Cate's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 11 Dec 2024 00:48:39 -0800 60 Cate's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1)]]> 37442 When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

]]> 406 Gregory Maguire 0060987103 Cate 0 3.52 1995 Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1)
author: Gregory Maguire
name: Cate
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves:
review:
I went into this book blind as I haven't seen the musical, and as a lifelong Wizard of Oz fan (movie & book) it was an obvious choice. But now that I've finished reading it, I honestly don't know what I thought of it! I don't know whether I loved the political agenda or hated it; I don't know whether the author was clever, writing elaborate sentences that landed somewhere above me, or whether they were so poorly written that they were nonsensical. I didn't understand the relationship between the wicked witch and the good witch, as the latter barely featured in the book, especially towards the end. And whilst I thought it was an insanely good premise, giving us the back story of the wicked witch, towards the end I found myself caring less about her and then when I turned the final page, I felt numb. Reading the reviews, it seems that most people fall into the hate or love category, but I'm going to straddle both and will remain there for a long time until I figure out which way to leap. In the meantime, I don't even know whether to put the book on my shelf or pass it on. And that's a first for me! Good luck if you read this book and I hope you are more decisive than me...
]]> Apple Tree Yard 17452179 Apple Tree Yard.]]> 320 Louise Doughty 0571297889 Cate 5 3.65 2013 Apple Tree Yard
author: Louise Doughty
name: Cate
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/03/29
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review:
I've always wanted to read this and finally did. The writing is very clever, stylish, full of astute observations about the way that the law and society as a general treats 'indiscretions' made by women compared to those made by men. Accomplished and polished.
]]> Watch Out for Her 58438555 Wherever you go�
she’ll be watching.

Sarah Goldman, mother to six-year-old Jacob, is relieved to move across the country. She has a lot she wants to leave behind, especially Holly Monroe, the pretty twenty-two-year-old babysitter she and her husband, Daniel, hired to take care of their young son last summer. It started out as a perfect arrangement—Sarah had a childminder her son adored, and Holly found the mother figure she’d always wanted. But Sarah’s never been one to trust very easily, so she kept a close eye on Holly, maybe too close at times. What she saw raised some questions, not only about who Holly really was but what she was hiding. The more Sarah watched, the more she learned—until one day, she saw something she couldn’t unsee, something so shocking that all she could do was flee.

Sarah has put it all behind her and is starting over in a different city with her husband and son. They’ve settled into a friendly suburb where the neighbors, a tight clique of good citizens, are always on the lookout for danger. But when Sarah finds hidden cameras in her new home, she has to wonder: Has her past caught up to her, and worse yet, who’s watching her now?

A tense psychological thriller about a mother who must keep watch at all times if she wants to keep her family safe—from USA TODAY and #1 national bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey.
A spine-tingling, page-turning novel from USA TODAY and #1 national bestselling author Samantha M. Bailey, Watch Out for Her is psychological suspense at its very best—a chilling look at trust, voyeurism, and obsession in the modern age, and how far we will go to watch out for those we love.]]> 336 Samantha M. Bailey 1982155191 Cate 0 to-read 3.57 2022 Watch Out for Her
author: Samantha M. Bailey
name: Cate
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Push 52476830 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family–and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for–and everything she feared.

Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.

But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do.

Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.

Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.

The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.]]> 307 Ashley Audrain 1984881663 Cate 0 to-read 4.03 2021 The Push
author: Ashley Audrain
name: Cate
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wifey 37744 Wifey is Judy Blume's hilarious, moving tale of a woman who trades in her conventional wifely duties for her wildest fantasies—and learns a lot about life along the way.

Sandy Pressman is a nice suburban wife whose boredom is getting the best of her. She could be making friends at the club, like her husband keeps encouraging her to do.

Or working on her golf game.

Or getting her hair done.

But for some reason, these things don't interest her as much as the naked man on the motorcycle...]]> 304 Judy Blume 0425206548 Cate 0 to-read 3.38 1978 Wifey
author: Judy Blume
name: Cate
average rating: 3.38
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine]]> 53288445 The story of three Victorian women who broke down barriers in the medical field to become the first women doctors, revolutionizing the way women receive health care.

In the early 1800s, women were dying in large numbers from treatable diseases because they avoided receiving medical care. Examinations performed by male doctors were often demeaning and even painful. In addition, women faced stigma from illness--a diagnosis could greatly limit their ability to find husbands, jobs or be received in polite society.

Motivated by personal loss and frustration over inadequate medical care, Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake fought for a woman's place in the male-dominated medical field. For the first time ever, Women in White Coats tells the complete history of these three pioneering women who, despite countless obstacles, earned medical degrees and paved the way for other women to do the same. Though very different in personality and circumstance, together these women built women-run hospitals and teaching colleges--creating for the first time medical care for women by women.]]> 368 Olivia Campbell 0778389391 Cate 0 to-read 3.66 2021 Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine
author: Olivia Campbell
name: Cate
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> A Special Place for Women 54985742
“One of the smartest, sharpest, and funniest books I’ve read in years... Some books are meant to be devoured—this one does the devouring.”—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation

One of Summer 2021's Most Anticipated Novels
Good Morning America, Cosmopolitan , Good Housekeeping , Real Simple , theSkimm, E! Online, Oprah Daily, The New York Post , Woman's Day , Parade, Bustle, Yahoo!, The Stripe, Popsugar, Medium, Lithub, Book Riot, The Nerd Daily, and more!

It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose bewitching members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business. From the author of Happy and You Know It .

For years, rumors have swirled about an exclusive, women-only social club where the elite tastemakers of NYC meet. People in the know whisper all sorts of Membership dues cost $1,000 a month. Last time Rihanna was in town, she stopped by and got her aura read. The women even handpicked the city's first female mayor. But no one knows for sure. 

That is, until journalist Jillian Beckley decides she's going to break into the club. With her career in freefall, Jillian needs a juicy scoop, and she has a personal interest in bringing these women down. But the deeper she gets into this new world—where billionaire "girlbosses" mingle with occult-obsessed Bohemians—the more Jillian learns that bad things happen to those who dare to question the club's motives or giggle at its outlandish rituals.  

The select group of women who populate the club may be far more powerful than she ever imagined. 

And far more dangerous too.]]> 368 Laura Hankin 1984806262 Cate 0 to-read 3.43 2021 A Special Place for Women
author: Laura Hankin
name: Cate
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> Smile and Look Pretty 54737060 A whip-smart, piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty follows four assistants who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance.

Online they're the Aggressive One, the Bossy One, the Bitchy One and the Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common--they're overworked, overtired and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try to change the world.

Gripping, razor sharp and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together.]]> 368 Amanda Pellegrino 0778311120 Cate 0 to-read 3.63 2022 Smile and Look Pretty
author: Amanda Pellegrino
name: Cate
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]]> 32620332
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the �80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.]]> 389 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1501139231 Cate 0 to-read 4.39 2017 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Cate
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Club 58536005 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062997425.

From the author of People Like Her comes a smart and sinister murder mystery set in the secretive world of exclusive celebrity clubs.

Everyone's Dying to Join . . .

The Home Group is a glamorous collection of celebrity members' clubs dotted across the globe, where the rich and famous can party hard and then crash out in its five-star suites, far from the prying eyes of fans and the media.

The most spectacular of all is Island Home—a closely-guarded, ultraluxurious resort, just off the English coast—and its three-day launch party is easily the most coveted A-list invite of the decade.

But behind the scenes, tensions are at breaking point: the ambitious and expensive project has pushed the Home Group's CEO and his long-suffering team to their absolute limits. All of them have something to hide—and that's before the beautiful people with their own ugly secrets even set foot on the island.

As tempers fray and behavior worsens, as things get more sinister by the hour and the body count piles up, some of Island Home’s members will begin to wish they’d never made the guest list.

Because at this club, if your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out.]]> 320 Ellery Lloyd Cate 0 to-read 3.19 2022 The Club
author: Ellery Lloyd
name: Cate
average rating: 3.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/03/03
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]]> The Whistling 57203848
With Mary defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William. Just as no one can explain the hypnotic lullabies sung in empty corridors. Nor the strange dolls that appear in abandoned rooms.

Nor the faint whistling that comes in the night...

As winter draws in and passage to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth finds herself trapped.

But is this house haunted by the ghosts of the past?

OR THE SECRETS OF THE LIVING..?

Chilling, twisty and emotionally gripping, The Whistling is an atmospheric page-turner with shades of the classics, yet a unique character of its own. Perfect for fans of Susan Hill and Laura Purcell.]]> 378 Rebecca Netley 0241533996 Cate 5 3.65 2021 The Whistling
author: Rebecca Netley
name: Cate
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/02/21
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review:
The Whistling kept me company during the storms with the wind howling at the windowpanes. I really lost myself in the atmospheric island setting. Rebecca Netley has crafted such an eloquent ghost story, it will stay with me for a long time. If you're looking for an immersive fireside read with all the ingredients of a classic ghost story - creepy old house, evocative island setting, strong female protagonist - then this is the book for you.
]]> Last Christmas in Paris 34150794
New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War.

August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.

But as history tells us, it all happened so differently�

Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene?

Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…]]> 384 Hazel Gaynor 006256269X Cate 5 4.13 2017 Last Christmas in Paris
author: Hazel Gaynor
name: Cate
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/23
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review:
I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it in the run up to Christmas and it made me sob - in a good way! Will look out for more by this stunning writing duo.
]]> The Touch 182464
Alexander Kinross is remembered in his native Scotland only as a shiftless boilermaker's apprentice. But when he writes from Australia to summon his bride, his relatives realize he is now a man to be reckoned with. Arriving in Sydney after a difficult voyage, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Drummond meets her husband-to-be and discovers that he frightens and repels her. And, isolated in Alexander's great house, Elizabeth finds that marriage does not prompt her husband to enlighten her about his past life - nor his present one, in which his mistress, the sensuous, tough, outspoken Ruby Costevan, still plays a part...]]> 624 Colleen McCullough 009928099X Cate 5 3.74 2003 The Touch
author: Colleen McCullough
name: Cate
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/14
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review:

]]> American Dirt 45046527
Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while cracks are beginning to show in Acapulco because of the cartels, Lydia’s life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. But after her husband’s tell-all profile of the newest drug lord is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and Luca find themselves joining the countless people trying to reach the United States. Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?]]> 459 Jeanine Cummins Cate 5 4.32 2020 American Dirt
author: Jeanine Cummins
name: Cate
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2022/01/13
shelves:
review:
One of the most gripping books I've ever read.
]]> The Book Club 44147678
_______________

The book club was her idea, of course. Alice's.

It was her way into our group. A chance to get close.

I knew from the day she arrived that she couldn't be trusted.

And I was right.

Because Alice didn't come to the village for peace and quiet.

She came for revenge.]]> 368 C.J. Cooper Cate 5 3.34 2019 The Book Club
author: C.J. Cooper
name: Cate
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
Midsomer Murders meets Desperate Housewives. Immensely entertaining, the growing sense of menace - of 'where have I seen you before?' - grips and chills in equal measures. An excellent confident debut!
]]> The Verdict 57112309
She is one of twelve people to decide whether a man is innocent or guilty of a horrific crime.

But in the weeks after the trial, Natalie can't shake the feeling that the verdict was a terrible mistake. That they let a guilty man walk free.

So when she crosses paths with the accused by chance, she decides to do whatever it takes to find the truth.

Because as Natalie knows, sometimes you have to take justice into your own hands . . .]]> 295 C.J. Cooper 1472129709 Cate 5 3.54 2021 The Verdict
author: C.J. Cooper
name: Cate
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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Clever, gripping and gutsy with an unreliable narrator who I trusted and doubted in equal measures, knowing anything could and would happen.
]]> The Downstairs Neighbor 56175878
One House. Three Families. Countless Secrets.

From her downstairs apartment in suburban London, Emma has often overheard the everyday life of the seemingly perfect family upstairs–Steph, Paul and teenage daughter Freya–but has never got to know them. Until one day, she hears something that seizes her attention: Freya has vanished and the police are questioning Steph and Paul about their life. Do either of you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to harm or threaten you?

The effects of Freya’s disappearance ripple outward, affecting not just her parents, but everyone who lives in the building, including Emma and local driving instructor Chris, who was the last person to see the teenager before she went missing. Each character’s life is thrown into sharp focus as devastating mistakes and long-held secrets are picked apart and other crimes come to light–including a child gone missing 25 years before, and a shocking murder–that make clear that the past never stays where we leave it, and that homes can be built on foundations of lies.]]> 379 Helen Cooper 0593190408 Cate 5 3.65 2021 The Downstairs Neighbor
author: Helen Cooper
name: Cate
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
I can't remember the last book that made me guess and long for answers quite as much as The Downstairs Neighbour. The story was always one step ahead of me, catching me out. Gripping, teasing, intricately plotted, an accomplished debut that's impossible to put down
]]> The Secret Keeper’s Daughter 58755589
Desperate to understand why Marley has become so withdrawn, Holly creates a worry box, where Marley posts her thoughts each day.

At first, the messages seem innocent. But when Holly finds a note saying secrets make me sad, she begins to question everyone entrusted with her care�

Including her family.

Once the truth is out� there’s no going back.

An utterly gripping family drama about the perils of motherhood, and the dark secrets that lurk just out of sight. Fans of Susan Lewis, Kerry Fisher and Diane Chamberlain will lose themselves in this suspenseful page-turner!]]> 336 Samantha King 0008471444 Cate 5 3.73 2021 The Secret Keeper’s Daughter
author: Samantha King
name: Cate
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/01
date added: 2022/01/13
shelves:
review:
Evocative, engaging & gripping from the very first page!
]]> A Room with a View 3087
Lucy has her rigid, middle-class life mapped out for her, until she visits Florence with her uptight cousin Charlotte, and finds her neatly ordered existence thrown off balance. Her eyes are opened by the unconventional characters she meets at the Pension Bertolini: flamboyant romantic novelist Eleanor Lavish, the Cockney Signora, curious Mr Emerson and, most of all, his passionate son George.

Lucy finds herself torn between the intensity of life in Italy and the repressed morals of Edwardian England, personified in her terminally dull fiancé Cecil Vyse. Will she ever learn to follow her own heart?]]> 119 E.M. Forster 1420925431 Cate 0 3.91 1908 A Room with a View
author: E.M. Forster
name: Cate
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1908
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> The Grass Is Singing 130115
Mary Turner is a self-confident, independent young woman who becomes the depressed, frustrated wife of an ineffectual, unsuccessful farmer. Little by little the ennui of years on the farm work their slow poison, and Mary's despair progresses until the fateful arrival of an enigmatic and virile black servant, Moses. Locked in anguish, Mary and Moses -- master and slave -- are trapped in a web of mounting attraction and repulsion. Their psychic tension explodes in an electrifying scene that ends this disturbing tale of racial strife in colonial South Africa.

The Grass Is Singing blends Lessing's imaginative vision with her own vividly remembered early childhood to recreate the quiet horror of a woman's struggle against a ruthless fate.]]> 208 Doris Lessing 0002257556 Cate 5 3.84 1950 The Grass Is Singing
author: Doris Lessing
name: Cate
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1950
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> <![CDATA[One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest]]> 332613 9780451163967

Tyrannical Nurse Ratched rules her ward in an Oregon State mental hospital with a strict and unbending routine, unopposed by her patients, who remain cowed by mind-numbing medication and the threat of electric shock therapy. But her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy � the swaggering, fun-loving trickster with a devilish grin who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates. His struggle is seen through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a seemingly mute half-Indian patient who understands McMurphy's heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them imprisoned. Ken Kesey's extraordinary first novel is an exuberant, ribald and devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness.]]> 325 Ken Kesey Cate 5 4.20 1962 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
author: Ken Kesey
name: Cate
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1962
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> The Remains of the Day 28921 Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 0571225381 here.

In the summer of 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper.]]> 258 Kazuo Ishiguro Cate 5 4.14 1989 The Remains of the Day
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Cate
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
This is not a fast page-turner. It's a slow thoughtful read capturing an era that's long since gone (as the title suggests!) It's exquisite.
]]> Never Let Me Go 6334 288 Kazuo Ishiguro 1400078776 Cate 4 3.85 2005 Never Let Me Go
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Cate
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> The Thorn Birds 3412
The central figures in this enthralling story are the indomitable Meggie, the only Cleary daughter, and the one man she truly loves, the stunningly handsome and ambitious priest Ralph de Bricassart. Ralph's course moves him a long way indeed, from a remote Outback parish to the halls of the Vatican; and Meggie's except for a brief and miserable marriage elsewhere, is fixed to the Drogheda that is part of her bones - but distance does not dim their feelings though it shapes their lives.

Wonderful characters people this book; strong and gentle, Paddy, hiding a private memory; dutiful Fiona, holding back love because it once betrayed her, violent, tormented Frank, and the other hardworking Cleary sons who give the boundless lands of Drogheda the energy and devotion most men save for women; Meggie; Ralph; and Meggie's children, Justine and Dane. And the land itself; stark, relentless in its demands, brilliant in its flowering, prey to gigantic cycles of drought and flood, rich when nature is bountiful, surreal like no other place on earth.

Alternate Cover Edition ISBN 0380018179 (ISBN13: 9780380018178)]]> 692 Colleen McCullough Cate 5 4.24 1977 The Thorn Birds
author: Colleen McCullough
name: Cate
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
One of my favourite books ever.
]]> A Moveable Feast 4631 192 Ernest Hemingway Cate 0 4.04 1964 A Moveable Feast
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Cate
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1964
rating: 0
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]]> Love Story (Love Story, #1) 73968
Opposites in nearly every way, Oliver and Jenny are kindred spirits from vastly different worlds. Falling deeply and powerfully, their attraction to one another defies everything they have ever believed—as they share a passion far greater than anything they dreamed possible . . . and explore the wonder of a love that must end too soon.

One of the most adored novels of our time, this is the book that defined a generation—a story of uncompromising devotion, of life as it really is . . . and love that changes everything.]]> 224 Erich Segal 0380017601 Cate 4 3.64 1969 Love Story (Love Story, #1)
author: Erich Segal
name: Cate
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> Lives of Girls and Women 14285 The Love of a Good Woman -- is an insightful, honest book, "autobiographical in form but not in fact," that chronicles a young girl's growing up in rural Ontario in the 1940s.

Del Jordan lives out at the end of the Flats Road on her father's fox farm, where her most frequent companions are an eccentric bachelor family friend and her rough younger brother. When she begins spending more time in town, she is surrounded by women -- her mother, an agnostic, opinionated woman who sells encyclopedias to local farmers; her mother's boarder, the lusty Fern Dogherty; and her best friend, Naomi, with whom she shares the frustrations and unbridled glee of adolescence.

Through these unwitting mentors and in her own encounters with sex, birth, and death, Del explores the dark and bright sides of womanhood. All along she remains a wise, witty observer and recorder of truths in small-town life. The result is a powerful, moving, and humorous demonstration of Alice Munro's unparalleled awareness of the lives of girls and women.]]> 277 Alice Munro 0375707492 Cate 5 Just beautiful! 4.01 1971 Lives of Girls and Women
author: Alice Munro
name: Cate
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1971
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
Just beautiful!
]]> The Rainbow 31491 The Rainbow, follows the lives and loves of three generations of the Brangwen family between 1840 and 1905. Their tempestuous relationships are played out against a backdrop of change as they witness the arrival of industrialization - the only constant being their unending attempts to grasp a higher form of existence symbolized by the persistent, unifying motif of the "rainbow". Lawrence's fourth novel, a prequel to Women in Love, is an invigorating, absorbing tale about the undying determination of the human soul.]]> 544 D.H. Lawrence 0451530306 Cate 5 3.71 1915 The Rainbow
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: Cate
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1915
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> My Cousin Rachel 18869970 349 Daphne du Maurier 0316252964 Cate 5 4.02 1951 My Cousin Rachel
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Cate
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1951
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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review:

]]> Rebecca 17899948 Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

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

First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.]]> 449 Daphne du Maurier 0316323705 Cate 5 4.28 1938 Rebecca
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Cate
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1938
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> The Tenth Circle 10909
»In atemberaubender Weise erzählt Jodi Picoult von familiären Missverständnissen, von Verrat und Vergebung. Unerschrocken und mit tiefem Verständnis für ihre Figuren ein absoluter Pageturner.« -Die Washington Post]]> 387 Jodi Picoult 074349671X Cate 5 3.53 2006 The Tenth Circle
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Cate
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Pact by Jodi Picoult Summary & Study Guide]]> 11208476
This study guide includes the following Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.]]> 0 BookRags Cate 5 4.17 2010 The Pact by Jodi Picoult Summary & Study Guide
author: BookRags
name: Cate
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2010
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> Small Great Things 41021501
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.]]> 510 Jodi Picoult 034554496X Cate 4 4.38 2016 Small Great Things
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Cate
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/01/13
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[REVIEW of The Storyteller: Jodi Picoult]]> 20516331 A BOOK CLUB PARTY IN YOUR POCKET!

WARNING: This is not the actual book The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. Do not buy this Book Review if you are looking for a full copy of this thrilling novel, which can be found back on the Amazon search page.

Instead, we have already read the book and analyzed all of the fascinating characters, events, and action points (Spoiler Alerts near the end!) from this engaging novel to give you a comprehensive literary review and story analysis. It's like discussing the novel with your friends or going to a book club meeting. But you don't need to drive anywhere!

Packaged together in a fun and entertaining format, the entire discussion is delivered instantly to your device. If you haven't read The Storyteller yet, we'll let you know what to expect with savvy analysis and an honest review. If you're already reading the novel, then we'll be your tour guide through every section, heightening your enjoyment at every moment of intrigue, suspense, and humor. We’ll make sure you don’t miss any of the story’s hidden gems!

THE STORYTELLER -- JODI PICOULT

Jodi Picoult is one of those few authors who deserve to be on every reader’s must-buy list. Her books often dip deliciously into multiple genres, blending them in unique narratives full of action, suspense and, most of all, heart. Her characters are always unforgettable. Picoult has a well-known and beloved penchant for writing about sensitive subjects, but her work is never emotionally manipulative. Instead, Picoult is masterful at weaving scientific, historical or legal topics into stories in which one can easily get lost.

In The Storyteller, Picoult somehow meshes all of these themes together. After all, racism can be compared to a cancer and (so far, at least) it doesn’t get worse than the Holocaust. Religion and belief intertwine with that historic event. And in this novel, Picoult presents an unlikely friendship between a former SS soldier and a young Jewish woman � one in which he asks her to help him die.

Stay on track and see details in The Storyteller that you'd never notice otherwise with this Book Review & Story Analysis. Plot points you might miss, symbols that only become obvious on a second or third read-through, and themes that affect your understanding of the story -- all conveniently laid out for you.

Jodi Picoult does not divide The Storyteller into chapters, but instead into stories and the fresh voices of their narrators. We become witnesses to Ania’s, Sage’s, Leo’s, Josef’s and, most joyfully but ultimately heartbreaking, Minka’s stories.

YOUR READING TOUR GUIDE!

You don't have to read The Storyteller alone! We'll be right there with you through every moment of suspense, every funny line, and every point of intrigue. Whether you're reading for pleasure and want to maximize your enjoyment of Jodi Picoult's novel -- or whether you're reading for serious literary study -- this review and analysis is the perfect companion. It will help you understand and cherish the novel more.

Get it now and we'll bring the book club to you!]]> 119 Instant Book Club Parties Cate 5 4.39 2013 REVIEW of The Storyteller: Jodi Picoult
author: Instant Book Club Parties
name: Cate
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> My Sister’s Keeper 10917 New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age 13 she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged ... until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.]]> 423 Jodi Picoult 0743454537 Cate 5 4.10 2004 My Sister’s Keeper
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Cate
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> Whisper Network 41555931
But the world has changed, and the women are watching this promotion differently. This time, when they find out Ames is making an inappropriate move on a colleague, they aren’t willing to let it go. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough.

Sloane and her colleagues� decision to take a stand sets in motion a catastrophic shift in the office. Lies will be uncovered. Secrets will be exposed. And not everyone will survive. All of their lives—as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries—will change dramatically as a result.

"If only you had listened to us,� they tell us on page one of Chandler Baker's Whisper Network, “none of this would have happened."]]> 352 Chandler Baker 1250319471 Cate 5 3.55 2019 Whisper Network
author: Chandler Baker
name: Cate
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> Valley of the Dolls 581811 448 Jacqueline Susann 0802135196 Cate 5 3.96 1966 Valley of the Dolls
author: Jacqueline Susann
name: Cate
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1966
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
Just brilliant. Timeless. The first feminist fiction, really, and everyone should read it to see what the fuss was all about!
]]> <![CDATA[Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood]]> 137791 383 Rebecca Wells 006075995X Cate 5 3.86 1996 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
author: Rebecca Wells
name: Cate
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2002/01/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
In my top 10 fave reads of all time!
]]> <![CDATA[The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love: A Fallen Southern Belle's Look at Love, Life, Men, Marriage, and Being Prepared]]> 269386 The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love, their royal ringleader, Jill Conner Browne, introduces the Queens to the world with this sly, hilarious manifesto about love, life, men, and the importance of being prepared. Chapters include:
The True Magic Words Guaranteed to Get Any Man to Do Your Bidding
The Five Men You Must Have in Your Life at All Times
Men Who May Need Killing, Quite Frankly
What to Eat When Tragedy Strikes, or Just for Entertainment

And, of course:
The Best Advice Ever Given in the Entire History of the World

From tales of the infamous Sweet Potato Queens' Promise to the joys of Chocolate Stuff and Fat Mama's Knock You Naked Margaritas, this irreverent, shamelessly funny book is the gen-u-wine article.]]> 213 Jill Conner Browne 0609804138 Cate 5 3.70 1999 The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love: A Fallen Southern Belle's Look at Love, Life, Men, Marriage, and Being Prepared
author: Jill Conner Browne
name: Cate
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc]]> 218750 342 Loraine Despres 0060505885 Cate 5 3.71 2001 The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc
author: Loraine Despres
name: Cate
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> The Confession 44439342
Three decades later, Rose Simmons is seeking answers about her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was Constance Holden, a reclusive novelist who withdrew from public life at the peak of her fame, Rose is drawn to the door of Connie's imposing house in search of a confession . . .]]> 455 Jessie Burton Cate 5 3.89 2019 The Confession
author: Jessie Burton
name: Cate
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (Elmwood Springs, #1)]]> 84022 Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is the funny, serious, and compelling new novel by Fannie Flagg, author of the beloved Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (and prize-winning co-writer of the classic movie).

Once again, Flagg's humor and respect and affection for her characters shine forth. Many inhabit small-town or suburban America. But this time, her heroine is urban: a brainy, beautiful, and ambitious rising star of 1970s television. Dena Nordstrom, pride of the network, is a woman whose future is full of promise, her present rich with complications, and her past marked by mystery.]]> 480 Fannie Flagg 044900578X Cate 5 3.88 1998 Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (Elmwood Springs, #1)
author: Fannie Flagg
name: Cate
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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review:
One of my all-time favourite books. Beautiful characterisation, poignant, positive, human... Just wonderful!
]]> Pride and Prejudice 1885 Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780679783268]]> 279 Jane Austen 1441341706 Cate 5 4.28 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Cate
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1813
rating: 5
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]]> Beaches 1219954
Powerful and moving, this novel follows Cee Cee and Bertie's extraordinary friendship over the course of thirty years as they transform from adolescents into adults. A bestselling novel that became a hugely successful film, Beaches is funny, heartbreaking, and a tale that should be a part of every woman's library.]]> 304 Iris Rainer Dart 0060594772 Cate 4 4.16 1985 Beaches
author: Iris Rainer Dart
name: Cate
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1985
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> Summer Sisters 22695 🎧Listening Length = 9 hours, 18 minutes

This #1 New York Times bestseller and Read With Jenna book club pick is “a book to return to again and again� (Colleen Hoover). In 1977, Victoria and Caitlin form a bond that changes their lives. Years later, they reunite for a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard � and confront the pitfalls of their friendship. With full-cast narration!

In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard's world changed forever—when Caitlin Somers chose her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomed Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha's Vineyard, a magical, wind-blown island where two friends became summer sisters...

Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin has begged Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go—for the friend whose casual betrayals she remembers all too well. Because Vix wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend—her summer sister—still has the power to break her heart...

Audiobook Cast of Narrators:

Sophie Amoss as Vix
MacLeod Andrews as Bru
Cassandra Campbell as Abby
Michael Crouch as Daniel
Mark Deakins as Ed
Ari Fliakos as Gus
Dawn Harvey as Regina
Rebecca Lowman as Tawny
Saskia Maarleveld as Phoebe
George Newbern as Lamb
Everette Plen as Sharkey
Kirsten Potter as Dorset
Brittany Pressley as Paisley
Xe Sands as Tricia
Phoebe Strole as Maia]]> 416 Judy Blume 0440243750 Cate 5 3.85 1998 Summer Sisters
author: Judy Blume
name: Cate
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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I loved reading Judy Blume as a teen, but this was my first read of her adult books. Loved Summer Sisters. Blume knows how to make you turn pages simply because you care about her characters. Perfect sunshine reading
]]> The Cactus 41860718 An unforgettable love story that shows sometimes you have to embrace the unexpected.

Susan Green is like a cactus: you can't get too close. She likes things perfectly ordered and predictable. No surprises. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the unexpected news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is realized. She is losing control.

Enter Rob, the dubious but well-meaning friend of her indolent brother. As Susan's due date draws near and her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan finds an unlikely ally in Rob. She might have a chance at finding real love and learning to love herself, if only she can figure out how to let go.]]> 384 Sarah Haywood 0778369072 Cate 5 3.43 2018 The Cactus
author: Sarah Haywood
name: Cate
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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Have always wanted to read The Cactus and finally did. And so glad! I love strong female characters and Susan is one of the strongest I've met. The author made me laugh out loud and cry a little too. And when I got to the end and read the acknowledgements, I noticed that we have the same editor at Park Row Books. What a wonderful read for these dark January days. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a poignant, funny, very human read.
]]> The Girl on the Train 22557272
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.]]> 336 Paula Hawkins 1594633665 Cate 5 3.97 2015 The Girl on the Train
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Cate
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 5
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]]> The Good Sister 53137974 An alternate cover edition of ASIN B08BYCWK6T can be found here.

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.]]> 309 Sally Hepworth 1250120950 Cate 5 4.11 2020 The Good Sister
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Cate
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2022/01/13
shelves:
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Gripping, unusual premise, well written, stylish and a real page-turner!
]]> The Hunting Wives 45714854 The Hunting Wives share more than target practice, martinis, and bad behavior in this novel of obsession, seduction, and murder.

Sophie O’Neill left behind an envy-inspiring career and the stressful, competitive life of big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in a small Texas town. It seems like the perfect life with a beautiful home in an idyllic rural community. But Sophie soon realizes that life is now too quiet, and she’s feeling bored and restless.

Then she meets Margot Banks, an alluring socialite who is part of an elite clique secretly known as the Hunting Wives. Sophie finds herself completely drawn to Margot and swept into her mysterious world of late-night target practice and dangerous partying. As Sophie’s curiosity gives way to full-blown obsession, she slips farther away from the safety of her family and deeper into this nest of vipers.

When the body of a teenage girl is discovered in the woods where the Hunting Wives meet, Sophie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and her life spiraling out of control.]]> 356 May Cobb 0593101138 Cate 5 3.45 2021 The Hunting Wives
author: May Cobb
name: Cate
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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Loved everything about this book. Smart, sassy, suspenseful. Wonderful company!
]]> Three Women 42201100 A riveting true story about the sex lives of three real American women, based on nearly a decade of reporting.

Hailed as “a dazzling achievement� (Los Angeles Times) and “riveting page-turner that explores desire, heartbreak, and infatuation in all its messy, complicated nuance� (The Washington Post), Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women has captivated readers, booksellers, and critics—and topped bestseller lists—worldwide.

In suburban Indiana we meet Lina, a homemaker and mother of two whose marriage, after a decade, has lost its passion. Starved for affection, Lina battles daily panic attacks and, after reconnecting with an old flame through social media, embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming. In North Dakota we meet Maggie, a seventeen-year-old high school student who allegedly has a clandestine physical relationship with her handsome, married English teacher; the ensuing criminal trial will turn their quiet community upside down. Finally, in an exclusive enclave of the Northeast, we meet Sloane—a gorgeous, successful, and refined restaurant owner—who is happily married to a man who likes to watch her have sex with other men and women.

Based on years of immersive reporting and told with astonishing frankness and immediacy, Three Women is both a feat of journalism and a triumph of storytelling, brimming with nuance and empathy. “A work of deep observation, long conversations, and a kind of journalistic alchemy� (Kate Tuttle, NPR), Three Women introduces us to three unforgettable women—and one remarkable writer—whose experiences remind us that we are not alone.]]> 306 Lisa Taddeo 1451642296 Cate 4 3.72 2019 Three Women
author: Lisa Taddeo
name: Cate
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2019
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> Humankind: A Hopeful History 52879286 From the author of Utopia For Realists, a revolutionary argument that the innate goodness and cooperation of human beings has been the greatest factor in our success

If one basic principle has served as the bedrock of bestselling author Rutger Bregman's thinking, it is that every progressive idea -- whether it was the abolition of slavery, the advent of democracy, women's suffrage, or the ratification of marriage equality -- was once considered radical and dangerous by the mainstream opinion of its time. With Humankind, he brings that mentality to bear against one of our most entrenched ideas: namely, that human beings are by nature selfish and self-interested.

By providing a new historical perspective of the last 200,000 years of human history, Bregman sets out to prove that we are in fact evolutionarily wired for cooperation rather than competition, and that our instinct to trust each other has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. Bregman systematically debunks our understanding of the Milgram electrical-shock experiment, the Zimbardo prison experiment, and the Kitty Genovese "bystander effect."

In place of these, he offers little-known true stories: the tale of twin brothers on opposing sides of apartheid in South Africa who came together with Nelson Mandela to create peace; a group of six shipwrecked children who survived for a year and a half on a deserted island by working together; a study done after World War II that found that as few as 15% of American soldiers were actually capable of firing at the enemy.

The ultimate goal of Humankind is to demonstrate that while neither capitalism nor communism has on its own been proven to be a workable social system, there is a third option: giving "citizens and professionals the means (left) to make their own choices (right)." Reorienting our thinking toward positive and high expectations of our fellow man, Bregman argues, will reap lasting success. Bregman presents this idea with his signature wit and frankness, once again making history, social science and economic theory accessible and enjoyable for lay readers.]]> 462 Rutger Bregman 0316418536 Cate 4 4.37 2019 Humankind: A Hopeful History
author: Rutger Bregman
name: Cate
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2022/01/13
shelves:
review:
Fabulous book for when you're suffering from 'mean world syndrome' and want a reboot. Really argues - convincingly - that most people are decent. Heartwarming.
]]> <![CDATA[Clothes� and other things that matter: A beguiling and revealing memoir from the former Editor of British Vogue]]> 56072231
'Warm, thought-provoking and honest.' - Victoria Hislop

'Clever, emotionally intelligent, reveling in style without making us yearn to shop.' - The Times

'Self-deprecating and stylish, this is sure to become a classic.' - Vanity Fair

'It's funny, honest and in typical Shulman style mixes high and low effortlessly. We don't know many people who can write about bras, Donald Tusk and Madeleine Albright all in the same sentence.' - A Little Bird

'Scintillating reading.' - The Spectator

'Alexandra Shulman's style is unaffected, immediate and hilariously dry. She's brilliant at observing everyday feelings in a joy-sparking turn of phrase.' - Helena Bonham Carter

-

' Clothes... and other things that matter is a book not only about clothes but about the way we live our lives. From childhood onwards, the way we dress is a result of our personal history. In a mix of memoir, fashion history and social observation I am writing about the person our clothes allows us to be and sometimes the person they turn us into.' - Alexandra Shulman

In Clothes... and other things that matter , Alexandra Shulman delves into her own life to look at the emotions, ambitions, expectations and meanings behind the way we dress.

From the bra to the bikini, the trench coat to trainers, the slip dress to the suit, she explores their meaning in women's lives and how our wardrobes intersect with the larger world - the career ladder, motherhood, romance, sexual identity, ambition, failure, body image and celebrity.

By turns funny, refreshingly self-deprecating and often very moving, this startlingly honest memoir from the ex-Editor of British Vogue will encourage women of all ages to consider what their own clothes mean to them, the life they live in them and the stories they tell.
Ěý±Ő±Ő> 368 Alexandra Shulman 1788401999 Cate 4 3.92 Clothes… and other things that matter: A beguiling and revealing memoir from the former Editor of British Vogue
author: Alexandra Shulman
name: Cate
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/01
date added: 2022/01/13
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This is such a warm engaging read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and missed the author's company when it was over. A recommended personable book.
]]> Good Behaviour 439712
Behind the gates of Temple Alice the aristocratic Anglo-Irish St Charles family sinks into a state of decaying grace. To Aroon St Charles, large and unlovely daughter of the house, the fierce forces of sex, money, jealousy and love seem locked out by the ritual patterns of good behaviour. But crumbling codes of conduct cannot hope to save the members of the St Charles family from their own unruly and inadmissible desires.]]> 291 Molly Keane Cate 5 3.83 1981 Good Behaviour
author: Molly Keane
name: Cate
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1981
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/11
date added: 2022/01/13
shelves:
review:
If I could have given this book more than 5 stars, I would have. It was my first read by Molly Keane and I was blown away by the quality of writing. It's a masterclass in characterisation!
]]> The Overnight Guest 57578386 A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

She thought she was alone�

True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.

As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.]]> 352 Heather Gudenkauf Cate 0 to-read 4.07 2022 The Overnight Guest
author: Heather Gudenkauf
name: Cate
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Mrs. Parrish (Mrs. Parrish, #1)]]> 34043643
To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.

With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.]]> 560 Liv Constantine 0062688162 Cate 0 to-read 3.93 2017 The Last Mrs. Parrish (Mrs. Parrish, #1)
author: Liv Constantine
name: Cate
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/01/13
shelves: to-read
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]]> My Summer Darlings 58812201 Three lifelong friends plus a dangerous, sexy new stranger in town add up to a scorching summer of manipulation, obsession, and murder, from the acclaimed author of The Hunting Wives.

A woman in the forest thinks she’s going to die.
I know he’s coming back for me.

Jen Hansen, Kittie Spears, and Cynthia Nichols have been friends since childhood. They are now approaching forty and their lives have changed, but their insular East Texas town has not. They stay sane by drinking wine in the afternoons, dishing about other women in the neighborhood, and bonding over the heartache of their own encroaching middle age and raising ungrateful teens.

Then Will Harding comes to town, moving into one of the neighborhood’s grandest homes. Mysterious and charming, he seems like the answer to each woman’s prayers. He’s a source of fascination for Jen, Kittie, and Cynthia, but none of them are ready for the way Will disrupts their lives.

As Will grows closer with each of the women, their fascination twists into obsession, threatening their friendships and their families. When he abruptly pulls away, each woman scrambles to discover the source of his affection. But what they’ll uncover is far more sinister and deadly than any of them could have ever imagined.]]> 368 May Cobb 0593101162 Cate 0 to-read 3.32 2022 My Summer Darlings
author: May Cobb
name: Cate
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/01/13
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)]]> 27362503
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up � she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating� rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan � her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.]]> 386 Colleen Hoover 1668021048 Cate 0 to-read 4.11 2016 It Ends with Us (It Ends with Us, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Cate
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/01/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wahala 57797679 An incisive and exhilarating debut novel of female friendship following three Anglo-Nigerian best friends and the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates their group—the most unforgettable girls since Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.

Ronke wants happily ever after and 2.2. kids. She’s dating Kayode and wants him to be “the one� (perfect, like her dead father). Her friends think he’s just another in a long line of dodgy Nigerian boyfriends.

Boo has everything Ronke wants—a kind husband, gorgeous child. But she’s frustrated, unfulfilled, plagued by guilt, and desperate to remember who she used to be.

Simi is the golden one with the perfect lifestyle. No one knows she’s crippled by impostor syndrome and tempted to pack it all in each time her boss mentions her “urban vibe.� Her husband thinks they’re trying for a baby. She’s not.

When the high-flying, charismatic Isobel explodes into the group, it seems at first she’s bringing out the best in each woman. (She gets Simi an interview in Hong Kong! Goes jogging with Boo!) But the more Isobel intervenes, the more chaos she sows, and Ronke, Simi, and Boo’s close friendship begins to crack.

A sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal, Wahala (trouble) is an unforgettable novel from a brilliant new voice.]]> 384 Nikki May 0063084244 Cate 0 to-read 3.59 2022 Wahala
author: Nikki May
name: Cate
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/01/13
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]]> The Seawomen 59418406
If they do not conceive, they're cast back into the ocean as a sacrifice in an act called the Untethering.

Esta witnesses such an act as a child. Her childhood growing up on the island is fraught with tension as she comes to the terms with the prohibitive malaise of the culture she finds herself in. Before long, she gets a taste of freedom and the potential of the world that is much larger than Eden's Isle. But she is bound, like many women before her, when she is married off and her motheryear is finally declared. Will she conceive a child in her loveless arranged marriage, or suffer the same fate of many women before her, and be Untethered?

The Seawomen is a debut novel crackling with imagination and love. It's about the choices we make and challenging the myths and ties that bind us.]]> 320 Chloe Timms 1529369568 Cate 0 to-read 4.17 2022 The Seawomen
author: Chloe Timms
name: Cate
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/01/13
shelves: to-read
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]]> Untamed 52129515 Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.]]> 333 Glennon Doyle 1984801252 Cate 0 to-read 3.98 2020 Untamed
author: Glennon Doyle
name: Cate
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/11/12
shelves: to-read
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