for thinking he's in love, but I will point out that 11 is _just_ about the age little boys start having sexualized thoughts. So it IS weird that his supposed love interest is seven years old, IF NOT YOUNGER. Again, it isn't actually specified how much younger she is than eight.

But what makes it even weirder, is that Azoth trains for YEARS under Durzo in the ways of an assassin. I believe he's 16 when he's sent to Count Drake to pose as a poor noble named Kylar Stern. Azoth won't be with a woman, even a prostitute (which I guess is normal for 16 year olds in this story) because he is still in love with Doll Girl. Okay so this is where it's really fucking weird and gross to me: he still thinks he's in love with her by the time he's 16? But he hasn't seen her since he was eleven, and she was seven. Eleven year olds may not have sexual thoughts yet, but I will tell you for sure that 16 year olds do. But his only image of the girl he loves is of a seven year old?! That means the main character of this story has been furiously masturbating to the thought of a seven year old for years by this point. That's really fucking gross.

My final issue with the book is somewhat hard to explain, but I'll try. The climactic sequence of the story revolves around a political coup. Durzo is being blackmailed/extorted under the threat of harm to his daughter to perform assassinations to enable the coup. Azoth is being manipulated to betray Durzo and his best friend Logan... honestly there's so much going on, it's hard to keep track, which is a part of the problem... But my biggest issue with this climax is that it just wasn't nearly as interesting as the parts of the book where he is learning to become an assassin. Heck, it wasn't even as interesting as his initial days as an orphan child in a guild of thieves. The ending is fine, I suppose, but it is clearly meant to be a wild climax, and by this point of the book, I was sort of checked out because the earlier parts were so much more interesting.

Anyways, those were my issues with the book. Like I said at the top, I did enjoy it. It did remind me of Lies of Locke Lamora in a number of ways, which is a good thing, in my opinion. I will probably move on to the next book in the series. But it definitely wasn't a book without issues for me.]]> 4.15 2008
author: Brent Weeks
name: Frank
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2021/02/21
date added: 2021/02/21
shelves:
review:
[TW: this review discusses violence against children and sexual violence/rape of children]

--

This will be a short review. I'll begin by saying that I _did_ like this book, only because it may be hard to tell that based off the complaints that are about to follow. I wanted a book about an assassin, and this book delivers. Even better, they're magic wielding assassins. Great.

That said, there were real issues with this book for me.

Our main character Azoth/Kylar is 11 to begin this story, as is his friend, a boy named Jarl. They are orphans who must steal enough to pay their dues to their guild of child thieves. This is very similar to start of Lies of Locke Lamora, but that's fine. I like the setup.

They take care of another orphan named Doll Girl, who is a mute and very young. It is unspecified exactly how old she is, it is only specified that she is under eight years old (the age guild dues are to be collected), so she is at MOST seven years old.

The leader of their "fist" of the guild is an older boy who is a deranged, violent, sociopathic bully named Rat. When our hero Azoth begins to gain a following in opposition of Rat, Rat kills one of Azoth's followers and _rapes_ Jarl. He refers to this as making him one of his little girls, and apparently he rapes many of these orphan boys.

This is my first problem with the book. I can't speak for others, but personally, I'm not a fan of using rape as a plot device, especially not child rape. Rape is also used throughout the book as a means to antagonize the main characters. I could definitely do without this in the story.

Azoth wants to be an apprentice to the most feared assassin in the city, Durzo Blint to take revenge on Rat for raping Jarl and to escape the life of a vulnerable orphan street thief.

Durzo commands him to kill Rat as his first assignment. I guess that's a good way to establish our protagonist as a killer without making him a villain, because nobody would think Rat doesn't deserve to die. He's given 7 days.

While Azoth is hesitating to kill Rat, on Day 4, Rat kidnaps Doll Girl. It doesn't specify that he rapes her, but again, it is known that he uses rape as a common means of humiliating his victims. Even if he doesn't rape this little girl, he does permanently disfigure her by mutilating her face with a knife, leaving her with permanent horrific scars. Another horrific moment used as the purpose of character development for Azoth. Not spectacular.

Before accepting Azoth as an apprentice, Durzo points out that Azoth thinks he is in love with Doll Girl (and points out that eleven is too young to know if he's in love). Now, I won't begrudge an 11 year old character for thinking he's in love, but I will point out that 11 is _just_ about the age little boys start having sexualized thoughts. So it IS weird that his supposed love interest is seven years old, IF NOT YOUNGER. Again, it isn't actually specified how much younger she is than eight.

But what makes it even weirder, is that Azoth trains for YEARS under Durzo in the ways of an assassin. I believe he's 16 when he's sent to Count Drake to pose as a poor noble named Kylar Stern. Azoth won't be with a woman, even a prostitute (which I guess is normal for 16 year olds in this story) because he is still in love with Doll Girl. Okay so this is where it's really fucking weird and gross to me: he still thinks he's in love with her by the time he's 16? But he hasn't seen her since he was eleven, and she was seven. Eleven year olds may not have sexual thoughts yet, but I will tell you for sure that 16 year olds do. But his only image of the girl he loves is of a seven year old?! That means the main character of this story has been furiously masturbating to the thought of a seven year old for years by this point. That's really fucking gross.

My final issue with the book is somewhat hard to explain, but I'll try. The climactic sequence of the story revolves around a political coup. Durzo is being blackmailed/extorted under the threat of harm to his daughter to perform assassinations to enable the coup. Azoth is being manipulated to betray Durzo and his best friend Logan... honestly there's so much going on, it's hard to keep track, which is a part of the problem... But my biggest issue with this climax is that it just wasn't nearly as interesting as the parts of the book where he is learning to become an assassin. Heck, it wasn't even as interesting as his initial days as an orphan child in a guild of thieves. The ending is fine, I suppose, but it is clearly meant to be a wild climax, and by this point of the book, I was sort of checked out because the earlier parts were so much more interesting.

Anyways, those were my issues with the book. Like I said at the top, I did enjoy it. It did remind me of Lies of Locke Lamora in a number of ways, which is a good thing, in my opinion. I will probably move on to the next book in the series. But it definitely wasn't a book without issues for me.
]]> 30238163 Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city��

And she’ll need to play.]]> 411 Amanda Foody 1335692290 Frank 2 3.82 2018
author: Amanda Foody
name: Frank
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2021/01/02
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 29749107 400 E.K. Johnston Frank 5
This book takes place right after the events of Order 66, so I would say having seen all of the Clone Wars TV series is a pre-requisite.]]> 4.08 2016
author: E.K. Johnston
name: Frank
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/31
date added: 2020/12/31
shelves:
review:
Loved it. I would happily read any new Ahsoka-focused books. I hope there is more to come.

This book takes place right after the events of Order 66, so I would say having seen all of the Clone Wars TV series is a pre-requisite.
]]> 28186
In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.]]> 279 Rick Riordan 0786856866 Frank 3 4.25 2006
author: Rick Riordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/30
date added: 2020/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 7896527 Meet Celaena Sardothien.

Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

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

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas Frank 4 4.19 2012
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Frank
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/29
date added: 2020/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> 9317452 392 Ben Aaronovitch 0575097566 Frank 0 to-read 3.83 2011
author: Ben Aaronovitch
name: Frank
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/12/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 20416427 Discover where Celaena Sardothien's thrilling saga began.

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no-one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn's clutches—and if they fail, they'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives...

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers listeners a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Healer
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire]]> 446 Sarah J. Maas Frank 0 to-read 4.32 2014
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Frank
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/12/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51375432 How a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor parlayed a strong grasp of the science of human decision-making and a woeful ignorance of cards into a life-changing run as a professional poker player, under the wing of a legend of the game

It's true that Maria Konnikova had never actually played poker before and didn't even know the rules when she approached Erik Seidel, Poker Hall of Fame inductee and winner of tens of millions of dollars in earnings, and convinced him to be her mentor. But she knew her man: a famously thoughtful and broad-minded player, he was intrigued by her pitch that she wasn't interested in making money so much as learning about life. She had faced a stretch of personal bad luck, and her reflections on the role of chance had led her to a giant of game theory, who pointed her to poker as the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish between what can be controlled and what can't. And she certainly brought something to the table, including a Ph.D. in psychology and an acclaimed and growing body of work on human behavior and how to hack it. So Seidel was in, and soon she was down the rabbit hole with him, into the wild, fiercely competitive, overwhelmingly masculine world of high-stakes Texas Hold'em, their initial end point the following year's World Series of Poker.

But then something extraordinary happened. Under Seidel's guidance, Konnikova did have many epiphanies about life that derived from her new pursuit, including how to better read, not just her opponents but far more importantly herself; how to identify what tilted her into an emotional state that got in the way of good decisions; and how to get to a place where she could accept luck for what it was, and what it wasn't. But she also began to win. And win. In a little over a year, she began making earnest money from tournaments, ultimately totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.�� She won a major title, got a sponsor, and got used to being on television, and to headlines like "How one writer's book deal turned her into a professional poker player." She even learned to like Las Vegas.

But in the end, Maria Konnikova is a writer and student of human behavior, and ultimately the point was to render her incredible journey into a container for its invaluable lessons. The biggest bluff of all, she learned, is that skill is enough. Bad cards will come our way, but keeping our focus on how we play them and not on the outcome will keep us moving through many a dark patch, until the luck once again breaks our way.]]> 368 Maria Konnikova 0525522638 Frank 4 4.25 2020
author: Maria Konnikova
name: Frank
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/31
date added: 2020/08/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 53406893 Los Angeles Times Magazine as “the greatest epic in the history of comic books��, The Sandman changed the game with its dark, literary world of fantasy and horror - creating a global, cultural phenomenon in the process. At long last, Audible and DC present the first-ever audio production of the New York Times best-selling series written by acclaimed storyteller Neil Gaiman (who also serves as co-executive producer). Adapted and directed by multi-award-winner (and frequent Gaiman collaborator) Dirk Maggs, and performed by an ensemble cast with James McAvoy (It, Parts One and Two, X-Men: First Class, Split) in the title role, this first installment of a multi-part original audio series will transport you to a world that re-writes the rules of audio entertainment the way that The Sandman originally re-defined the graphic novel.

When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools�� that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer (Michael Sheen), chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare (Arthur Darvill), and many more.��

A powerhouse supporting cast helps translate this masterwork into a sonic experience worthy of its legacy, including Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, and more. Setting the stage for their performance is an unprecedented cinematic soundscape featuring an original musical score by British Academy Award winner James Hannigan. Fans will especially revel in a new twist for the audio adaptation: Neil Gaiman himself serves as the narrator. Follow him as he leads listeners along a winding path of myths, imagination and, often, terror. Even in your wildest dreams, you’ve never heard anything like this.

The Sandman Act 1 adapts volumes 1 - 3 of the graphic novel series.]]> 11 Dirk Maggs Frank 5 4.39 2020
author: Dirk Maggs
name: Frank
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/17
date added: 2020/08/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 15724396
One day, Magnus learns that someone else is trying to track him down—his uncle Randolph, a man his mother had always warned him about. When Magnus tries to outmaneuver his uncle, he falls right into his clutches. Randolph starts rambling about Norse history and Magnus's birthright: a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

The more Randolph talks, the more puzzle pieces fall into place. Stories about the gods of Asgard, wolves, and Doomsday bubble up from Magnus's memory. But he doesn't have time to consider it all before a fire giant attacks the city, forcing him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents. . . .

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.]]> 512 Rick Riordan 1423160916 Frank 4 4.22 2015
author: Rick Riordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/06
date added: 2020/07/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 28187 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.]]> 377 Rick Riordan 0786838655 Frank 5 4.31 2005
author: Rick Riordan
name: Frank
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/14
date added: 2020/06/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 8306857 In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024027 Frank 3 4.28 2011
author: Veronica Roth
name: Frank
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/02
date added: 2020/05/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 25574782
Now another girl has disappeared, with chilling echoes of the past. And it seems that she might not be the only one.

Claire is convinced Julia's disappearance is linked.

But when she begins to learn the truth about her sister, she is confronted with a shocking discovery, and nothing will ever be the same...]]> 432 Karin Slaughter 0062430874 Frank 0 to-read 3.99 2015
author: Karin Slaughter
name: Frank
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35959740
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 Frank 0 to-read 4.22 2018
author: Madeline Miller
name: Frank
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25816741
In the second half of the twentieth-century New York was the source of new sounds, including the Greenwich Village folk scene, punk and new wave, and hip-hop. But as the end of the millennium neared, cutting-edge bands began emerging from Seattle, Austin, and London, pushing New York further from the epicenter. The behemoth music industry, too, found itself in free fall, under siege from technology. Then 9/11/2001 plunged the country into a state of uncertainty and war—and a dozen New York City bands that had been honing their sound and style in relative obscurity suddenly became symbols of glamour for a young, web-savvy, forward-looking generation in need of an anthem.

Meet Me in the Bathroom charts the transformation of the New York music scene in the first decade of the 2000s, the bands behind it—including The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, and Vampire Weekend—and the cultural forces that shaped it, from the Internet to a booming real estate market that forced artists out of the Lower East Side to Williamsburg. Drawing on 200 original interviews with James Murphy, Julian Casablancas, Karen O, Ezra Koenig, and many others musicians, artists, journalists, bloggers, photographers, managers, music executives, groupies, models, movie stars, and DJs who lived through this explosive time, journalist Lizzy Goodman offers a fascinating portrait of a time and a place that gave birth to a new era in modern rock-and-roll.]]> 622 Lizzy Goodman 0062233092 Frank 0 to-read 4.15 2017
author: Lizzy Goodman
name: Frank
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25005593 84 Jonathan Little Frank 4 Good primer for beginners

I bought this book on Kindle, not realizing how short it was. It's a fine primer for absolute beginners, but won't take you much further than that. It just generally goes over the basic player profiles you'll encounter and a simplified approach you can take when these players aren't experienced enough to make adjustments when you are playing in an exploitable manner. Probably a decent gift for someone who is just getting interested in poker. ]]> 3.69 2015
author: Jonathan Little
name: Frank
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/05
date added: 2020/02/05
shelves:
review:
Good primer for beginners

I bought this book on Kindle, not realizing how short it was. It's a fine primer for absolute beginners, but won't take you much further than that. It just generally goes over the basic player profiles you'll encounter and a simplified approach you can take when these players aren't experienced enough to make adjustments when you are playing in an exploitable manner. Probably a decent gift for someone who is just getting interested in poker.
]]> 35917072 Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for an enemy.]]> 525 Tomi Adeyemi 1250170982 Frank 5 4.27 2018
author: Tomi Adeyemi
name: Frank
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/01
date added: 2020/02/01
shelves:
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]]> 18248613
He may have survived the avalanche, but the aftermath has been far worse. His wife moved out, taking his son with her, and a devastated David hasn’t left his house since, terrified of the mysterious new power that followed him home from the ill-fated expedition.

After months in seclusion, David’s ready for a fresh start, and ventures out, determined to keep his power in check. But David’s power isn’t the one he needs to worry about.]]> 15 Victoria E. Schwab Frank 0 to-read 3.76 2013
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Frank
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 26856502 A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions��#1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to Vicious.

Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.

But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought—and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.

With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity--and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.]]> 462 Victoria E. Schwab Frank 0 to-read 4.13 2018
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Frank
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 40874032 A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.]]> 402 Victoria E. Schwab Frank 0 to-read 4.17 2013
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Frank
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55399 Vast legions of gods, mages, humans, dragons and all manner of creatures play out the fate of the Malazan Empire in this first book in a major epic fantasy series from Steven Erikson.

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...

Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.]]> 666 Steven Erikson 0765348780 Frank 0 to-read 3.91 1999
author: Steven Erikson
name: Frank
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> 29939230 Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies.

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

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

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

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.]]> 624 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387468 Frank 0 to-read 4.30 2017
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Frank
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/05
shelves: to-read
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]]> 22055262
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.]]> 400 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376458 Frank 5 4.04 2015
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Frank
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/05
date added: 2020/01/05
shelves:
review:
I had no expectations set for this book, not knowing anything about this book or author. I was pleasantly surprised. I will definitely be continuing on to the next book(s) in this series.
]]> 18077875 Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized?
Are you often busy but not productive?
��Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the EssentialistThe Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.�� It is not����a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.��

By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy �� instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.

Essentialism is not one more thing �� it’s a whole new way of doing everything. A must-read for any leader, manager, or individual who wants to learn how to do less, but better, in every area of their lives, Essentialism ��is a movement whose time has come.]]> 260 Greg McKeown 0804137382 Frank 5 self-improvement 4.05 2011
author: Greg McKeown
name: Frank
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2018/09/04
date added: 2020/01/02
shelves: self-improvement
review:

]]> 23215490 272 Amy Morin 0062391542 Frank 4 3.86 2014
author: Amy Morin
name: Frank
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/02
date added: 2020/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 43582733 In The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, bestselling author Ryan Holiday made ancient wisdom wildly popular with a new generation of leaders in sports, politics, and technology. In his new book, Stillness Is the Key, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead.

All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness--to be steady while the world spins around you.

In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history's greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus.

Holiday also examines figures who exemplified the power of stillness: baseball player Sadaharu Oh, whose study of Zen made him the greatest home run hitter of all time; Winston Churchill, who in balancing his busy public life with time spent laying bricks and painting at his Chartwell estate managed to save the world from annihilation in the process; Fred Rogers, who taught generations of children to see what was invisible to the eye; Anne Frank, whose journaling and love of nature guided her through unimaginable adversity.

More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.]]> 288 Ryan Holiday 0525538585 Frank 5 4.19 2019
author: Ryan Holiday
name: Frank
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/30
date added: 2019/12/31
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]]> 11468377 Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and at home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.

Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives—and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow will transform the way you think about thinking.]]> 499 Daniel Kahneman 0374275637 Frank 0 to-read 4.17 2011
author: Daniel Kahneman
name: Frank
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/10/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> 10572
It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.]]> 1009 George R.R. Martin 0553381695 Frank 5 4.42 1998
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Frank
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2019/08/12
date added: 2019/08/12
shelves:
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]]> 781559 Erich Gamma, IBM Distinguished Engineer Many teams have a master developer who makes a rapid stream of good decisions all day long. Their code is easy to understand, quick to modify, and feels safe and comfortable to work with. If you ask how they thought to write something the way they did, they always have a good reason. This book will help you become the master developer on your team. The breadth and depth of topics will engage veteran programmers, who will pick up new tricks and improve on old habits, while the clarity makes it accessible to even novice developers. Russ Rufer, Silicon Valley Patterns Group Many people don t realize how readable code can be and how valuable that readability is. Kent has taught me so much, I m glad this book gives everyone the chance to learn from him. Martin Fowler, chief scientist, ThoughtWorks Code should be worth reading, not just by the compiler, but by humans. Kent Beck distilled his experience into a cohesive collection of implementation patterns. These nuggets of advice will make your code truly worth reading. Gregor Hohpe, author of Enterprise Integration Patterns In this book Kent Beck shows how writing clear and readable code follows from the application of simple principles. Implementation Patterns will help developers write intention revealing code that is both easy to understand and flexible towards future extensions. A must read for developers who are serious about their code. Sven Gorts Implementation Patterns bridges the gap between design and coding. Beck introduces a new way of thinking about programming by basing his discussion on values and principles. Diomidis Spinellis, author of Code Reading and Code Quality Software Expert Kent Beck Presents a Catalog of Patterns Infinitely Useful for Everyday Programming Great code doesn t just function: it clearly and consistently communicates your intentions, allowing other programmers to understand your code, rely on it, and modify it with confidence. But great code doesn t just happen. It is the outcome of hundreds of small but critical decisions programmers make every single day. Now, legendary software innovator Kent Beck known worldwide for creating Extreme Programming and pioneering software patterns and test-driven development focuses on these critical decisions, unearthing powerful implementation patterns for writing programs that are simpler, clearer, better organized, and more cost effective. Beck collects 77 patterns for handling everyday programming tasks and writing more readable code. This new collection of patterns addresses many aspects of development, including class, state, behavior, method, collections, frameworks, and more. He uses diagrams, stories, examples, and essays to engage the reader as he illuminates the patterns. You ll find proven solutions for handling everything from naming variables to checking exceptions. This book covers
The value of communicating through code and the philosophy behind patterns How and when to create classes, and how classes encode logic Best practices for storing and retrieving state Behavior: patterns for representing logic, including alternative paths Writing, naming, and decomposing methods Choosing and using collections Implementation pattern variations for use in building frameworks Implementation Patterns will help programmers at all experience levels, especially those who have benefited from software patterns or agile methods. It will also be an indispensable resource for development teams seeking to work together more efficiently and build more maintainable software. No other programming book will touch your day-to-day work more often. "]]> 176 Kent Beck 0321413091 Frank 0 to-read 3.62 2006
author: Kent Beck
name: Frank
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/08/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 23911680
In Alorin...three hundred years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he’ll have to find him...

In the kingdom of Dannym...the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood-brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord...

In the Nadori desert...tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them.

Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B0046A9VLO here.]]> 901 Melissa McPhail Frank 0 to-read 4.17 2010
author: Melissa McPhail
name: Frank
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 19410554 From a semi-professional poker player, a guide to playing and winning the biggest game in town. If you’ve never tried Pot-Limit Omaha, you’re missing out on the most exciting, most lucrative cash game around. Omaha has long been the most popular form of poker in Europe, and now it’s spreading like wildfire throughout North America. The reason is Omaha offers more action and bigger pots than Texas Hold ‘em. Isn’t it time you got in on it? Whether you’re a cash-game professional or poker hobbyist—and whether you play live or online—this book will arm you with a winning big-play strategy that's easy to master even if you've never played Omaha before. You'll discover the subtle distinctions that set Omaha above other games. Key topics ������•�� The Big Play Objectives ������•�� The Power of the Big Draw ������•�� Straight Draws and Starting Hand Construction ������•�� Playing the Position Game ������•�� Limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Complete with practice situations and hand quizzes, this is the most comprehensive Omaha book available—and the only one you'll ever need.

“A great addition to poker literature.”—Bob Ciaffone, author of Omaha Poker

“Everything you wanted to know about the game but never asked.”—Lou Krieger, author of Hold ‘Em Excellence]]> 354 Jeff Hwang 0818407530 Frank 4 4.24 2008
author: Jeff Hwang
name: Frank
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/18
date added: 2019/04/18
shelves:
review:

]]>