Angie's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:24:05 -0800 60 Angie's bookshelf: all 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Winter People 18801904
Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she's not the only person looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.]]> 401 Jennifer McMahon 0385538502 Angie 0 3.89 2014 The Winter People
author: Jennifer McMahon
name: Angie
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves:
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]]> We Begin at the End 54280574 There are two kinds of families: the ones we are born into and the ones we create.

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released.

Duchess is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Her mother, Star, grew up with Walk and Vincent. Walk is in overdrive trying to protect them, but Vincent and Star seem bent on sliding deeper into self-destruction. Star always burned bright, but recently that light has dimmed, leaving Duchess to parent not only her mother but her five-year-old brother. At school the other kids make fun of Duchess—her clothes are torn, her hair a mess. But let them throw their sticks, because she’ll throw stones. Rules are for other people. She’s just trying to survive and keep her family together.

A fortysomething-year-old sheriff and a thirteen-year-old girl may not seem to have a lot in common. But they both have come to expect that people will disappoint you, loved ones will leave you, and if you open your heart it will be broken. So when trouble arrives with Vincent King, Walk and Duchess find they will be unable to do anything but usher it in, arms wide closed.

Chris Whitaker has written an extraordinary novel about people who deserve so much more than life serves them. At times devastating, with flashes of humor and hope throughout, it is ultimately an inspiring tale of how the human spirit prevails and how, in the end, love—in all its different guises—wins.]]> 384 Chris Whitaker Angie 0 4.34 2020 We Begin at the End
author: Chris Whitaker
name: Angie
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Crying is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings]]> 55104615
Is it possible we’ve misunderstood crying all along? That’s the discovery one big sister sets out to share with her little brother as they walk to school and get caught in a storm. Along the way they explore sadness, loneliness, fear, frustration, anger and more, through gentle metaphor. Their journey examines our tears revealing how they begin, why they happen, and what to do with them. Throughout the book, the message received is that we are safe in our emotional experiences and that feelings, like the weather, come and go. This is an empowering story about navigating and understanding our feelings as a healthy, important, and very natural part of our lives. Have you ever noticed you feel differently after you cry? That’s because Crying is like the Rain.]]> 36 Heather Feinberg 0884487261 Angie 0 4.43 2020 Crying is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings
author: Heather Feinberg
name: Angie
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
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review:

]]> The Last Flight 51197260 Two women. Two Flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move, making sure she's living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets — Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

The Last Flight is the story of two women — both alone, both scared — and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.]]> 352 Julie Clark 1728215730 Angie 0 4.25 2020 The Last Flight
author: Julie Clark
name: Angie
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Lightning Strike (Cork O'Connor, #0)]]> 55751761
Aurora is a small town nestled in the ancient forest alongside the shores of Minnesota’s Iron Lake. In the summer of 1963, it is the whole world to twelve-year-old Cork O’Connor, its rhythms as familiar as his own heartbeat. But when Cork stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp, it is the first in a series of events that will cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family, and himself.

Cork’s father, Liam O’Connor, is Aurora’s sheriff and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own. Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing between what their heads tell them is true and what their hearts know is right.

In this masterful story of a young man and a town on the cusp of change, beloved novelist William Kent Krueger shows that some mysteries can be solved even as others surpass our understanding.]]> 400 William Kent Krueger 1982128704 Angie 0 4.52 2021 Lightning Strike (Cork O'Connor, #0)
author: William Kent Krueger
name: Angie
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

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

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Angie 5 4.36 2021 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
author: John Green
name: Angie
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/09
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
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]]> The Cricket on the Hearth 549938 82 Charles Dickens 0809500418 Angie 0 3.48 1845 The Cricket on the Hearth
author: Charles Dickens
name: Angie
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1845
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/09
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]]> <![CDATA[Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World]]> 59138394
"Secrets of the Sprakkar is a fascinating window into what a more gender-equal world could look like, and why it's worth striving for. Iceland is doing a lot to level the playing paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and broad support for gender equality as a core value. Reid takes us on an exploration not only around this fascinating island, but also through the triumphs and stumbles of a country as it journeys towards gender equality."

—Hillary Rodham Clinton

Iceland is the best place on earth to be a woman—but why?

For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries closing the gap in equality between men and women. What is it about Iceland that makes many women's experience there so positive? Why has their society made such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world's first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home? And how can we learn from what Icelanders have already discovered about women's powerful place in society and how increased fairness benefits everyone?

Eliza Reid, the First Lady of Iceland, examines her adopted homeland's attitude toward women—the deep-seated cultural sense of fairness, the influence of current and historical role models, and, crucially, the areas where Iceland still has room for improvement. Reid's own experience as an immigrant from small-town Canada who never expected to become a first lady is expertly interwoven with interviews with dozens of sprakkar ("extraordinary women") to form the backbone of an illuminating discussion of what it means to move through the world as a woman, and how the rules of society play more of a role in who we view as "equal" than we may understand. Secrets of the Sprakkar is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all.]]> 288 Eliza Reid 1728242177 Angie 0 to-read 3.89 2022 Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World
author: Eliza Reid
name: Angie
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Measure 62949031 Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

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

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

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

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

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

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.]]> 368 Nikki Erlick 0063204215 Angie 0 to-read 3.99 2022 The Measure
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Angie
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/23
shelves: to-read
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]]> Never Let Me Go 6334
And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed – even comforted – by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham's nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood – and about their lives now.]]> 288 Kazuo Ishiguro 1400078776 Angie 0 3.85 2005 Never Let Me Go
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Angie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Message in the Bones (Messages of Murder #1)]]> 56872038 Gabby has a gift she never asked for and a town that has never accepted her for it. When she touches objects connected to violence she sees everything — the fear, the pain, the final moments of someone who did not deserve to die. She knows what she is walking into every single time. She does it anyway.
Message in the Bones is where it all begins. A construction site. A set of skeletal remains. A cold case that sends Detective Lucas Hartley — her brother's partner and the man she is absolutely not thinking about — straight to her door. The moment Gabby touches those bones she is in. All the way in. And so are you.
This is the book that starts an eight book obsession. Readers finish it and immediately grab Book 2. They finish Book 2 and immediately grab Book 3. By Book 4 they are rearranging their schedules around Gabby's world and they do not even feel bad about it.
Creepy, cozy, completely addictive, and threaded through with a quiet faith that makes every dark moment feel survivable. River Bend is the kind of small town that looks peaceful from the outside — and Gabby is the kind of protagonist who makes you feel like you have known her your whole life.
Start here. You will not regret it.]]> 237 Dawn Merriman Angie 0 to-read 4.26 2021 Message in the Bones (Messages of Murder #1)
author: Dawn Merriman
name: Angie
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Passenger (The Passenger #1)]]> 60581087
Traversing the American South, from the garrulous barrooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness.]]> 385 Cormac McCarthy 0593535227 Angie 0 to-read 3.58 2022 The Passenger (The Passenger #1)
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Angie
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 40914164
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

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

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

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

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]> 458 Stuart Turton 149267012X Angie 0 to-read 3.73 2018 The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Angie
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dreamland 60279823 Dreamland is a love story about risking everything for a dream—and whether it’s possible to leave the past behind.

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.

While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.

In the course of a single unforgettable week, two young people will navigate the exhilarating heights and heartbreak of first love. Hundreds of miles away, Beverly will put her love for her young son to the test. And fate will draw all three people together in a web of life-altering connections . . . forcing each to wonder whether the dream of a better life can ever survive the weight of the past.]]> 367 Nicholas Sparks 059344955X Angie 2
Sparks’ writing has long been difficult to get through with a lot more telling than showing and the exhausting “love at first sight” trope, but usually there’s a good, sweet story there. This one had the elements of promise but fell flat for me. Once I realized I was getting to the end, I dreaded finishing because I knew there was know way there’d be enough time to build an adequate conclusion. Annnnd there wasn’t. He took the easy way and left his one-dimensional characters as flat as they started.

]]> 3.82 2022 Dreamland
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Angie
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/05/13
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves:
review:
Have great memories of getting this book last year, but that’s where the love ends for me.

Sparks’ writing has long been difficult to get through with a lot more telling than showing and the exhausting “love at first sight” trope, but usually there’s a good, sweet story there. This one had the elements of promise but fell flat for me. Once I realized I was getting to the end, I dreaded finishing because I knew there was know way there’d be enough time to build an adequate conclusion. Annnnd there wasn’t. He took the easy way and left his one-dimensional characters as flat as they started.


]]> Everyone Here Is Lying 63139946
“The most addictive book I've read in ages—so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant.” —Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Remains

“Lapena is a master of manipulation.” —USA Today

Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.]]> 336 Shari Lapena 0593489934 Angie 3 3.75 2023 Everyone Here Is Lying
author: Shari Lapena
name: Angie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/24
date added: 2023/09/29
shelves:
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]]> All Good People Here 60142750 In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor—and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later.

You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?]]> 312 Ashley Flowers 0593496477 Angie 4 currently-reading 3.80 2022 All Good People Here
author: Ashley Flowers
name: Angie
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/09/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> This Is How We End Things 63910917 Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller by RJ Jacobs, following a tight-knit group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. When one of them is discovered dead after an experiment, everything the group thought they knew about deception crumbles...

Campus is empty, a winter storm is blowing in, and someone is lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to kill again.

Forest, North Carolina. Under the instruction of enigmatic Professor Joe Lyons, five graduate students are studying the tedious science behind the acts of lying. But discovering the secrets of deception isn't making any of the student's more honest though. Instead, it's making it easier for them to guard their own secrets – and they all have something to hide.

When a test goes awry and one of them is found dead, the students find themselves trapped by a snowstorm on an abandoned campus with a local detective on the case. As harbored secrets begin to break the surface, the graduates must find out who's lying, who isn't, and who may have been capable of committing murder. It turns out deception is even more dangerous than they thought...

A foreboding new dark academia thriller of deception and suspense, This is How it Ends follows the unraveling of a close group of students as they contend with what it means to lie, and be lied to.]]> 330 R.J. Jacobs 1728254108 Angie 3 3.44 2023 This Is How We End Things
author: R.J. Jacobs
name: Angie
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/29
date added: 2023/09/29
shelves:
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]]> Flowers for Algernon 18373 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.
 
Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence – a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?]]> 311 Daniel Keyes 015603008X Angie 0 4.21 1966 Flowers for Algernon
author: Daniel Keyes
name: Angie
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1966
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/17
shelves:
review:

]]> None of This Is True 62334530
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?]]> 390 Lisa Jewell 1982179007 Angie 4 4.06 2023 None of This Is True
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Angie
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/03
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)]]> 157062582
When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.]]> 293 Nita Prose 0593356187 Angie 5
All seems well at the Regency Grand Hotel. The staff has recovered from the on-site death of Mr. Black four years ago and Molly’s unprecedented attention to detail and order has landed her the coveted Head Maid status. The hotel is buzzing as renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe arrives to deliver a surprising announcement, turning into a hive of activity when he drops dead at the podium.

Detective Stark is quick to the scene, no less skeptical of staff than she was years prior, and rules the persnickety author’s death a homicide. Determined once again to prove that “the maid did it” is a terrible generalization, Molly sets out to find the killer. But first she must clear her own name as a suspect, a daunting task as she is hiding secrets from the past… hers and Mr. Grimthorpe’s.

Not usually a fan of cozy mysteries, I’ve surprised myself with how much I adore Molly Gray. She’s a brilliant character with more depth than meets the eye. Levity is added throughout both novels with her misunderstandings in an Amelia-Bedelia-esque manner, but Prose builds a well-rounded person with Molly, not a caricature merely positioned for comic relief.

While this book can stand alone, it’s best read after The Maid for an immersive experience that offers a more complete picture of the cast of characters and gives the reader the satisfaction of seeing Molly’s personal growth over time.

I can’t compliment the writing style enough. Prose’s prose is almost a character in itself. Molly’s formal vocabulary and obsession with definitions, when combined with every overused rose-tinted cliché imaginable from her grandmother, makes this a unique reading experience. It’s fun and light, but with a lot of heart.

As reluctant as I am to give out 5 stars, this one gets it because I just didn’t want it to end! Many thanks to Net Galley and Random House for sending this book for review consideration. ]]> 3.75 2023 The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)
author: Nita Prose
name: Angie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/31
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves:
review:
Fans of The Maid by Nita Prose will be utterly delighted that the curiously charming Molly Gray is back with another mystery to solve. And fans of Fredrik Backman who are looking for the same style with a little more lightness need to jump on board.

All seems well at the Regency Grand Hotel. The staff has recovered from the on-site death of Mr. Black four years ago and Molly’s unprecedented attention to detail and order has landed her the coveted Head Maid status. The hotel is buzzing as renowned author J.D. Grimthorpe arrives to deliver a surprising announcement, turning into a hive of activity when he drops dead at the podium.

Detective Stark is quick to the scene, no less skeptical of staff than she was years prior, and rules the persnickety author’s death a homicide. Determined once again to prove that “the maid did it” is a terrible generalization, Molly sets out to find the killer. But first she must clear her own name as a suspect, a daunting task as she is hiding secrets from the past… hers and Mr. Grimthorpe’s.

Not usually a fan of cozy mysteries, I’ve surprised myself with how much I adore Molly Gray. She’s a brilliant character with more depth than meets the eye. Levity is added throughout both novels with her misunderstandings in an Amelia-Bedelia-esque manner, but Prose builds a well-rounded person with Molly, not a caricature merely positioned for comic relief.

While this book can stand alone, it’s best read after The Maid for an immersive experience that offers a more complete picture of the cast of characters and gives the reader the satisfaction of seeing Molly’s personal growth over time.

I can’t compliment the writing style enough. Prose’s prose is almost a character in itself. Molly’s formal vocabulary and obsession with definitions, when combined with every overused rose-tinted cliché imaginable from her grandmother, makes this a unique reading experience. It’s fun and light, but with a lot of heart.

As reluctant as I am to give out 5 stars, this one gets it because I just didn’t want it to end! Many thanks to Net Galley and Random House for sending this book for review consideration.
]]> The List 45011563 Six names.
Six people set to die.

Six months later, they were gone. But the list maker was far from done with their town.
Like clockwork, new lists come out every six months. To keep their names off of them, the citizens go to extraordinary lengths and keep terrifying secrets.
Someone is controlling their town. But who? And, most importantly, why?

When Connor and Jordyn Atwood move to Bates, they see firsthand how far their new neighbors are willing to go to protect themselves. Will the Atwoods succumb to their newfound surroundings? Or will they fight to protect the town they now call their home?
With everything at stake and no one to trust, the Atwoods quickly learn the list maker has one important rule: do what you're told...or find your name on The List.]]> 292 Kiersten Modglin Angie 3 3.84 2016 The List
author: Kiersten Modglin
name: Angie
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/31
date added: 2023/08/31
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]]> What Remains 63221678 She saved his life. Now he‘ll never let her go.

Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases. Each crime is a puzzle to solve, pulled from the past. Elise looks for cracks in the surface and has become an expert on how murderers slip up and give themselves away. She has dedicated her life to creating a sense of order, at work with her ex-marine partner; at home with her husband and two young daughters; and within, battling her own demons. Elise has everything under control, until one afternoon, when she walks into a department store and is forced to make a terrible choice: to save one life, she will have to take another.

Elise is hailed as a hero, but she doesn’t feel like one. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is. In fact, Wade Austin isn’t even his real name. The tall man is a ghost, one who will set off a terrifying game of cat and mouse, threatening Elise and the people she loves most.]]> 247 Wendy Walker Angie 4 3.51 2023 What Remains
author: Wendy Walker
name: Angie
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/24
date added: 2023/08/27
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]]> Really Good, Actually 60877616 A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about one woman’s messy search for joy and meaning in the wake of an unexpected breakup, from comedian, essayist, and award-winning screenwriter Monica Heisey

Maggie is fine. She’s doing really good, actually. Sure, she’s broke, her graduate thesis on something obscure is going nowhere, and her marriage only lasted 608 days, but at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new life as a Surprisingly Young Divorcée™.

Now she has time to take up nine hobbies, eat hamburgers at 4 am, and “get back out there” sex-wise. With the support of her tough-loving academic advisor, Merris; her newly divorced friend, Amy; and her group chat (naturally), Maggie barrels through her first year of single life, intermittently dating, occasionally waking up on the floor and asking herself tough questions along the way.

Laugh-out-loud funny and filled with sharp observations, Really Good, Actually is a tender and bittersweet comedy that lays bare the uncertainties of modern love, friendship, and our search for that thing we like to call “happiness”. This is a remarkable debut from an unforgettable new voice in fiction.]]> 370 Monica Heisey 0063235412 Angie 3 3.13 2023 Really Good, Actually
author: Monica Heisey
name: Angie
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/18
date added: 2023/08/21
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]]> A House with Good Bones 60784409 A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.]]> 247 T. Kingfisher 1250829798 Angie 3
Otherwise, a fun enough story that kept me intrigued!]]> 3.64 2023 A House with Good Bones
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Angie
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/13
date added: 2023/08/14
shelves:
review:
I think it’s entirely possible if I had read this instead of listening to it. The narration has received praise - and it was engaging, just not for me. The snappy comments and witty self-talk were probably great to read, but came across too forced in audio.

Otherwise, a fun enough story that kept me intrigued!
]]> Take What You Need 61151289 In her most powerful book yet, award-winning writer Idra Novey has conjured a novel of "astonishing and singular" honesty (Rumaan Alam) with two determined, unforgettable female voices.

Set in the Allegheny Mountains of Appalachia, Take What You Need tracks the aftermath of a long estrangement between a stepmother and daughter. Leah is a web editor and young mother who's sought an urban life and clean break from her rural childhood. But with her stepmother Jean's death, Leah must return to sort through what's been left behind.

What Leah discovers is astonishing: Jean has filled the house with giant sculptures she's welded from scraps of the area's industrial history. There's also a young man now living in the house who's played an unknown role in Jean's last years and in her art.

With great verve and humor, Idra Novey zeroes in on the joys and difficulty of family, the ease with which we let distance mute conflict, and the power we can draw from creative pursuits.

Passionate and resonant, Take What You Need explores the continuing mystery of the people we love most, and what can be built from what others have discarded--art, unexpected friendship, a new contentment of self. This is Idra Novey at her very best.]]> 256 Idra Novey 0593652851 Angie 4 3.46 2023 Take What You Need
author: Idra Novey
name: Angie
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/14
date added: 2023/08/14
shelves:
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]]> Maybe in Another Life 23492661
From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.]]> 342 Taylor Jenkins Reid Angie 3 3.77 2015 Maybe in Another Life
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Angie
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/07
date added: 2023/08/09
shelves:
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]]> The Library Book 39507318
Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.

Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.]]> 317 Susan Orlean 1476740186 Angie 5 3.87 2018 The Library Book
author: Susan Orlean
name: Angie
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/05
date added: 2023/08/05
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]]> Dare to Lead 40109367 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.

Don’t miss the five-part Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart!

ONE OF BLOOMBERG’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas, and developing that potential. This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead.

When we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don't see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don't avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that’s necessary to do good work.

But daring leadership in a culture that's defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty requires building courage skills, which are uniquely human. The irony is that we're choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the same time we're scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines can't do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection and courage to start.

Brené Brown spent the past two decades researching the emotions that give meaning to our lives. Over the past seven years, she found that leaders in organisations ranging from small entrepreneurial start-ups and family-owned businesses to non-profits, civic organisations and Fortune 50 companies, are asking the same questions:

How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?

Dare to Lead answers these questions and gives us actionable strategies and real examples from her new research-based, courage-building programme.

Brené writes, ‘One of the most important findings of my career is that courage can be taught, developed and measured. Courage is a collection of four skill sets supported by twenty-eight behaviours. All it requires is a commitment to doing bold work, having tough conversations and showing up with our whole hearts. Easy? No. Choosing courage over comfort is not easy. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and work. It's why we're here.’]]> 332 Brené Brown 147356252X Angie 4 4.16 2018 Dare to Lead
author: Brené Brown
name: Angie
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/03
date added: 2023/08/03
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book]]> 41130757
Too busy to meditate? Can’t turn off your brain? Curious about mindfulness but more comfortable in the gym? This book is for you.

You’ll also get access to guided audio meditations on the 10% Happier app, to jumpstart your practice from day one.

ABC News anchor Dan Harris used to think that meditation was for people who collect crystals, play Ultimate Frisbee, and use the word “namaste” without irony. After he had a panic attack on live television, he went on a strange and circuitous journey that ultimately led him to become one of meditation’s most vocal public proponents.
 
Harris found that meditation made him more focused and less yanked around by his emotions. According to his wife, it also made him less annoying. Science suggests that the practice can lower your blood pressure, mitigate depression and anxiety, and literally rewire key parts of the brain. So what’s holding you back?

In Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, Harris and Jeff Warren, a masterful teacher and “Meditation MacGyver,” embark on a gonzo cross-country quest to tackle the myths, misconceptions, and self-deceptions that keep people from meditating. It is filled with game-changing and deeply practical meditation instructions—all of which are also available (for free) on the 10% Happier app. This book is a trip worth taking.

Praise for Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics

“If you’re intrigued by meditation but don’t know how to begin—or you’ve benefited from meditation in the past but need help to get started again—Dan Harris has written the book for you. Well researched, practical, and crammed with expert advice, it’s also an irreverent, hilarious page-turner.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
 
“The ABC News anchor, a ‘defender of worrying’ who once had an anxiety attack on air, offers a hilarious and stirring account of his two-steps-forward-one-step-back campaign to sort ‘useless rumination’ from ‘constructive anguish’ via mindfulness, along with invaluable suggestions for following in his footsteps.” — The Oprah Magazine]]> 304 Dan Harris 0399588965 Angie 4 4.03 2017 Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book
author: Dan Harris
name: Angie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/31
date added: 2023/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store]]> 35488858
In her late twenties, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn more, buy more, want more, rinse, repeat. Even after she worked her way out of nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, her old habits took hold again. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy—only keeping her from meeting her goals—she decided to set herself a challenge: she would not shop for an entire year.

The Year of Less documents Cait’s life for twelve months during which she bought only consumables: groceries, toiletries, gas for her car. Along the way, she challenged herself to consume less of many other things besides shopping. She decluttered her apartment and got rid of 70 percent of her belongings; learned how to fix things rather than throw them away; researched the zero waste movement; and completed a television ban. At every stage, she learned that the less she consumed, the more fulfilled she felt.

The challenge became a lifeline when, in the course of the year, Cait found herself in situations that turned her life upside down. In the face of hardship, she realized why she had always turned to shopping, alcohol, and food—and what it had cost her. Unable to reach for any of her usual vices, she changed habits she’d spent years perfecting and discovered what truly mattered to her.

Blending Cait’s compelling story with inspiring insight and practical guidance, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you’re holding on to in your own life—and, quite possibly, lead you to find your own path of less.]]> 189 Cait Flanders 1401954871 Angie 3 3.42 2018 The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
author: Cait Flanders
name: Angie
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/25
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Five Keys to Mindful Communication: Using Deep Listening and Mindful Speech to Strengthen Relationships, Heal Conflicts, and Accomplish Your Goals]]> 18926044 227 Susan Gillis Chapman 0834827794 Angie 3 3.89 2012 The Five Keys to Mindful Communication: Using Deep Listening and Mindful Speech to Strengthen Relationships, Heal Conflicts, and Accomplish Your Goals
author: Susan Gillis Chapman
name: Angie
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/29
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 45047384
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

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

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

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 393 T.J. Klune Angie 3 4.34 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Angie
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/22
date added: 2023/07/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Diamond Eye 58490567 The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.]]> 435 Kate Quinn 0062943510 Angie 4 4.26 2022 The Diamond Eye
author: Kate Quinn
name: Angie
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/15
date added: 2023/07/19
shelves:
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]]> Finding Me 58687126
This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.

As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be . . . you.

Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.]]> 304 Viola Davis 0063037327 Angie 5 4.53 2022 Finding Me
author: Viola Davis
name: Angie
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/10
date added: 2023/07/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Mrs. Nash's Ashes 62296523
Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.

She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.

After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.

But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.]]> 352 Sarah Adler 0593547799 Angie 0 3.98 2023 Mrs. Nash's Ashes
author: Sarah Adler
name: Angie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/04
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves:
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]]> My Dark Vanessa 44890081
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.

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

Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.]]> 373 Kate Elizabeth Russell 006294150X Angie 4 4.09 2020 My Dark Vanessa
author: Kate Elizabeth Russell
name: Angie
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/08
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Little Fires Everywhere 51704136 Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood--and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more...

Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more. ]]> 368 Celeste Ng 0143135163 Angie 0 4.06 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Angie
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Killers of a Certain Age (Killers of a Certain Age, #1)]]> 60149532 Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.]]> 368 Deanna Raybourn Angie 4 3.81 2022 Killers of a Certain Age (Killers of a Certain Age, #1)
author: Deanna Raybourn
name: Angie
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/03
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage]]> 61271824 “Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve” (The Wall Street Journal), this is the definitive account of the disastrous siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, featuring never-before-seen documents, photographs, and interviews, from former investigative reporter Jeff Guinn, bestselling author of Manson and The Road to Jonestown.

For the first time in thirty years, more than a dozen former ATF agents who participated in the initial February 28, 1993, Waco raid speak on the record about the poor decisions of their commanders that led to this deadly confrontation. The revelations in this book include why the FBI chose to end the siege with the use of CS gas; how both ATF and FBI officials tried and failed to cover up their agencies’ mistakes; where David Koresh plagiarized his infamous prophecies; and direct links between the Branch Davidian tragedy and the modern militia movement in America. Notorious conspiracist Alex Jones is a part of the Waco story. So much is new and stunning.

Guinn puts you alongside the ATF agents as they embarked on the disastrous initial assault, unaware that the Davidians knew they were coming and were armed and prepared to resist. His you-are-there narrative continues to the final assault and its momentous consequences. Drawing on this new information, including several eyewitness accounts, Guinn again does what he did with his bestselling books about Charles Manson and Jim Jones, revealing “gripping” (Houston Chronicle) new details about a story that we thought we knew.

Duration: 11 hours, 24 minutes, 30 seconds.]]> 12 Jeff Guinn 1797152610 Angie 4
Edited to add: While I am always fascinated by cult leaders, beliefs, and behaviors, I have little interest in doing a deep dive into Koresh/Davidians. That said, some of the lower ratings here appear to offer information and context missed by the author. It’s worth reading a few of those (and even their suggested books/reports) before firming up a “take” on the events at Waco. ]]> 4.02 2023 Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and A Legacy of Rage
author: Jeff Guinn
name: Angie
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/06/30
shelves:
review:
Impressive review of the siege at the Waco compound. By incorporating views and information from former federal agents and BDs, we are given even greater insight into the events leading up to the catastrophic conclusion. While much of the information presented has been covered before, one can’t help but think about the long-standing impact on federal agencies, intelligence standards, and the fine lines of protocol in the management of anti-establishment groups.

Edited to add: While I am always fascinated by cult leaders, beliefs, and behaviors, I have little interest in doing a deep dive into Koresh/Davidians. That said, some of the lower ratings here appear to offer information and context missed by the author. It’s worth reading a few of those (and even their suggested books/reports) before firming up a “take” on the events at Waco.
]]> A Girl Called Samson 58769584 From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.

In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.

Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her transformation a convincing one, and it isn’t long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.

But as Deborah fights for her country’s freedom, she must contend with the secret of who she is—and, ultimately, a surprising love she can’t deny.]]> 405 Amy Harmon 1542039738 Angie 0 to-read 4.47 2023 A Girl Called Samson
author: Amy Harmon
name: Angie
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Only One Left 62703226 At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.]]> 383 Riley Sager 0593183223 Angie 0 to-read 4.11 2023 The Only One Left
author: Riley Sager
name: Angie
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1)]]> 60305071 At midnight, one of them is dead.
By morning, all of them are suspects.

It's a party to end all parties, but not everyone is here to celebrate.

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.

But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year’s Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family—and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.

In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning. ]]> 432 Clare Mackintosh 172825096X Angie 0 to-read 3.69 2022 The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1)
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Angie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Whispers 63222079 A propulsive page-turner about four families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens—and what is lost when we give in to our own worst impulses

On Harlow Street, the well-to-do neighborhood couples and their children gather for a catered barbecue as the summer winds down; drinks continue late into the night.

Everything is fabulous until the picture-perfect hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. Everyone at the party hears her exquisite veneer crack—loud and clear. Before long, that same young boy falls from his bedside window in the middle of the night. And then, his mother can only sit by her son’s hospital bed, where she refuses to speak to anyone, and his life hangs in the balance.

What happens next, over the course of a tense three days, as each of these women grapple with what led to that terrible night?

Exploring envy, women’s friendships, desire, and the intuitions that we silence, The Whispers is a chilling novel that marks Audrain as a major women's fiction talent.]]> 336 Ashley Audrain 1984881698 Angie 0 to-read 3.77 2023 The Whispers
author: Ashley Audrain
name: Angie
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Dark Self (My ... Self, #1)]]> 57961690
"My name is Josslyn and I'm a psychopath. Actually, that's not technically true ... let me explain."

Josslyn is a mild-mannered vet who prefers animals to people. Alicia is a ruthless and psychotic killer. But there’s a problem … They are the same person.

When Josslyn finds a clue as to who Alicia really is, she sets out on a mission to discover the truth and hopefully get rid of the psychopath in her head before she kills again.

However, Alicia has her own agenda and isn’t afraid to mess things up for Josslyn. She wants control of their body and won’t rest until she gets her way.

Someone is stalking them and clearly knows more about them than they do. Will Josslyn and Alicia ever be able to see eye to eye and work together to overcome adversity?


My Dark Self is the first book in the My ... Self series, a gripping thriller series with a massive twist ... the two main characters are one person. If you like fast-paced psychological thrillers with plenty of twists and turns and witty banter then you’ll love this dramatic series from Jessica Huntley.

Click BUY NOW above to find out who will win ... whose side are you on?


TRIGGER WARNINGS: Murder, violence, swearing, animal cruelty.]]> 391 Jessica Huntley Angie 0 to-read 4.06 My Dark Self (My ... Self, #1)
author: Jessica Huntley
name: Angie
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Under an Outlaw Moon 56996745 Meet Depression-era newlyweds Bennie and Stella. He’s reckless, she’s naive. Longing for freedom from tough times, they rob a bank, setting off a series of events that quickly spin out of their control.

Under an Outlaw Moon is based on the true story of Depression-era bank robbers Bennie and Stella Mae Dickson. She’s a teenage outsider longing to fit in. He’s a few years older and he’s trouble. They meet at a local skating rink and the sparks fly.

They marry and Stella dreams of a nice house with a swing out back, while Bennie figures out how to get enough money to make it happen. Setting his sights on the good life, he decides to rob a bank. Talking Stella into it, he lays out his plan and teaches her to shoot. The newlyweds celebrate her 16th birthday by robbing a local bank.

They pull it off, but the score is small, and Bennie realizes the money won’t last long, so he plans a bigger robbery. What lays ahead is more than either of them bargained for. After J. Edgar Hoover finds out they crossed state lines, he declares them public enemies number one and two ― wanted dead or alive. So much for the good life. The manhunt is on, and there’s little room for them to run.]]> 240 Dietrich Kalteis 1770415475 Angie 3 3.28 Under an Outlaw Moon
author: Dietrich Kalteis
name: Angie
average rating: 3.28
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves:
review:

]]> Don't Let Her Stay 80830635
Joanne knows how lucky she is. Richard is a wonderful husband, Evie is the most gorgeous baby girl, they live in a beautiful house… Life couldn’t be better.

Until Richard’s twenty-year-old daughter Chloe turns up. Chloe hasn’t spoken to her father since the day he married Joanne two years ago. But Chloe wants to make peace. She’ll even move in for a few weeks to help Joanne with the new baby.

It sounds perfect, but when things happen that make Joanne feel like she’s losing her mind, she begins to wonder: Is Chloe really here to help? Or has Joanne made a terrible mistake by letting her move in?

And is it too late to ask her to leave?]]> 292 Nicola Sanders Angie 5 3.94 2023 Don't Let Her Stay
author: Nicola Sanders
name: Angie
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/25
date added: 2023/06/25
shelves:
review:
4.5 - Plenty of twists to keep a reader second guessing their own predictions. I haven’t read through other reviews yet but could see where the ending would be divisive - I loved it and appreciate the author leaving room for imagination and not drawing out the story unnecessarily.
]]> <![CDATA[The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)]]> 5821978 276 Jenny Han 1416968237 Angie 4 3.75 2009 The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
author: Jenny Han
name: Angie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/22
date added: 2023/06/22
shelves:
review:

]]> I'm Thinking of Ending Things 40605223 Now a Netflix original movie, this deeply scary and intensely unnerving novel follows a couple in the midst of a twisted unraveling of the darkest unease. You will be scared. But you won’t know why…

I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.

Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”

And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.

In this smart and intense literary suspense novel, Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, I’m Thinking of Ending Things pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.]]> 241 Iain Reid Angie 0 3.50 2016 I'm Thinking of Ending Things
author: Iain Reid
name: Angie
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/20
date added: 2023/06/20
shelves:
review:

]]> The Two-Family House 25663717
From debut novelist Lynda Cohen Loigman comes The Two-Family House, a moving family saga filled with heart, emotion, longing, love, and mystery.


"Two families, both living in one house, drive an exquisitely written novel of love, alliances, the messiness of life and long buried secrets. Loigman's debut is just shatteringly wonderful and I can't wait to see what she does next." - Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You

"No good deed goes unpunished. In a single, intensely charged moment, two women come to a private agreement meant to assure each other's happiness. But as Lynda Cohen Loigman deftly reveals, life is not so simple, especially when it involves two families, tightly intertwined. The Two-Family House is sympathetically observed and surely plotted all the way through to its deeply satisfying conclusion." - Christina Schwarz, author of Drowning Ruth (an Oprah's Book Club pick) and national bestseller The Edge of the Earth]]> 290 Lynda Cohen Loigman 1250076927 Angie 4 3.88 2016 The Two-Family House
author: Lynda Cohen Loigman
name: Angie
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves:
review:

]]> How to Sell a Haunted House 59414094 Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

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

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

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…]]> 419 Grady Hendrix 0593201264 Angie 4 3.63 2023 How to Sell a Haunted House
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Angie
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/12
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves:
review:

]]> The Secret Book of Flora Lea 61964751
In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.

But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.

Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars . Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?

As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. An astonishing twist ultimately reveals the truth in this transporting and refreshingly original novel about the bond between sisters, the complications of conflicted love, and the enduring magic of storytelling.]]> 355 Patti Callahan Henry 1668011832 Angie 5 4.02 2023 The Secret Book of Flora Lea
author: Patti Callahan Henry
name: Angie
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/07
date added: 2023/06/07
shelves:
review:

]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 59366244
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

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

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 304 Jennette McCurdy 1982185821 Angie 0 to-read 4.38 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Angie
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Golden Couple 57693416 The next electrifying novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind The Wife Between Us.

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all—until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship riven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn’t stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they have to adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.

When they glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.]]> 329 Greer Hendricks 125027320X Angie 0 to-read 3.93 2022 The Golden Couple
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Angie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Final Girl Support Group 55829194 In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?

Like his bestselling novel The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix’s latest is a fast-paced, frightening, and wickedly humorous thriller. From chain saws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts our most popular horror films—movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream.

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.]]> 352 Grady Hendrix 059320123X Angie 3
I’m sold on Grady Hendrix. He offers such a unique style that offers something fresh. Unfortunately; this one missed the mark for me. I don’t know if it was too many characters or the pacing or having a slasher film in novel form - I just felt like it was too much to keep up. This won’t be his last for me though, these books fill a very specific niche in the library in my head and now I’ve got to read ‘em all. ]]> 3.48 2021 The Final Girl Support Group
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Angie
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/28
date added: 2023/05/29
shelves:
review:
It’s funny. I listened to My Best Friend’s Exorcism and this one over a task-busy weekend. Sometimes I make little notes while reading/listening and for MBFE, I noted that it reminded me of the AHS season “1984”. Ha. Little did I know that this one would be following the trope much more closely.

I’m sold on Grady Hendrix. He offers such a unique style that offers something fresh. Unfortunately; this one missed the mark for me. I don’t know if it was too many characters or the pacing or having a slasher film in novel form - I just felt like it was too much to keep up. This won’t be his last for me though, these books fill a very specific niche in the library in my head and now I’ve got to read ‘em all.
]]> My Best Friend's Exorcism 41015038 337 Grady Hendrix Angie 4
No regrets.

This was such a quirky, campy read. At no point did it feel scary at all, but it was ridiculously fun and I still managed to creep myself out in the final act. This reminded me of the start of the American Horror Story season “1984”. (Granted, I only made it through the first few episodes of that, but the AHS pacing is a whole other story) - absolutely loved all the pop culture references and how seamlessly they were blended in to the storyline. Was hesitant to spend time with a humorous horror, but so glad I finally did!]]> 3.93 2016 My Best Friend's Exorcism
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Angie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/29
date added: 2023/05/29
shelves:
review:
After Hendrix was brought up in book club again (I swear it’s every month) I finally committed.

No regrets.

This was such a quirky, campy read. At no point did it feel scary at all, but it was ridiculously fun and I still managed to creep myself out in the final act. This reminded me of the start of the American Horror Story season “1984”. (Granted, I only made it through the first few episodes of that, but the AHS pacing is a whole other story) - absolutely loved all the pop culture references and how seamlessly they were blended in to the storyline. Was hesitant to spend time with a humorous horror, but so glad I finally did!
]]> <![CDATA[We Have Always Lived in the Castle]]> 89724 Shirley Jackson's beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family's dark secret.

Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. This edition features an afterword by Jonathan Lethem.]]> 152 Shirley Jackson 0143039970 Angie 3 3.92 1962 We Have Always Lived in the Castle
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Angie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1962
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/25
date added: 2023/05/29
shelves:
review:
Book Club Pick for May at the Gilbert-Summit Branch Library
]]> Flight of the Puffin 43605099 One small act of kindness ripples out to connect four kids in this stirring novel by the author of the beloved The Benefits of Being an Octopus.

Libby comes from a long line of bullies. She wants to be different, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. Now she's suspended again.

On the opposite side of the country lives Vincent, a kid who loves the mathematician Katherine Johnson and being a non-conformist, who’s trying hard not to get stuffed into lockers at his new school. But that’s not working out too well either.  

Nearby is T, who couldn’t take living at home anymore and is determined to survive on a rainy sidewalk.

And then there’s Jack, a big-hearted kid so engaged in the fight to keep his small rural school open that he’s lost focus on the ones who need him most.

Four kids. Four different lives. And then… one card with a message of hope takes flight and starts a chain reaction, helping each kid summon the thing they need, whether it’s bravery, empathy, or understanding. But best of all, it makes each one realize they matter -- and that they're not flying solo anymore.]]> 240 Ann Braden 1984816063 Angie 3 4.25 2021 Flight of the Puffin
author: Ann Braden
name: Angie
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/24
date added: 2023/05/29
shelves:
review:
Really wanted to like this more, but it’s been a few months since I’ve read juvenile fiction so it may be me not adjusting quickly enough. The story and over-arching message were memorable but the characters were not.
]]> The Lonely Hearts Book Club 61341469 “A feel-good story with strong character development” (AudioFile): In small-town Washington, an eclectic group of misfits — spearheaded by young librarian Sloane and curmudgeonly reader Arthur — forms a unique book club that leads to unexpected bonds. “Funny and charming” (Booklist), this read with over 11,000 five-star ratings is hailed as “a treat” by Publishers Weekly!

Sloane Parker lives a small, contained life as a librarian in her small, contained town. She never thinks of herself as lonely...but still she looks forward to that time every day when old curmudgeon Arthur McLachlan comes to browse the shelves and cheerfully insult her. Their sparring is such a highlight of Sloane's day that when Arthur doesn't show up one morning, she's instantly concerned. And then another day passes, and another. Anxious, Sloane tracks the old man down only to discover him all but bedridden...and desperately struggling to hide how happy he is to see her. Wanting to bring more cheer into Arthur's gloomy life, Sloane creates an impromptu book club. Slowly, the lonely misfits of their sleepy town begin to find each other and, in their book club, the joy of unlikely friendship, because, as it turns out, everyone has a special book in their heart...and a reason to get lost (and eventually found) within the pages.]]> 352 Lucy Gilmore 1728256216 Angie 4 3.83 2023 The Lonely Hearts Book Club
author: Lucy Gilmore
name: Angie
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/23
date added: 2023/05/29
shelves:
review:
This hit the spot for a feel-good book. I’m a sucker for any story with a cantankerous old man. The characters were all a little OTT, but it worked for this story and added to the friendship theme.
]]> A Likely Story 61273862 The child of a famous American novelist discovers a shocking family secret that upends everything she thought she knew about her parents, her gilded childhood, and her own stalled writing career.

Growing up in the nineties in New York City as the only child of famous parents was both a blessing and a curse for Isabelle Manning. Her society hostess mother, Claire, and New York Times–bestselling author father, Ward, were the city’s intellectual It couple. But when, as an adult, Isabelle uncovers shocking truths about her parents, she begins to wonder whether everything she knew about her family was based on an elaborate lie.]]> 352 Leigh McMullan Abramson 1982199245 Angie 4 3.56 2023 A Likely Story
author: Leigh McMullan Abramson
name: Angie
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/20
date added: 2023/05/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks]]> 6493208
Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia — a land of wooden quarters for enslaved people, faith healings, and voodoo — to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family — past and present — is inextricably connected to the history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance?

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.]]> 370 Rebecca Skloot 1400052173 Angie 0 to-read 4.12 2010 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
author: Rebecca Skloot
name: Angie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The 19th Wife 2586771
Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds, a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was expelled from his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside to discover the truth behind his father’s death. As Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love, family, and faith.]]> 514 David Ebershoff 1400063973 Angie 0 to-read 3.64 2008 The 19th Wife
author: David Ebershoff
name: Angie
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Slow Fire Burning 56213354
With the same propulsion that captivated millions of readers worldwide in The Girl on the Train and Into the Water, Paula Hawkins unfurls a gripping, twisting story of deceit, murder, and revenge.]]> 307 Paula Hawkins 073521123X Angie 0 3.45 2021 A Slow Fire Burning
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Angie
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/16
shelves:
review:

]]> The Teacher of Warsaw 59608950 For fans of The Warsaw Orphan and The Tattooist of Auschwitz: the start of WWII changed everything in Poland irrevocably—except for one man’s capacity to love.

“I want everyone I know to read this book.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan

September 1, 1939. Sixty-year-old Janusz Korczak and the students and teachers at his Dom Sierot Jewish orphanage are outside enjoying a beautiful day in Warsaw. Hours later, their lives are altered forever when the Nazis invade. Suddenly treated as an outcast in his own city, Janusz—a respected leader known for his heroism and teaching—is determined to do whatever it takes to protect the children from the horrors to come.

When over four hundred thousand Jewish people are rounded up and forced to live in the 1.3-square-mile walled compound of the Warsaw ghetto, Janusz and his friends take drastic measures to shield the children from disease and starvation. With dignity and courage, the teachers and students of Dom Sierot create their own tiny army of love and bravely prepare to march toward the future—whatever it may hold.

Unforgettable, devastating, and inspired by a real-life hero of the Holocaust, The Teacher of Warsaw reminds the world that one single person can incite meaning, hope, and love.

Praise for The Teacher of Warsaw:

“Through meticulous research and with wisdom and care, Mario Escobar brings to life a heartbreaking story of love and extraordinary courage. I want everyone I know to read this book.” —Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan

“A beautifully written, deeply emotional story of hope, love, and courage in the face of unspeakable horrors. That such self-sacrifice, dedication and goodness existed restores faith in humankind. Escobar's heart-rending yet uplifting tale is made all the more poignant by its authenticity. Bravo!” —Tea Cooper, award-winning and bestselling author of The Cartographer’s Secret


World War II historical fiction inspired by true events
Includes discussion questions for book clubs, a historical timeline, and notes from the author
Book length: 83,000 words
Also by author: Auschwitz Lullaby, Children of the Stars, Remember Me, The Librarian of Saint-Malo]]> 368 Mario Escobar 0785252177 Angie 4
While reading, it’s difficult not to immerse yourself in the time, place, and experiences of the characters on the page. This is a story that shows us both the best - and the worst - of humanity. It’s hard to believe it’s based on real events.

The doctor’s bravery, leadership, and compassion will stay with me. As will the beautiful haunting scene at the end of the story. ]]> 4.08 2022 The Teacher of Warsaw
author: Mario Escobar
name: Angie
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/15
date added: 2023/05/16
shelves:
review:
Historical fiction is hit or miss - this is a hit.

While reading, it’s difficult not to immerse yourself in the time, place, and experiences of the characters on the page. This is a story that shows us both the best - and the worst - of humanity. It’s hard to believe it’s based on real events.

The doctor’s bravery, leadership, and compassion will stay with me. As will the beautiful haunting scene at the end of the story.
]]> The Shards 60880820 A sensational new novel from the best-selling author of Less Than Zero and Imperial Bedrooms that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city.

Bret Easton Ellis's masterful new novel is a story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city.

17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret's obsession with Mallory is equaled only by his increasingly unsettling pre-occupation with The Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them--and Bret in particular--with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence. The coincidences are uncanny, but they are also filtered through the imagination of a teenager whose gifts for constructing narrative from the filaments of his own life are about to make him one of the most explosive literary sensations of his generation. Can he trust his friends--or his own mind--to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, he spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision.

Set against the intensely vivid and nostalgic backdrop of pre-Less Than Zero LA, The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction, the real and the imagined, that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret's life at 17-sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, The Shards is Ellis at his inimitable best.
]]> 608 Bret Easton Ellis 059353560X Angie 3
I like his blend of reality and fiction and I do genuinely enjoy his writing style (every once in a while). The obsession with status descriptors is always fascinating to me and the repetition certainly gets the reader in the head of the narrator. (I still think about Patrick Bateman and his business cards from time to time...) Overall though, it was just too long and graphic. Graphic (and/or explicit) scenes don't really affect me much as a reader, but this had far too many eyeroll inducing descriptions that didn't evolve the plot much at all.

It's okay. Don't see myself recommending this one to anyone unless they mention liking his other works.]]> 3.98 2023 The Shards
author: Bret Easton Ellis
name: Angie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/11
date added: 2023/05/11
shelves:
review:
Eh. It's Bret Ellis. I knew what I was getting myself into when starting this.

I like his blend of reality and fiction and I do genuinely enjoy his writing style (every once in a while). The obsession with status descriptors is always fascinating to me and the repetition certainly gets the reader in the head of the narrator. (I still think about Patrick Bateman and his business cards from time to time...) Overall though, it was just too long and graphic. Graphic (and/or explicit) scenes don't really affect me much as a reader, but this had far too many eyeroll inducing descriptions that didn't evolve the plot much at all.

It's okay. Don't see myself recommending this one to anyone unless they mention liking his other works.
]]> Remarkably Bright Creatures 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

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

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

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

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 360 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Angie 5 4.34 2022 Remarkably Bright Creatures
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Angie
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/09
date added: 2023/05/11
shelves:
review:
Hate that I put this off for so long! From start to finish, this was so well-written and heartfelt that I can't imagine not feeling attached to the main characters. But my goodness, the idea of a POV from an octopus was probably the reason I worried this would be a waste of time... I've never been so happy to be so wrong. Don't want to veer into spoilers, but will say that Marcellus is one of my favorite characters of the year and I found his wisdom and heart(s) inspiring.
]]> Everything She Feared 61155445 448 Rick Mofina 077833340X Angie 3
I appreciated the author’s style for its creativity, but ultimately this fell a little flat for me. It’s entirely possible I had too much other stuff going on to fully immerse myself, but it felt needlessly long and rather predictable. ]]> 3.70 2023 Everything She Feared
author: Rick Mofina
name: Angie
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/07
date added: 2023/05/07
shelves:
review:
The idea of a creepy kid gets me every time!

I appreciated the author’s style for its creativity, but ultimately this fell a little flat for me. It’s entirely possible I had too much other stuff going on to fully immerse myself, but it felt needlessly long and rather predictable.
]]> What Lies in the Woods 60784373
For decades afterward, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods―no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.]]> 336 Kate Alice Marshall 1250859883 Angie 4 3.92 2023 What Lies in the Woods
author: Kate Alice Marshall
name: Angie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/07
date added: 2023/05/07
shelves:
review:
A solid, twisty mystery, but doesn’t quite hit thriller for me. Nonetheless, another fantastic debut and another new author to keep in mind. I do wish the characters were a little more fleshed out, and there were a few who could have been eliminated completely. (Though as is, could see it being easy to convert to screen!)
]]> Stone Cold Fox 61053935 A compelling debut novel about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to leave her dark past behind and marry the heir to one of the country's wealthiest families.

Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. After a lifetime of forced instruction in the art of swindling men by her mother, Bea wants nothing more than to escape her shadow, close the door on their sordid past, and disappear safely into old-money domesticity.

When Bea finds her final mark in the perfectly dull blue-blooded Collin, she’s ready to deploy all her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend Gale. Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous chase. As the truth of Bea’s past threatens to come roaring out, she finds herself racing against the clock to pass the finish line before everything is exposed.]]> 353 Rachel Koller Croft 0593547500 Angie 0 to-read 3.63 2023 Stone Cold Fox
author: Rachel Koller Croft
name: Angie
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Before You Knew My Name 60321522 This is not just another novel about a dead girl. Two women—one alive, one dead—are brought together in the dark underbelly of New York City to solve a tragic murder.

When she arrived in New York on her eighteenth birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe. She may be dead but that doesn’t mean her story is over.

Meanwhile, Ruby Jones is also trying to reinvent herself. After travelling halfway around the world, she’s lonelier than ever in the Big Apple. Until she stumbles upon a woman’s body by the Hudson River, and suddenly finds herself unbreakably tied to the unknown dead woman.

Alice is sure Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her short life and tragic death. Ruby just wants to forget what she saw…but she can’t seem to stop thinking about the young woman she found. If she keeps looking, can she give this unidentified Jane Doe the ending and closure she deserves?

A “heartbreaking, beautiful, and hugely important novel” (Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author), Before You Knew My Name doesn’t just wonder whodunnit—it also asks who was she? And what did she leave behind?]]> 320 Jacqueline Bublitz 1982198990 Angie 0 to-read 3.66 2021 Before You Knew My Name
author: Jacqueline Bublitz
name: Angie
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Demon Copperhead 60194162 "Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

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

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver Angie 5
Beautifully written with one of the most dynamic MCs I’ve read in a while. I could see him, hear him, and just wanted to hug him the whole way through.

The realness is hard to read, but it’s books like this one that are the windows to another way of life. It challenges biases you didn’t know you had in the best way, building empathy and recognition one scene at a time. Outstanding. ]]> 4.44 2022 Demon Copperhead
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Angie
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/30
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves:
review:
Speechless. And a little heartbroken.

Beautifully written with one of the most dynamic MCs I’ve read in a while. I could see him, hear him, and just wanted to hug him the whole way through.

The realness is hard to read, but it’s books like this one that are the windows to another way of life. It challenges biases you didn’t know you had in the best way, building empathy and recognition one scene at a time. Outstanding.
]]> Little Fires Everywhere 34273236
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother–daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town – and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost . . .]]> 338 Celeste Ng 0735224293 Angie 4
Third time reading this one and still find new questions to ponder. Outstanding book for a group - so many discussion points. ]]> 4.04 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Angie
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/27
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves:
review:
Gilbert-Summit Branch book club pick.

Third time reading this one and still find new questions to ponder. Outstanding book for a group - so many discussion points.
]]> <![CDATA[Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (And More Life to Live)]]> 44071899
It started with the Sh*t I Do List. Tired of being the "shefault" parent responsible for all aspects of her busy household, Eve Rodsky counted up all the unpaid, invisible work she was doing for her family -- and then sent that list to her husband, asking for things to change. His response was... underwhelming. Rodsky realized that simply identifying the issue of unequal labor on the home front wasn't enough: She needed a solution to this universal problem. Her sanity, identity, career, and marriage depended on it.

The result is Fair Play: a time- and anxiety-saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities. Rodsky interviewed more than five hundred men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently. With four easy-to-follow rules, 100 household tasks, and a figurative card game you play with your partner, Fair Play helps you prioritize what's important to your family and who should take the lead on every chore from laundry to homework to dinner.

"Winning" this game means rebalancing your home life, reigniting your relationship with your significant other, and reclaiming your Unicorn Space -- as in, the time to develop the skills and passions that keep you interested and interesting. Are you ready to try Fair Play? Let's deal you in.]]> 352 Eve Rodsky Angie 4 3.56 2019 Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (And More Life to Live)
author: Eve Rodsky
name: Angie
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/30
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves:
review:
I’m not the intended audience for this book, but still picked up a couple of times for strategically organizing tasks and to-dos!
]]> I Have Some Questions for You 61053829
But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.]]> 438 Rebecca Makkai 0593490142 Angie 3 3.56 2023 I Have Some Questions for You
author: Rebecca Makkai
name: Angie
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/20
date added: 2023/04/23
shelves:
review:

]]> The Last Anniversary 36589761 Sophie Honeywell always wondered if Thomas Gordon was the one she let get away. He was the perfect boyfriend, but on the day he was to propose, she broke his heart. A year later he married his travel agent, while Sophie has been mortifyingly single ever since. Now Thomas is back in her life because Sophie has unexpectedly inherited his aunt Connie's house on Scribbly Gum Island -- home of the famously unsolved MunroBabymystery.

Sophie moves onto the island and begins a new life as part of an unconventional family where it seems everyone has a secret. Grace, a beautiful young mother, is feverishly planning a shocking escape from her perfect life. Margie, a frumpy housewife, has made a pact with a stranger, while dreamy Aunt Rose wonders if maybe it's about time she started making her own decisions.

As Sophie's life becomes increasingly complicated, she discovers that sometimes you have to stop waiting around -- and come up with your own fairy-tale ending.

As she so adroitly did in her smashing debut novel, Three Wishes, the incomparable Liane Moriarty once again combines sharp wit, lovable and eccentric characters, and a page-turning story for an unforgettable Last Anniversary.

]]> 402 Liane Moriarty Angie 4 4.01 2006 The Last Anniversary
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Angie
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/23
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle]]> 40033006
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

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

Understood? Then let's begin . . .

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

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave listeners guessing until the very last second.]]> 482 Stuart Turton Angie 0 to-read 3.75 2018 The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
author: Stuart Turton
name: Angie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals]]> 54785515 The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks.

Nobody needs to be told there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and ceaseless battle against distraction; we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient and life hacks to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks.

Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management. Rejecting the futile modern obsession with “getting everything done,” Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing that many of the unhelpful ways we’ve come to think about time aren’t inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we’ve made as individuals and as a society—and that we could do things differently.]]> 245 Oliver Burkeman 0374159122 Angie 0 to-read 4.16 2021 Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
author: Oliver Burkeman
name: Angie
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Must Betray You 61230312
A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray .

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.

Praise for I Must Betray You :

“As educational as it is thrilling...[T]he power of I Must Betray You [is] it doesn’t just describe the destabilizing effects of being spied on; it will make you experience them too.” – New York Times Book Review

“A historical heart-pounder…Ms. Sepetys, across her body of work, has become a tribune of the unsung historical moment and a humane voice of moral clarity.” – The Wall Street Journal

* "Sepetys brilliantly blends a staggering amount of research with heart, craft, and insight in a way very few writers can. Compulsively readable and brilliant." – Kirkus Reviews , starred review

* "Sepetys once again masterfully portrays a dark, forgotten corner of history." – Booklist , starred review

* "Sepetys’s latest book maintains the caliber readers have come to expect from an author whose focus on hidden histories has made her a YA powerhouse of historical ­fiction…Sepetys is a formidable writer, and her stories declare the need to write about global issues of social injustice. For that reason and her attention to detail, this is a must-read." – School Library Journal , starred review

* "Cristian’s tense first-person narrative foregrounds stark historical realities, unflinchingly confronting deprivations and cruelty while balancing them with perseverance and hope as Romania hurtles toward political change." – Publishers Weekly , starred review

“Sepetys keeps readers riveted to this vivid, heartbreaking and compelling novel, locked into every meticulously researched detail. I Must Betray You demands a full investment from its audience--through poetic writing, sympathetic characters, revolutionary plot and pacing, it grips the heart and soul and leaves one breathless.” – Shelf Awareness, starred review

"A master class in pacing and atmosphere." – BookPage]]> 336 Ruta Sepetys 1984836048 Angie 0 to-read 4.38 2022 I Must Betray You
author: Ruta Sepetys
name: Angie
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art]]> 48890486
There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.

Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren't found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.

Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.

Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.]]> 280 James Nestor 0735213615 Angie 4
There were certainly a few points that I'll remember going forward and the discussion itself forces one to become more aware of their habits - good and bad. Would recommend this to anyone who hasn't delved into the benefits of breathwork before, but believe that's it's a decent refresher for those who have. ]]> 4.12 2020 Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
author: James Nestor
name: Angie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/11
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves:
review:
Nestor presents a lot of information in a manner that's easy to read and absorb. Breath doesn't reveal many new concepts or ideas, but does put a few with older (and sometimes ancient) ideas about the importance of proper breathing techniques for physical and mental health.

There were certainly a few points that I'll remember going forward and the discussion itself forces one to become more aware of their habits - good and bad. Would recommend this to anyone who hasn't delved into the benefits of breathwork before, but believe that's it's a decent refresher for those who have.
]]> The Librarian of Burned Books 61190260 For fans of The Rose Code and The Paris Library, The Librarian of Burned Books is a captivating WWII-era novel about the intertwined fates of three women who believe in the power of books to triumph over the very darkest moments of war.


Berlin 1933. Following the success of her debut novel, American writer Althea James receives an invitation from Joseph Goebbels himself to participate in a culture exchange program in Germany. For a girl from a small town in Maine, 1933 Berlin seems to be sparklingly cosmopolitan, blossoming in the midst of a great change with the charismatic new chancellor at the helm. Then Althea meets a beautiful woman who promises to show her the real Berlin, and soon she's drawn into a group of resisters who make her question everything she knows about her hosts--and herself.

Paris 1936. She may have escaped Berlin for Paris, but Hannah Brecht discovers the City of Light is no refuge from the anti-Semitism and Nazi sympathizers she thought she left behind. Heartbroken and tormented by the role she played in the betrayal that destroyed her family, Hannah throws herself into her work at the German Library of Burned Books. Through the quiet power of books, she believes she can help counter the tide of fascism she sees rising across Europe and atone for her mistakes. But when a dear friend decides actions will speak louder than words, Hannah must decide what stories she is willing to live--or die--for.

New York 1944. Since her husband Edward was killed fighting the Nazis, Vivian Childs has been waging her own war: preventing a powerful senator's attempts to censor the Armed Service Editions, portable paperbacks that are shipped by the millions to soldiers overseas. Viv knows just how much they mean to the men through the letters she receives--including the last one she got from Edward. She also knows the only way to win this battle is to counter the senator's propaganda with a story of her own--at the heart of which lies the reclusive and mysterious woman tending the American Library of Nazi-Banned Books in Brooklyn.

As Viv unknowingly brings her censorship fight crashing into the secrets of the recent past, the fates of these three women will converge, changing all of them forever.

Inspired by the true story of the Council of Books in Wartime--the WWII organization founded by booksellers, publishers, librarians, and authors to use books as "weapons in the war of ideas"--The Librarian of Burned Books is an unforgettable historical novel, a haunting love story, and a testament to the beauty, power, and goodness of the written word.]]> 416 Brianna Labuskes 0063259257 Angie 4
With book banning being a hot topic in recent years, there were certainly elements that tied the past to the present here that won’t be missed by many. While reading, I found those discussions incredibly intriguing, topped only by the ending - which was one of the strongest I’ve read in some time. It was only in the final act that I realized how much I’d come to care about the characters and their outcomes.

One of my favorite aspects of historical fiction novels is learning something new - with this, it was the “armed services editions” program. 4.3 for me. ]]> 3.85 2023 The Librarian of Burned Books
author: Brianna Labuskes
name: Angie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/07
date added: 2023/04/09
shelves:
review:
It took a little longer than I’d like to get into this book. I can’t say it was a slow start… it’s more that I was a little distracted, so jumping in and out of the three timelines took some time to get used to. Once I got a handle on that (after getting to know the three women), it read too fast and I didn’t want it to end.

With book banning being a hot topic in recent years, there were certainly elements that tied the past to the present here that won’t be missed by many. While reading, I found those discussions incredibly intriguing, topped only by the ending - which was one of the strongest I’ve read in some time. It was only in the final act that I realized how much I’d come to care about the characters and their outcomes.

One of my favorite aspects of historical fiction novels is learning something new - with this, it was the “armed services editions” program. 4.3 for me.
]]> Columbine 5632446
When we think of Columbine, we think of the Trench Coat Mafia; we think of Cassie Bernall, the girl we thought professed her faith before she was shot; and we think of the boy pulling himself out of a school window—with the whole world watching him. In this riveting piece of journalism nearly ten years in the making comes the story none of us knew. This revelatory book offers a profile of teenage killers that goes to the heart of psychopathology. Dave Cullen, the acclaimed journalist who followed the massacre from day one, lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris and the quavering, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who went to prom three days earlier and obsessed about love in his journal.

The result is an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends, who came to stockpile a basement cache of weapons, to record their raging hatred, and to manipulate every adult who got in their way. They left signs everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boys' tapes and diaries, he gives the first complete account of the Columbine tragedy.

In the tradition of Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood, Columbine is destined to be a classic. A close-up portrait of hatred, a community rendered helpless, and the police blunders and cover-ups, it is a compelling and utterly human portrait of two killers—an unforgettable cautionary tale for our times.]]> 417 Dave Cullen 0446546933 Angie 0 to-read 4.28 2009 Columbine
author: Dave Cullen
name: Angie
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper]]> 26722820
Sixty-nine-year-old Arthur Pepper lives a simple life. He gets out of bed at precisely 7:30 a.m., just as he did when his wife, Miriam, was alive. He dresses in the same gray slacks and mustard sweater vest, waters his fern, Frederica, and heads out to his garden.

But on the one-year anniversary of Miriam's death, something changes. Sorting through Miriam's possessions, Arthur finds an exquisite gold charm bracelet he's never seen before. What follows is a surprising and unforgettable odyssey that takes Arthur from London to Paris and as far as India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife's secret life before they met--a journey that leads him to find hope, healing and self-discovery in the most unexpected places.

Featuring an unforgettable cast of characters with big hearts and irresistible flaws, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a curiously charming debut and a joyous celebration of life's infinite possibilities.]]> 331 Phaedra Patrick 0778319334 Angie 4
]]> 3.90 2016 The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
author: Phaedra Patrick
name: Angie
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/30
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves:
review:
Gilbert-Summit Branch Book Club Pick for March 2023.


]]> All My Rage 57899793 Lahore, Pakistan. Then.
Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start.

Juniper, California. Now.
Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.

When Sal’s attempts to save the motel spiral out of control, he and Noor must ask themselves what friendship is worth—and what it takes to defeat the monsters in their pasts and the ones in their midst.

From one of today’s most cherished and bestselling young adult authors comes a breathtaking novel of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness—one that’s both tragic and poignant in its tender ferocity.]]> 376 Sabaa Tahir 0593202341 Angie 4
I’m still processing my thoughts on this one so my rating may change. I can say that I’m impressed with how many tough issues are covered in a way that feels organic to the characters, setting, and plot. So often it feels like writers have a set number of sensitive topics to hit and cram them in before deadline, but this… this was different. ]]> 4.47 2022 All My Rage
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Angie
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/02
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves:
review:
4.3-ish. This book took some time to pull me in but once it did, I was hooked.

I’m still processing my thoughts on this one so my rating may change. I can say that I’m impressed with how many tough issues are covered in a way that feels organic to the characters, setting, and plot. So often it feels like writers have a set number of sensitive topics to hit and cram them in before deadline, but this… this was different.
]]> Before We Were Yours 32148570 Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.]]> 342 Lisa Wingate 0425284689 Angie 4 4.38 2017 Before We Were Yours
author: Lisa Wingate
name: Angie
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/03/29
shelves:
review:

]]> How to Find Your Way Home 58065779 What if the person you thought you'd lost forever walked back into your life?

A warm, life-affirming novel about what happens when a sister discovers that the brother she hasn't seen in more than a decade is homeless, and in reconnecting with him learns the true meaning of belonging, from the author of Little Big Love.

When they were children, Emily and her brother Stephen were inseparable. Running wild through the marshes of Canvey Island, it was Stephen who taught her to look for the incandescent flash of a bird's wings, who instilled within her a love and respect for nature's wonders. But one June day, their lives came crashing down around them and fate forced them apart.

Fifteen years later, Emily should be happy. She has a sun-filled garden flat, a lovely boyfriend, and a job that is supposed to let her make a difference. But instead she's lost, always on the lookout for her brother's face, and worn down, spending her days working at the local housing offices having to turn away more applicants than she can help.

And then one day, her brother walks through the door.

Stephen has been living in and out of shelters for the last decade and the baggage between them is heavy. But Emily is overjoyed to see her brother again and invites him to come live with her. In an attempt to rebuild their relationship, they embark on a birding adventure together. Amid the soft calls of the marsh birds, they must confront the secrets of all that stands between them—even as they begin to realize that home may just be found within.]]> 336 Katy Regan 0451490371 Angie 0 to-read 3.75 2022 How to Find Your Way Home
author: Katy Regan
name: Angie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Breakdown 31450633
But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…]]> 328 B.A. Paris 1250122465 Angie 3 3.87 2017 The Breakdown
author: B.A. Paris
name: Angie
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/19
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves:
review:
Gilbert-Summit Branch Book Club Discussion - 2/23/23
]]> The Levee 62917567
An audio original novella from the bestselling author of Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, The Levee is a powerful, captivating story of a family, a storm, a complicated rescue, and the true cost of survival.

It’s 1927, and the most devastating flood in American history has swelled the Mississippi River to a width of eighty miles. In an attempt to save a family trapped by the rising water, four men in a tiny rowboat battle the treacherous flow: three are convicts, on loan from the local prison and pressed into service; the fourth, the leader of the team, is driven by his own hidden motives. But to their surprise upon arrival at Ballymore, an ancestral home protected by a high, circular levee, not everyone in the family feels the need to be saved. Pride, greed, loyalty, and even love create their own complex currents behind the massive wall. As the threat from the flood increases and time ticks away, the crew and the family must decide on a course of action, and a desperate plan is hatched to save the weakening levee and all it was built to protect.

The Levee is a propulsive, heartfelt tale of courage, cowardice, and sacrifice in a historic moment when the indomitable human spirit is pitted against the awesome and destructive power of nature.]]> 4 William Kent Krueger 1797153536 Angie 3
Grabbed this audio on a whim and wasn't disappointed. I enjoy most of Krueger's work for his ability to draw you into a time and place, but starting one is a commitment. This novella manages to do the same in half of an afternoon.

The narrator wasn't my favorite and I don't love deducting a star for that, but considering it's only released as audio, it's probably fair. ]]> 3.54 The Levee
author: William Kent Krueger
name: Angie
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/24
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves:
review:
WKK without the commitment? Worth a shot!

Grabbed this audio on a whim and wasn't disappointed. I enjoy most of Krueger's work for his ability to draw you into a time and place, but starting one is a commitment. This novella manages to do the same in half of an afternoon.

The narrator wasn't my favorite and I don't love deducting a star for that, but considering it's only released as audio, it's probably fair.
]]> Greenwich Park 55905003
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.]]> 384 Katherine Faulkner 1982150319 Angie 4
I'm going with 3.5 rounded up. A great story that never gets old (can you reeeeeally trust your new friend?), Faulker puts a spin on it to keep things interesting. Have to deduct a bit because it just felt long (something I rarely think about a thriller) and could have wrapped up much earlier for a bigger punch. All in all, a solid first book by Faulkner, who uses three POVs like a pro. ]]> 3.80 2021 Greenwich Park
author: Katherine Faulkner
name: Angie
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/23
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves:
review:
A fun thriller that was <> this close to capturing my attention fully (and another debut - I'm on a roll this year!)

I'm going with 3.5 rounded up. A great story that never gets old (can you reeeeeally trust your new friend?), Faulker puts a spin on it to keep things interesting. Have to deduct a bit because it just felt long (something I rarely think about a thriller) and could have wrapped up much earlier for a bigger punch. All in all, a solid first book by Faulkner, who uses three POVs like a pro.
]]> The Writing Retreat 61273863
Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she must discover the truth—or suffer the same fate.]]> 313 Julia Bartz 1982199458 Angie 3
This was quite a ride. Rounding down because even though I was able to fully suspend disbelief with the plot, the characters were a frustrating mess of clichés. The whole "retreat" genre has been explored to death so credit where it's due, this one is definitely different than all others I've read.

It's been more than a week since I finished it and I still remember quite a bit, so that's saying something. Bartz does seem to craft suspense well, and though she tied the characters together well, I hope they are more palatable in future works. ]]> 3.40 2023 The Writing Retreat
author: Julia Bartz
name: Angie
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/19
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves:
review:
3.49 rounded down...

This was quite a ride. Rounding down because even though I was able to fully suspend disbelief with the plot, the characters were a frustrating mess of clichés. The whole "retreat" genre has been explored to death so credit where it's due, this one is definitely different than all others I've read.

It's been more than a week since I finished it and I still remember quite a bit, so that's saying something. Bartz does seem to craft suspense well, and though she tied the characters together well, I hope they are more palatable in future works.
]]> Weyward 60654349
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

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

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

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 329 Emilia Hart 125028080X Angie 4
We get to know three women (each in a different era) who have a shared gift with the natural world and are facing obstacles that may look unique on the surface, but really boil down to the same problem at heart.

Hart seamlessly transitions between the three and sets the scenes so well that they are easy to imagine. The witchy elements add intrigue and mystique without feeling overdone or cheesy. ]]> 4.03 2023 Weyward
author: Emilia Hart
name: Angie
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/18
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves:
review:
Oooh! Just learned this was a debut - kudos to the author!

We get to know three women (each in a different era) who have a shared gift with the natural world and are facing obstacles that may look unique on the surface, but really boil down to the same problem at heart.

Hart seamlessly transitions between the three and sets the scenes so well that they are easy to imagine. The witchy elements add intrigue and mystique without feeling overdone or cheesy.
]]> <![CDATA[The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War]]> 51002129  
Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.

Kathleen Harriman was a champion skier, war correspondent, and daughter of U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman. Sarah Churchill, an actress-turned-RAF officer, was devoted to her brilliant father, who depended on her astute political mind. Roosevelt’s only daughter, Anna, chosen instead of her mother Eleanor to accompany the president to Yalta, arrived there as keeper of her father’s most damaging secrets. Situated in the political maelstrom that marked the transition to a post- war world, The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of fathers and daughters whose relationships were tested and strengthened by the history they witnessed and the future they crafted together.]]> 417 Catherine Grace Katz 0358117828 Angie 4 4.10 2020 The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War
author: Catherine Grace Katz
name: Angie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/14
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves:
review:
Interesting angle from an important time of world history.
]]> <![CDATA[The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents]]> 61195313
In teenagers, powerful emotions come with the territory. And with so many of today’s teens contending with academic pressure, social media stress, worries about the future, and concerns about their own mental health, it’s easy for them—and their parents—to feel anxious and overwhelmed. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Parents who read this book will
• what to expect in the normal course of adolescent emotional development and when it’s time to worry
• why teens (and adults) need to understand that mental health isn’t about “feeling good” but about having feelings that fit the moment, even if those feelings are unwanted or painful
• strategies for supporting teens who feel at the mercy of their emotions so they can become psychologically aware and skilled at managing their feelings
• how to approach common challenges that come with adolescence, such as friction at home, spiking anxiety, risky behavior, navigating friendships and romances, the pull of social media, and many more
• the best ways to stay connected to their teens and how to provide the kind of relationship that adolescents need and want

With clear, research-informed explanations alongside illuminating, real-life examples, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers gives parents the concrete, practical information they need to steady their teens through the bumpy yet transformational journey into adulthood.]]> 229 Lisa Damour 0593500016 Angie 5
I’ll be recommending this book to any and all parents I know. I don’t think the information provided is groundbreaking by any means, but it a nice encapsulation of current understandings and approaches in adolescent psychology.

Even with older teens, I’ll be implementing some of the strategies outlined to strengthen bonds and encourage healthy emotional habits as they prepare for the next stage of life. ]]> 4.46 The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents
author: Lisa Damour
name: Angie
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/14
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves:
review:
4.5 rounded up.

I’ll be recommending this book to any and all parents I know. I don’t think the information provided is groundbreaking by any means, but it a nice encapsulation of current understandings and approaches in adolescent psychology.

Even with older teens, I’ll be implementing some of the strategies outlined to strengthen bonds and encourage healthy emotional habits as they prepare for the next stage of life.
]]> Device Free Weekend 61237138 Seven friends, one eccentric billionaire, an all-expenses paid reunion on a private island with one catch: no phones, tablets or laptops allowed. It’ll be a weekend to remember--for those who make it out alive.

Ryan Cloverhill, founder and CEO of the world’s most popular social media platform, invites his six best college buddies to his home on his private island near Puget Sound. Day One offers amazing food, many drinks, lots of laughter, and a sunset cruise around the island aboard their host’s custom Van Dutch 55. Just what the doctor ordered.

Day Two, however, takes a bewildering turn when the six hungover guests wake up to find that their host has disappeared, along with all connection to the mainland. A touchscreen tablet of unknown make awaits them, blatantly defying the rules of the weekend with its on-screen challenge: Unlock Me! The passcode to the tablet is hidden somewhere in the group’s shared history. But what seems at first like just another silly game turns deadly serious when the group discovers what unlocking the tablet really means. Is it the key to their futures, a Pandora’s box none of them will ever be able to close, or both?
 
Only one thing is clear: their old friend Ryan has something unthinkable planned. Now it’s up to the six of them to stop him. And when this weekend is over, the world will never be the same.]]> 288 Sean Doolittle 1538706598 Angie 3
I feel like this is a great book for a very specific audience. But for me it felt like an action movie - explosive scenes and cool effects but terrible acting. ]]> 2.92 2023 Device Free Weekend
author: Sean Doolittle
name: Angie
average rating: 2.92
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/11
date added: 2023/03/14
shelves:
review:
Eh, this was fine (if a little over the top). A lot of the criticism here is on the tech focus, but I found those details pretty interesting. Author did a great job starting this story and building intensity quickly, but doesn’t offer any real connection points with characters so it’s hard to care what happens to them.

I feel like this is a great book for a very specific audience. But for me it felt like an action movie - explosive scenes and cool effects but terrible acting.
]]> <![CDATA[The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent]]> 68053760
"Jacobus has done a beautiful job with many difficult subjects, striking just the right tone and treating her highly sympathetic characters with dignity and compassion." BOOKLIST

"Intensely emotional and honest." PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

Readers "interested in mental and physical health will closely follow Del’s interactions with her family, fellow AA attendees, Nick, the crisis line callers, and Fran’s hospice coordinator, who helps Del understand the place of death within human existence. San Francisco forms a strong backdrop to this thought-provoking novel. Honestly and courageously explores sensitive topics.” KIRKUS

"A beautiful story of love, hope, and resilience...an extremely thoughtful and moving examination of death that focuses on the honor of being with someone when they die. A complex read that isn’t easy but is worth it.” SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL TEEN LIBRARIAN TOOLBOX]]> 352 Ann Jacobus 1728423953 Angie 0 to-read 3.91 2023 The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent
author: Ann Jacobus
name: Angie
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Women Are The Fiercest Creatures]]> 84198159

Anna Sarnoff is still reeling from her quickie divorce from tech wunderkind Jake Sarnoff. Forced out of the company that she helped Jake build, Anna is trying to pick up the pieces of her life, navigating the waters of solo parenting their two teenage boys and adapting to her new role of ex-wife. To make things more complicated, Jake seems to want her back…and his persuasiveness tempts her to say yes.

Across town, the brilliant and striking Samanta Flores-Walsh, Jake’s college girlfriend, is busy raising her teenage daughter and running her thriving yoga studio. Although their relationship ended years ago, unanswered questions from their time together gnaw at her, and when she learns that Jake is planning to take his billion-dollar company public, she starts to wonder if perhaps it isn’t too late for justice.

Finally, there’s Jake’s much younger new wife, Jessica, who’s struggling to stay afloat as a new mom while her high-profile husband grows increasingly distant.

Set in the wealthy enclaves of Seattle’s tech elite, the lives of these three women grow entangled as long-held secrets are forced to the surface, threatening to destroy their families. Written with razor-sharp intelligence and heart, Women Are the Fiercest Creatures is a searing look at the complexities of family and the obstacles women navigate in every aspect of their existence.]]> 272 Andrea Dunlop 1958506001 Angie 0 to-read 3.66 2023 Women Are The Fiercest Creatures
author: Andrea Dunlop
name: Angie
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity]]> 62586002
A vibrant new voice blends Native folklore and the search for identity in a fierce debut work of personal history. Leah Myers may be the last member of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in her family line, due to her tribe’s strict blood quantum laws. In this unflinching and intimate memoir, Myers excavates the stories of four generations of women in order to leave a record of her family. Beginning with her great-grandmother, the last full-blooded Native member in their lineage, she connects each woman with her totem to construct her family’s totem pole: protective Bear, defiant Salmon, compassionate Hummingbird, and perched on top, Raven. As she pieces together their stories, Myers weaves in tribal folktales, the history of the Native genocide, and Native mythology. Throughout, she tells the larger story of how, as she puts it, her “culture is being bleached out,” offering sharp vignettes of her own life between White and Native worlds: her naive childhood love for Pocahontas, her struggles with the Klallam language, the violence she faced at the hands of a close White friend as a teenager. Crisp and powerful, Thinning Blood is at once a bold reclamation of one woman’s identity and a searingly honest meditation on heritage, family, and what it means to belong. 4 illustrations]]> 170 Leah Myers 1324036702 Angie 0 to-read 3.63 2023 Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity
author: Leah Myers
name: Angie
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Long Goes to Dragon School 60262878
Long is from the East and can only breathe out water. No matter how hard he huffs and puffs, he isn't sure he can match his fire breathing classmates. But will he be discovered? Or will Long find his own unique path to cooking-and to fitting in?]]> 36 Helen H. Wu 1953458505 Angie 0 to-read 4.34 Long Goes to Dragon School
author: Helen H. Wu
name: Angie
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Garnett Girls 62800975 Ein süchtigmachendes Familiendrama vor der atemberaubenden Kulisse der Isle of Wight – perfekt für den Sommer!

Georgina Moore arbeitet seit vielen Jahren im Buchhandel und in der Verlagbranche, jetzt hat sie mit ihrem fulminanten Debüt die Sunday-Times-Bestsellerliste erobert. »Die Garnett Girls« hat alles, was ein gutes Sommerbuch benö eine aufregende Familiengeschichte, ein Cottage am Strand von England und ein großes Geheimnis, das die drei Schwestern fast ihr Glück kostet.

Margos und Richards Liebesgeschichte war verboten und leidenschaftlich. Als sie zerbrach, schloss sich Margo im Schlafzimmer ein und überließ ihre drei jungen Töchter sich selbst. Jahre später unterhält die charismatische Margo Garnett Liebhaber und Freunde in ihrem Cottage auf der Isle of Wight und weigert sich, jemals über ihre schmerzhafte Vergangenheit zu sprechen.

Doch ihr Schweigen verhindert, dass ihre nun erwachsenen Töchter endlich ihr Glück finden können. Rachel möchte mit ihrer Familie nach London zurückkehren, wird aber von der Verantwortung für ihr geliebtes, aber langsam verfallendes Familienhaus als Geisel gehalten. Die verträumte Imogen fühlt sich unter Druck gesetzt, ihren netten und rücksichtsvollen Verlobten zu heiraten, obwohl ihr Leben sie in eine andere Richtung zieht. Und die wilde, leidenschaftliche Sasha wird von einem Geheimnis belastet, dass die Garnett Girls in ihren Grundfesten erschüttern könnte. 
]]> 336 Georgina Moore 0063293552 Angie 0 to-read 3.47 2023 The Garnett Girls
author: Georgina Moore
name: Angie
average rating: 3.47
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]]> <![CDATA[Stories and Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love]]> 74652998 UNEXPECTED INSIGHTS from an UNCONVENTIONAL BUSINESS BOOK

Each of us has the power to create a life we love. This is the core belief of Build-A-Bear CEO, Sharon Price John, and one that makes Stories & Heart stand out among today’s business books. Revealed in events and experiences that shaped her life, Sharon Price John assembles a blueprint for making meaning in modern times.

More than candid stories that educate and inspire, Sharon guides readers through her framework for using their personal stories to enact meaningful change in their lives. Each chapter begins with a themed story―like setting productive goals, or challenging limiting perceptions―then proceeds to a “Questions from the Heart” section that creates space for contemplation. The chapters conclude with a “Create Your Own Story” exercise, designed to help readers identify the power of their personal stories, take control of their journey, and create a life they love.]]> 282 Sharon Price John Angie 0 to-read 4.44 Stories and Heart: Unlock the Power of Personal Stories to Create a Life You Love
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name: Angie
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]]> The Vibrant Years 60224477 Living on their own terms means being there for one another.

When sixty-five-year-old Bindu Desai inherits a million dollars, she’s astounded―and horrified. The windfall threatens to expose a shameful mistake from her youth. On an impulse, Bindu quickly spends it on something unexpected: a condo in a posh retirement community in Florida.

The impulsive decision blindsides Bindu’s daughter-in-law, Aly. At forty-seven, Aly still shares a home with Bindu even after her divorce from Bindu’s son. But maybe this change is just the push Aly needs to fight for her own dreams.

As Bindu and Aly navigate their new dynamic, Aly’s daughter, Cullie, is faced with losing the business that made her a tech-world star. The only way to save it is to deliver a new idea to her investors―and they want the dating app she pitched them in a panic. Problem is, Cullie has never been on a real date. Naturally, enlisting her single mother and grandmother to help her with the research is the answer.

From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes a heartfelt novel about three generations of hilarious, unconventional, ambitious women who embark on a shared journey of self-discovery. Join the Desai women as they come together to embrace the hijinks and heartbreak of facing their greatest fears to finally live their most vibrant lives.]]> 315 Sonali Dev 1542036224 Angie 0 to-read 3.72 2022 The Vibrant Years
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name: Angie
average rating: 3.72
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]]> In My Dreams I Hold a Knife 60000306 Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has been invited back to her university for a reunion and she is obsessed with dazzling everyone with her beauty and success. This time when they see her, it has to be perfect because she is perfect. Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year.

But there’s more at stake than the delicious envy of her peers—not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. In fact, someone has orchestrated the whole weekend to trap the real killer. As the weekend unfolds and they get closer to the truth, the group finds there was more than murder hidden amongst them on campus.

Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is an addictive, propulsive thriller you won’t be able to put down.]]> 336 Ashley Winstead 1728243203 Angie 0 to-read 3.81 2021 In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Angie
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
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