en-US Tue, 13 May 2025 23:54:09 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 53914899
Since then, Kreya, the group’s leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She’d rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don’t rest in peace after all.�� 

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should be dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”]]> 478 Sarah Beth Durst 0062888633 Duanur 0 currently-reading, audiobooks 3.83 2021
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: currently-reading, audiobooks
review:

]]> 211004089
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.]]> 303 Charlotte McConaghy 1250827957 Duanur 0 currently-reading 4.24 2025
author: Charlotte McConaghy
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 6341492
Ella Rubinntain (40) Amerikalı bir ev kadınıdır. Tipik burjuva değerlerinin hâkim olduğu oldukça varlıklı bir ailesi, düzenli ve görünüşte “sorunsuz�� bir evliliği vardır. Üç çocuğunu da büyüttükten sonra bir yayınevinde editör-asistanı olarak iş bulur; görevi A. Z. Zahara adlı tanınmamış bir yazarın tasavvuf felsefesini konu alan tarihi romanını değerlendirmektir.
Ancak hayatının kritik bir döneminde eline aldığı bu kitap, hiç beklemediği bir şekilde Ella’yı derinden sarsacak, dünyevi aşkı keşfetmek adına zorlu ve tehlikeli bir yolculuğa çıkmasına neden olacaktır.

Hayatlarımızın durgun gölünü dalgalandıran taş misali, yüzleşmek zorunda olduğumuz sıkıntılar, acılar�� ve aşkın peşinde kat etmek zorunda olduğumuz zorlu yollar, ödediğimiz bedeller...

��ş��... kitap içinde bir kitap, hayatın anlamı peşinde bir aşk macerası��
��ş��... Elif Şafak’tan arayışa, gerçeğe ve keşfetmeye dair bir roman.]]> 420 Elif Shafak 6051111077 Duanur 3
"Her hakiki aşk hikayesi umulmadık dönüşümlere yol açar. ��ş��, bir milat demektir. Şayet “aşktan önce�� ve “aşktan sonra�� aynı insan olarak kalmışsak, yeterince sevmemişiz demektir. Birini seviyorsan onun için yapabileceğin en anlamlı şey değişmektir."

Mevlana ve Şems hakkında hiçbir şey bilmeden okuduğum için beklediğimden daha çok keyif aldım. Eğer bir şeyler bilseydim belki de yanlışlar görüp onlara takılırdım. Elif Şafak'ın yıllardır yazısını merak ediyordum ama bir gün okursam mutlaka en populer kitabı olan ��ş��'ı denemek istiyordum. Konya'ya yolumun düştüğü bu zamanlarda okumam gerekiyormuş.

Ella adında 40 yaşlarında evli ve çocuklu amerikalı bir yahudi kadın, Şems ve Mevlanayı konu alan tasavvuf ile ilgili bir roman okur. Bunun üzerine yazarıyla mail'leşmeye başlar ve "aşk"'ın asıl anlamını öğrenmeye çalışır.

Bana göre bu kitap Eat, Pray, Love'ın tasavvufi bir versiyonuydu. Liberal beyaz kadınlara ruhani bir bakış açısı kazandırıp ilgilerini çekmek ve bunun yanı sıra beyaz amerikalı bir kadın yazar değil de Türk amerikalı kadın bir yazarın kitabını okudum diyebilmek.

Bu kitabın beğendiğim kısımları yani Tasavvuf bölümlerinin ne kadarı Elif Şafak ne kadarı gerçek Tasavvuf bilgileri bilemediğim için burda yazarın yazış tarzını ve fikirlerini rahatlıkla övemiyorum. Aynı şekilde, araştırma kabiliyetlerini de övmek istesem de burdaki bilgilerin ne kadarı eksik ya da fazla bilemiyorum.

Kuran'dan aldığı bir kaç hikaye içinde yanlış bir bilgiye rastlamadım fakat tasavvuf hakkında benim neredeyse yok denecek kadar az bilgim olduğu için bu konu hakkında bir şey diyemem.

Sonunun sönük bitmesini saymazsak genel olarak ilgi çekici ve sürükleyici bir kitaptı. Karakterler arasındaki bağların şahsen yeteri kadar geliştirilmiş olduğunu düşünmedim. Okurken hiçbir zaman birinin başına bir şey gelecek mi korkusu ya da üzüntüsü hissedemedim. Ama beni bu kitabı bitirmeye iten şey bilmediğim tasavvuf konularıydı.

İleride bu konularla ilgili daha çok şey okur muyum bilemiyorum ama en azından bir şeyler öğrendim ve ilgimi çekti diyebilirim. Özellikle karakterlerin tasavvufa ve sufilere bakışı ilginçti. Bazıları çok ruhani yönde olduklarını ve ibadetleri arkaya attıklarını düşünürken bazıları da ruhani yönün onları Allah'a daha çok yakınlaştırdığı düşüncesindeydi.

Sonunu en azından daha az klişe bağlayıp, karakterler arasındaki "��ş��"'ı bana daha çok hissettirebilseydi en az 4 yıldız vereceğim bir roman olurdu.

16.kural:
"Kusursuzdur ya Allah, onu sevmek kolaydır. Zor olan hatasıyla sevabıyla fani insanları sevmektir. Unutma ki kişi bir şeyi ancak sevdiği ölçüde bilebilir. Demek ki hakikaten kucaklamadan ötekini, Yaradan’dan ötürü yaratılanı sevmeden, ne layıkıyla bilebilir , ne layıkıyla sevebilirsin."]]> 3.85 2009
author: Elif Shafak
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: adult, audiobooks, contemporary, turkish-lit, literary-fiction
review:
*3.5*

"Her hakiki aşk hikayesi umulmadık dönüşümlere yol açar. ��ş��, bir milat demektir. Şayet “aşktan önce�� ve “aşktan sonra�� aynı insan olarak kalmışsak, yeterince sevmemişiz demektir. Birini seviyorsan onun için yapabileceğin en anlamlı şey değişmektir."

Mevlana ve Şems hakkında hiçbir şey bilmeden okuduğum için beklediğimden daha çok keyif aldım. Eğer bir şeyler bilseydim belki de yanlışlar görüp onlara takılırdım. Elif Şafak'ın yıllardır yazısını merak ediyordum ama bir gün okursam mutlaka en populer kitabı olan ��ş��'ı denemek istiyordum. Konya'ya yolumun düştüğü bu zamanlarda okumam gerekiyormuş.

Ella adında 40 yaşlarında evli ve çocuklu amerikalı bir yahudi kadın, Şems ve Mevlanayı konu alan tasavvuf ile ilgili bir roman okur. Bunun üzerine yazarıyla mail'leşmeye başlar ve "aşk"'ın asıl anlamını öğrenmeye çalışır.

Bana göre bu kitap Eat, Pray, Love'ın tasavvufi bir versiyonuydu. Liberal beyaz kadınlara ruhani bir bakış açısı kazandırıp ilgilerini çekmek ve bunun yanı sıra beyaz amerikalı bir kadın yazar değil de Türk amerikalı kadın bir yazarın kitabını okudum diyebilmek.

Bu kitabın beğendiğim kısımları yani Tasavvuf bölümlerinin ne kadarı Elif Şafak ne kadarı gerçek Tasavvuf bilgileri bilemediğim için burda yazarın yazış tarzını ve fikirlerini rahatlıkla övemiyorum. Aynı şekilde, araştırma kabiliyetlerini de övmek istesem de burdaki bilgilerin ne kadarı eksik ya da fazla bilemiyorum.

Kuran'dan aldığı bir kaç hikaye içinde yanlış bir bilgiye rastlamadım fakat tasavvuf hakkında benim neredeyse yok denecek kadar az bilgim olduğu için bu konu hakkında bir şey diyemem.

Sonunun sönük bitmesini saymazsak genel olarak ilgi çekici ve sürükleyici bir kitaptı. Karakterler arasındaki bağların şahsen yeteri kadar geliştirilmiş olduğunu düşünmedim. Okurken hiçbir zaman birinin başına bir şey gelecek mi korkusu ya da üzüntüsü hissedemedim. Ama beni bu kitabı bitirmeye iten şey bilmediğim tasavvuf konularıydı.

İleride bu konularla ilgili daha çok şey okur muyum bilemiyorum ama en azından bir şeyler öğrendim ve ilgimi çekti diyebilirim. Özellikle karakterlerin tasavvufa ve sufilere bakışı ilginçti. Bazıları çok ruhani yönde olduklarını ve ibadetleri arkaya attıklarını düşünürken bazıları da ruhani yönün onları Allah'a daha çok yakınlaştırdığı düşüncesindeydi.

Sonunu en azından daha az klişe bağlayıp, karakterler arasındaki "��ş��"'ı bana daha çok hissettirebilseydi en az 4 yıldız vereceğim bir roman olurdu.

16.kural:
"Kusursuzdur ya Allah, onu sevmek kolaydır. Zor olan hatasıyla sevabıyla fani insanları sevmektir. Unutma ki kişi bir şeyi ancak sevdiği ölçüde bilebilir. Demek ki hakikaten kucaklamadan ötekini, Yaradan’dan ötürü yaratılanı sevmeden, ne layıkıyla bilebilir , ne layıkıyla sevebilirsin."
]]> 221115923 A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends.��

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…]]> 400 Samantha Downing 0593101030 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.45 2025
author: Samantha Downing
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 223955096 No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace...

So goes the family curse, long handed down from generation to generation, ruining families and breaking hearts. And now it's Eniiyi's turn - who, due to her uncanny resemblance to her dead aunt, Monife, is already used to her family's strange beliefs, as well as their insistence that she is a reincarnation. Still, when she falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family's history. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak, or can she escape the family curse and the mysterious fate that befell her aunt?]]> Oyinkan Braithwaite 1805463373 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.33 2025
author: Oyinkan Braithwaite
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry Duanur 2 adult, contemporary, kobo
Great beginning, very boring middle, a good ending.

I loved the premise, essentially how it is about spending as much time as you can with the ones you love the most. But, the story was so boring. The character developments were so weak, and can I even say... amateur-ish?

The beginning made me think I would love this one, but I guess it just needed more drafts. I didn't even feel emotional while reading it.

I don't understand why sometimes Emily Henry's books work so well for me, and sometimes, I am disappointed and left wanting so much more.]]> 4.09 2025
author: Emily Henry
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/05/12
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: adult, contemporary, kobo
review:
*Maybe 2.5?*

Great beginning, very boring middle, a good ending.

I loved the premise, essentially how it is about spending as much time as you can with the ones you love the most. But, the story was so boring. The character developments were so weak, and can I even say... amateur-ish?

The beginning made me think I would love this one, but I guess it just needed more drafts. I didn't even feel emotional while reading it.

I don't understand why sometimes Emily Henry's books work so well for me, and sometimes, I am disappointed and left wanting so much more.
]]> 231547784 Once upon a time, a girl found a magical puppy, and her life was never the same again.

Nina Popoca needs help.

So, so much of it.

The only place she can find that help is on a sprawling ranch in Colorado. A place hiding more than a community filled with magical creatures trying to live their lives in safety and in peace. A village that might hold the answers to questions she’s had her entire life.

And if that ranch is owned by her best friend’s hunky cousin?

…there are worse things in the world than having to live right by Henri Blackrock.]]> 718 Mariana Zapata Duanur 0 to-read 4.12 2025
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213960819 Soon to be a major motion picture starring Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, this funny and surprising mystery features a new breed of detectives you’ve got to read to baaaaa-lieve.

This twentieth-anniversary deluxe paperback features a foreword by A. J. Finn, discussion questions, and more.

Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, sets out to find George’s killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world).

Her team of investigators includes Othello, who was rescued from the Dublin Zoo; Mopple the Whale, who is always hungry and remembers everything; and Zora, an existential ewe—just to name a few. Together, the sheep discuss the crime late into the night, and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to unravel the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter a hoof-full of two-legged suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher who smells of death; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; and Father Will, a sinister priest the sheep call God.

With wit and heart, this clever international bestseller is a mystery to chew on—and savor.]]> 384 Leonie Swann 1641296828 Duanur 0 to-read 3.50 2005
author: Leonie Swann
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 86176740
“Daddy, there’s a man in our room...��

Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.

He isn’t surprised that they’re troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins�� mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he’s going to take them away��

Alfie calls upon Julia—Pippa’s sister and a psychiatrist—to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters�� minds, with dark and violent consequences.

Whatever this “friend�� is, he doesn’t want to leave. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality—or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy.]]> 231 William Friend 1728275180 Duanur 0 to-read 3.27 2022
author: William Friend
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217223430 Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.��

Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone’s surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.

Now thirty-three years old, Cléo is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can’t help but ruminate on her past—including how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong . . .

Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, How to Become a Celebrity is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman’s complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame.


]]> 352 Maud Ventura 0063427516 Duanur 0 to-be-released 3.76 2024
author: Maud Ventura
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 228691356 What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.]]> 416 Ali Hazelwood Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.48 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 51794532 From the celebrated author of the New York Times bestseller Behold the Dreamers, comes a sweeping, wrenching story about the collision of a small African village and an America oil company.

"We should have known the end was near."

So begins Imbolo Mbue’s powerful second novel, How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company.

Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations to the villagers are made—and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. Their struggle would last for decades and come at a steep price.

Told through the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula who grows up to become a revolutionary, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold onto its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.

"The unforgettable story of a community on the wrong end of Western greed, How Beautiful We Were will enthrall you, appall you, and show you what is possible when a few people stand up and say this is not right. A masterful novel by a spellbinding writer engaged with the most urgent questions of our day.”—David Ebershoff, bestselling author of The Danish Girl]]> 364 Imbolo Mbue 0593132424 Duanur 0 kobo, currently-reading 3.92 2021
author: Imbolo Mbue
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: kobo, currently-reading
review:

]]> 217388302 DELUXE EDITION—a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring bright green sprayed edges, a foil stamp on the casing, and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White�� steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.]]> 368 T. Kingfisher 1250342031 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.30 2025
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.

In 2019, John Green met Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone while traveling with Partners in Health. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal and dynamic advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, treatable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing 1.5 million people every year.

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 208 John Green 0525556575 Duanur 0 to-read 4.49 2025
author: John Green
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Duanur 4 It’s what we will never know about the ones we love that binds us to them.

At its core, this is a book about a daughter grieving her father. It is obvious Ashley Winstead inspired from her own grief. It hooked me from the start, and the true crime commentary made this even more interesting.

I figured out what was going on pretty early on regarding the mystery, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment.

Overall, it was a very entertaining, fast-paced murder mystery with some heart into it. The characters' relationships were developed enough to care about them.

My only criticism is that it could have wrapped up better. Some of the plot points wrapped up in a -for lack of a better word- lazy way.

Great book for a reading slump.]]> 3.67 2025
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: kobo, mystery-thriller, adult, serial-killers
review:
It’s what we will never know about the ones we love that binds us to them.

At its core, this is a book about a daughter grieving her father. It is obvious Ashley Winstead inspired from her own grief. It hooked me from the start, and the true crime commentary made this even more interesting.

I figured out what was going on pretty early on regarding the mystery, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment.

Overall, it was a very entertaining, fast-paced murder mystery with some heart into it. The characters' relationships were developed enough to care about them.

My only criticism is that it could have wrapped up better. Some of the plot points wrapped up in a -for lack of a better word- lazy way.

Great book for a reading slump.
]]> 5978984
At the heart of the Sultan's vast empire stands the mysterious Palace of Dreams. Inside, the dreams of every citizen are collected, sorted and interpreted in order to identify the 'master-dreams' that will provide the clues to the Empire's destiny and that of its Monarch. An entire nation's consciousness is thus meticulously laid bare and at the mercy of its government...

The Palace of Dreams is Kadare's macabre vision of tyranny and oppression, and was banned upon publication in Albania in 1981.]]> 192 Ismail Kadare 0099518279 Duanur 3 not on my bingo card for 2024.

I picked this up because I am fascinated by the interpretation of dreams.

It is the declining years of the Ottoman Empire, and the Palace of Dreams is where all the dreams are gathered and analyzed to help the Empire notice the threats, make strategic choices, etc.

Our main character, Mark-Alem, is from a very important family called Köprülü. He starts working at the Palace of Dreams, and since he is from an influential family, he doesn't start from the bottom. In fact, he quickly makes his way to the top.

This is one of those books that have one great idea but unfortunately not much else. I can see it being appreciated by the Balkan countries (and even Türkiye), but I wanted more from it.

When I noticed it was a dystopian, I was so excited since I love this genre. But it might be the downfall of this book since I can't help but compare every dystopian book to 1984, which had so many good ideas. Even with the snail pace, I love that book.

This book is a lot shorter and not as hard to read. But the only thing going for it is the dream aspect.

Apparently this is Kadare's idea of a hell, but except for the dictatorship, I didn't find the book hell-ish. Again, that might be because I have also read A Short Stay in Hell, and that book suffocates the reader. 1984 is not far behind.

I am so glad that I read a dystopian book from an Albanian author that takes place in Albania during the Ottoman Empire. This could have been one of my favourites of the year, but unfortunately, I wanted so much more from it. Maybe if I sat down and actually analyzed it, I might have enjoyed it more.







P.s. might be a small spoiler
but I needed more information about this part:

they had never suffered from any physical infirmity, and at one time could see, but their eyes, unlike other people’s, had a baneful effect. And so, as Mark-Alem must know, the great Ottoman State, in order to defend itself and protect the rest of its subjects, decreed that these people were to have their eyes put out. And by way of compensation the State in its mercy awarded them each a pension for life.

----

Neither the denunciation of people with the evil eye, which had horrified Mark-Alem when the café owner first told him about it (for anyone could write a letter accusing someone else of this offense); nor the monthly meeting of a government committee to decide which of the wretches who had been arrested really did have the evil eye and were to have it put out; nor even the cruelty itself, referred to as “in the public interest�� in the traditional speech delivered to those who had just been blinded—none of these things horrified Mark-Alem now as they had done in the past.

did they... blinded the people with the evil eye??? why didn't Kadare ever expand on this???]]> 3.83 1981
author: Ismail Kadare
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1981
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2024, adult, e-books, translated, dystopian
review:
Reading a dystopian book set in the Ottoman Empire was not on my bingo card for 2024.

I picked this up because I am fascinated by the interpretation of dreams.

It is the declining years of the Ottoman Empire, and the Palace of Dreams is where all the dreams are gathered and analyzed to help the Empire notice the threats, make strategic choices, etc.

Our main character, Mark-Alem, is from a very important family called Köprülü. He starts working at the Palace of Dreams, and since he is from an influential family, he doesn't start from the bottom. In fact, he quickly makes his way to the top.

This is one of those books that have one great idea but unfortunately not much else. I can see it being appreciated by the Balkan countries (and even Türkiye), but I wanted more from it.

When I noticed it was a dystopian, I was so excited since I love this genre. But it might be the downfall of this book since I can't help but compare every dystopian book to 1984, which had so many good ideas. Even with the snail pace, I love that book.

This book is a lot shorter and not as hard to read. But the only thing going for it is the dream aspect.

Apparently this is Kadare's idea of a hell, but except for the dictatorship, I didn't find the book hell-ish. Again, that might be because I have also read A Short Stay in Hell, and that book suffocates the reader. 1984 is not far behind.

I am so glad that I read a dystopian book from an Albanian author that takes place in Albania during the Ottoman Empire. This could have been one of my favourites of the year, but unfortunately, I wanted so much more from it. Maybe if I sat down and actually analyzed it, I might have enjoyed it more.







P.s. might be a small spoiler
but I needed more information about this part:

they had never suffered from any physical infirmity, and at one time could see, but their eyes, unlike other people’s, had a baneful effect. And so, as Mark-Alem must know, the great Ottoman State, in order to defend itself and protect the rest of its subjects, decreed that these people were to have their eyes put out. And by way of compensation the State in its mercy awarded them each a pension for life.

----

Neither the denunciation of people with the evil eye, which had horrified Mark-Alem when the café owner first told him about it (for anyone could write a letter accusing someone else of this offense); nor the monthly meeting of a government committee to decide which of the wretches who had been arrested really did have the evil eye and were to have it put out; nor even the cruelty itself, referred to as “in the public interest�� in the traditional speech delivered to those who had just been blinded—none of these things horrified Mark-Alem now as they had done in the past.

did they... blinded the people with the evil eye??? why didn't Kadare ever expand on this???
]]> 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

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

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

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Duanur 3
"I just mean, a story can be beautiful not because of the way it ends. But because of the way it's written."

I see what you are doing there, Alison Espach. Even though I enjoyed the writing very much, everything else was mediocre.

The flawed characters were just stereotypical characters in disguise. The perfectionist bride is told as a brave, colourful character but all we see her do is be annoying. The suicidal (but she doesn't actually want to die) main character is just having a midlife crisis. The bride's annoying mother is just misunderstood. The bride's best friends from high school just changed too much when they became adults. The cheating ex-husband is also depressed and had problems of his own. And the groom who is grieving his first wife..... actually he didn't really have a personality.
Maybe I should have been impressed by the plays on these stereotypical characters, but unfortunately, it didn't feel organic to me.

I personally don't mind when the sensitive topics are discussed in a non-sensitive way but the reasoning Phoebe had while deciding not to kill herself was absurd at best, offensive at worst.

I also didn't feel the connection between the characters. Neither the romantic relationships or the friendships.

All of that aside, I have to admit that this was very readable. I have been in a reading slump for the last several months because I was so busy with life. I actually wanted to continue reading this book. The humour was pretty good, some of the quotes were relatable, and like I said, it was readable.

I just wish it wasn't so predictable and stereotypical.]]> 4.10 2024
author: Alison Espach
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: adult, brainrot-book-club, kobo, contemporary, literary-fiction
review:
*2.5*

"I just mean, a story can be beautiful not because of the way it ends. But because of the way it's written."

I see what you are doing there, Alison Espach. Even though I enjoyed the writing very much, everything else was mediocre.

The flawed characters were just stereotypical characters in disguise. The perfectionist bride is told as a brave, colourful character but all we see her do is be annoying. The suicidal (but she doesn't actually want to die) main character is just having a midlife crisis. The bride's annoying mother is just misunderstood. The bride's best friends from high school just changed too much when they became adults. The cheating ex-husband is also depressed and had problems of his own. And the groom who is grieving his first wife..... actually he didn't really have a personality.
Maybe I should have been impressed by the plays on these stereotypical characters, but unfortunately, it didn't feel organic to me.

I personally don't mind when the sensitive topics are discussed in a non-sensitive way but the reasoning Phoebe had while deciding not to kill herself was absurd at best, offensive at worst.

I also didn't feel the connection between the characters. Neither the romantic relationships or the friendships.

All of that aside, I have to admit that this was very readable. I have been in a reading slump for the last several months because I was so busy with life. I actually wanted to continue reading this book. The humour was pretty good, some of the quotes were relatable, and like I said, it was readable.

I just wish it wasn't so predictable and stereotypical.
]]> 228142770 A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.

Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.

The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.

Violet’s vibrant bouquets and cheerful enchantments soon charm the welcoming townsfolk, though nothing seems to impress the prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, an alchemist sharing her greenhouse. With a struggling business and his own second chance seemingly out of reach, Nathaniel has no time for flowers or frippery—and certainly none for the intriguing witch next door.

When a mysterious blight threatens every living plant in Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another to save their community. But with a figure from her past knocking at her door and her secrets threatening to uproot everything she’s worked so hard to grow, Violet can’t help but wonder…does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?]]> 368 Emily Krempholtz 0593954300 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.27 2025
author: Emily Krempholtz
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 206101583 'A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They're the same thing really.'

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst—and the path of her life is changed forever.

From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the Strange universe. Featuring an introduction by Susanna Clarke and gorgeous illustrations from Victoria Sawdon truly worthy of the magic of this story, this is a mesmerising, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's bookshelf.]]> 64 Susanna Clarke 1639734481 Duanur 2
...and that's about it.

It has good enough writing to not give this one star.]]> 3.47 2024
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: e-books, fantasy, illustrated, novellas
review:
A very short story about a woman who goes into the woods.

...and that's about it.

It has good enough writing to not give this one star.
]]> 211399784 To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

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

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

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

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

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story�� through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.]]> 448 Layne Fargo 0593732049 Duanur 0 dnf
This reads like a young adult contemporary book with this writing. The characters are edgy teenagers. On top of that, there is no intrigue to keep me reading. No amount of ice dancing can save this book, unfortunately.]]> 4.15 2025
author: Layne Fargo
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF at 17%

This reads like a young adult contemporary book with this writing. The characters are edgy teenagers. On top of that, there is no intrigue to keep me reading. No amount of ice dancing can save this book, unfortunately.
]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

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

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

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Duanur 0 to-read 4.59 2025
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211809571 The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

Book Three of the Emily Wilde Series]]> 368 Heather Fawcett 0593500237 Duanur 0 to-read 4.24 2025
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004893
As they attempt to evade the boy's increasingly desperate father, horrifying incidents of butchery follow them. At first, Jess thinks she understands what they're up against, but she's about to learn there's more to these surreal and grisly events than she could've ever imagined.

And that when the wolf finally comes home, none will be spared.]]> 304 Nat Cassidy 125035434X Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.38 2025
author: Nat Cassidy
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 30091914 A riveting, poetic, and fearless portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice by the acclaimed author of The Vegetarian.

In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.

The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho’s best friend, who meets his own fateful end, to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, both suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother, their collective heartbreak and acts of hope tell the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.

An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of a historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.]]> 218 Han Kang 1101906723 Duanur 3
Objectively, I don't think this is a badly written book. I just don't care for second person point of view unless the author is using it for the plot. In most books, I feel like this type of writing is only used for a gimmick. Unfortunately, using the second person here made the book feel detached and cold. I didn't feel the emotions I should have felt while reading a book about a massacre of young students.

I appreciated having multiple point of views in each chapter. I just wanted to feel more connected to the characters.

I am glad I read this book since I didn't know anything about the Gwangju uprising (or South Korean history in general). I understand why this was focused solely on the uprising but I think I would have found this more interesting if it delved more into other topics as well.]]> 4.26 2014
author: Han Kang
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: brainrot-book-club, adult, literary-fiction, kobo
review:
I would recommend readers to learn more about the Gwangju Uprising in 1980 before going into this book. I think it would have made more of an impact if I did a quick research on it before starting the book instead of doing it in the middle of reading it.

Objectively, I don't think this is a badly written book. I just don't care for second person point of view unless the author is using it for the plot. In most books, I feel like this type of writing is only used for a gimmick. Unfortunately, using the second person here made the book feel detached and cold. I didn't feel the emotions I should have felt while reading a book about a massacre of young students.

I appreciated having multiple point of views in each chapter. I just wanted to feel more connected to the characters.

I am glad I read this book since I didn't know anything about the Gwangju uprising (or South Korean history in general). I understand why this was focused solely on the uprising but I think I would have found this more interesting if it delved more into other topics as well.
]]> 208430658 Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)]]> 430 M.L. Wang 0593873351 Duanur 0 to-read 4.39 2023
author: M.L. Wang
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223733343
Luckily, Bill’s got no issue with stealing.

Or stretching the truth a bit.

Or savagely beating anybody who touches Clem.

In fact, he’s happy to ruin the life of any man who gets between him and his darling Clementine. Especially if that man is Johnny Jacobs, the arrogant singer that Clem’s worked with for years. Bill will do whatever it takes to get rid of Johnny. …Even pretend to be a music star himself.


Book Seven of the A Kinda Fairytale series
115,000+ words
Happily ever after
Male/Female romance
Friends to lovers
Music Star romance
This book is a standalone romance. It is set in the same world as the other books in the series, but none of the previous characters appear. Some are mentioned, though.
]]> 510 Cassandra Gannon Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.52 2025
author: Cassandra Gannon
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 874863 The Woman in White and The Moonstone. The star attraction is the novella The Haunted Hotel, a clever combination of detective and ghost story set in Venice, a city of grim waterways, dark shadows and death. The action takes place in an ancient palazzo coverted into a modern hotel that houses a grisly secret. The supernatural horror, relentless pace, tight narrative, and a doomed countess characterise and distinguish this powerful tale.

The other stories present equally disturbing scenarios, which includes ghosts, corpses that move, family curses and perhaps most unusual of all, the Devil's spectacles, which bring a clarity of vision that can lead to madness.

Collins is one of the great storytellers. He excels in presenting narratives that both disturb and engross the reader, as this fine collection demonstrates.]]> 317 Wilkie Collins 1840225335 Duanur 0 3.74 1885
author: Wilkie Collins
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1885
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 18774964
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.]]> 337 Fredrik Backman 1476738017 Duanur 0 4.35 2012
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: physical-tbr, translated, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 26530317 The moving story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past

Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David's mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David's colleagues. Soon after she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World's heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion.]]> 451 Liz Moore 0393241688 Duanur 0 4.11 2016
author: Liz Moore
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 34728667 They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

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

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

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

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.]]> 544 Tomi Adeyemi 1250170974 Duanur 0 4.10 2018
author: Tomi Adeyemi
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 36373298
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.]]> 287 Rebecca Roanhorse 1534413499 Duanur 0 3.92 2018
author: Rebecca Roanhorse
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 42769202
Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.]]> 461 Brandon Sanderson 1473217903 Duanur 0 abandoned-sometime-ago 4.33 2019
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 12812550 Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?]]> 517 Laini Taylor 0316133973 Duanur 0 4.13 2012
author: Laini Taylor
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 17558236
Sıkı tutunun!

İstiklal Harbinin son gazisi, 100 yaşındaki millî kahraman RUHİ MÜCERRET; bir dünya starına nasıl dönüşüyor?

Zaten ecelin menzilindeyken, esrarengiz psikopat MASUM CİCİyi haklayabilecek mi?

Mabet filozofu AVNİ VAVdan daha neler öğrenecek?

NAZLI HİLALe, 70 yaş farka rağmen nasıl açılacak?

Ve son nefesinde kelime-i şahadet getirebilecek mi?

Bir gözü mavi, diğeri kahverengi avare CİVAN KAZANOVA; elden düşme ruhunu, şeytana neden satıyor?

Depremde yitirdiği SERPİL SİLAHLIPERİyi unutmayıp da ne yapacak?

Marifetli afet FUJER FUJİden kaçarken neye yakalanacak?

Kan kanseri yeğeni OZANı hangi parayla tedavi ettirecek?

Alınyazısındaki boşlukları neyle dolduracak?

İntiharın eşiğinde tetikte beklerken, kimvurduya mı gidecek?

Ziyadesiyle kahkaha ve bir nebze gözyaşı içeren bu serüvende
trenler gemilere çarpıyor.

İstiklal Savaşı, 85 yıl sonra devam ediyor.
Şakaklar matkapla deliniyor.
Uçaklar düşüyor.
Kaybedenler şampiyon oluyor.
Ölüler diriliyor.
Serseri kurşunlar uçuşuyor.
Ve reklamlar, müşterileri ele geçiriyor!

"100 yaşından küçükseniz, bu romanı mutlaka okuyun!"
Emrah Serbes]]> 320 Murat Menteş 6055262054 Duanur 0 3.78 2013
author: Murat Menteş
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, turkish-lit, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 251688 Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's.

In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape—her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.

It's New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany's... And nice girls don't, except, of course, Holly Golightly. Pursued by Mafia gangsters and playboy millionaires, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveler, a tease. She is irrepressibly 'top banana in the shock department', and one of the shining flowers of American fiction.

Also included are three of Capote's best-known stories:
�� House of Flowers - Ottilie is entranced by a beautiful young man, and leaves her life and friends to live with him and his old grandmother, who seems to hate her.
�� A Diamond Guitar - Hear the story of the prized possession of a younger prison inmate, a rhinestone-studded guitar.
�� A Christmas Memory - A poignant tale of two innocents—a small boy and the old woman who is his best friend—whose sweetness contains a hard, sharp kernel of truth.]]> 142 Truman Capote Duanur 0 3.87 1958
author: Truman Capote
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, classics, books-1001, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 22737696
When Alice sees a white rabbit take a watch out of its waistcoat pocket she decides to follow it, and a sequence of most unusual events is set in motion. This mini book contains the entire topsy-turvy stories of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, accompanied by practical notes and Martina Pelouso's memorable full-colour illustrations.]]> 182 Lewis Carroll 6055768801 Duanur 0 3.80 1871
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1871
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, middle-grade, classics, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 18760003 A heart-stopping, inspiring debut novel from the author of the Oscar-winning THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK.

Amber Appleton has a lot to be thankful for.

OR

Amber Appleton has never had it easy.

Both are true. On the one hand, she's got the best friends a seventeen-year-old could ask for and a loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy. On the other, her mum frequently has too much to drink, Amber's never quite sure where her next meal will come from and ever since her mum's latest boyfriend kicked them out, Amber and her mum have been living in the back of a school bus.

Amber has always found it easy to be upbeat, to find the light in the darkest of situations. Until, that is, an unimaginable tragedy occurs. Forced to rethink her way of life, can Amber remain a rock star of hope?

This is the story of a very special teenager, whose faith and hope is tested to the limit.]]> 344 Matthew Quick 1472212827 Duanur 0 3.86 2010
author: Matthew Quick
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 7171748 415 Holly Black 1416989536 Duanur 0 3.73 2010
author: Holly Black
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: owned, physical-tbr, abandoned-sometime-ago
review:

]]> 217907640
Her worldly chaperone warned her he was making a May game of her, but Emmeline had not listened to Mrs. Laverdale’s warnings, or the titters of her fellow debutantes. Consequently, her dreams were dashed into pieces, when at the close of the season, Jeremy announced his engagement to another.

Ten years later, their paths cross again in Bath. Emmeline is older and wiser, and a good deal poorer, and Jeremy is divorced. There is absolutely no chance of him making a fool of her again with his shocking offer of marriage. Is there?]]> 511 Alice Coldbreath Duanur 0
This just isn't working for me. I don't feel the chemistry between the characters, and worst of all, I am bored. I thought this would cure my reading slump, but alas.]]> 3.79 2024
author: Alice Coldbreath
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: dnf, 2024, adult, e-books, historical-romance
review:
DNF at 65%

This just isn't working for me. I don't feel the chemistry between the characters, and worst of all, I am bored. I thought this would cure my reading slump, but alas.
]]> 181478167 During a brutal winter, a young woman longing for love finds more than she expected in the woods, in this wickedly sensuous short story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

Judith knows her sister, Alice, is the pretty one—but that doesn’t stop her from wishing for love. When a handsome and gentlemanly hunter appears in their village, seeking lodging from the cold, she believes her lover has finally arrived. He does, indeed, choose to stay—but as Alice’s husband, not her own. When another stranger comes out of the woods, looking every bit a vagrant, he offers Judith something mysterious and enticingly strange. Against reason and decency, she welcomes both men into her life, in different ways. As forbidden longings ensnare each of them, an unrelenting winter storm and an evasive wolf on the prowl have everyone on edge…and ravenous. By spring thaw, will any of their hungers be satisfied?]]> 43 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 1662517157 Duanur 3
Atmospheric short read.
It was good, but I wanted more from it.]]> 3.80 2023
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: 2024, adult, e-books, novellas, paranormal
review:
*3.5*

Atmospheric short read.
It was good, but I wanted more from it.
]]> 30840877 Keep your eyes peeled for a small black iron door.

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

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward an astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story—as only David Mitchell could imagine it.]]> 233 David Mitchell 1473626838 Duanur 3
I didn't know what to expect from this book but this was wild and so fast paced. I loved the first half but the last half -especially the last 20%- was repetitive and it over explained things which kind of ruined the magic for me.]]> 3.79 2015
author: David Mitchell
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/15
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: owned, 2022, adult, haunted-house, horror, paranormal
review:
*3.5*

I didn't know what to expect from this book but this was wild and so fast paced. I loved the first half but the last half -especially the last 20%- was repetitive and it over explained things which kind of ruined the magic for me.
]]> 210943364
The first of the book’s three intertwining essays is set in Dakar, Senegal. Despite being raised as a strict Afrocentrist, Coates had never set foot on the African continent until now. He roams the “steampunk�� city of “old traditions and new machinery,�� but everywhere he goes he feels as if he’s in two places at once: a modern city in Senegal and a mythic kingdom in his mind. Finally he travels to the slave castles off the coast and has his own reckoning with the legacy of the Afrocentric dream.

He takes readers along with him to Columbia, South Carolina, where he meets an educator whose job is threatened for teaching one of Coates’s own books. There he discovers a community of mostly white supporters who were transformed by the “racial reckoning�� of 2020. But he also explores the backlash to this reckoning and the deeper myths of the community—a capital of the confederacy with statues of segregationists looming over its public squares.

And in Palestine, Coates discovers the devastating gap between the narratives we’ve accepted and the clashing reality of life on the ground. He meets with activists and dissidents, Israelis and Palestinians—the old, who remember their dispossessions on two continents, and the young, who have only known struggle and disillusionment. He travels into Jerusalem, the heart of Zionist mythology, and to the occupied territories, where he sees the reality the myth is meant to hide. It is this hidden story that draws him in and profoundly changes him—and makes the war that would soon come all the more devastating.

Written at a dramatic moment in American and global life, this work from one of the country’s most important writers is about the urgent need to untangle ourselves from the destructive nationalist myths that shape our world—and our own souls—and embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths.]]> 232 Ta-Nehisi Coates 0593230388 Duanur 0 "Again I felt the mental lens curving against the light and was reminded of something I have long known, something I've written and spoken about, but still was stunned to see here in such stark detail: that race is a species of power and nothing else. And I knew here, in this moment, how I would have fallen in the hierarchy of power if I had told that Black soldier that I was a Muslim. And on that street so far from home, I suddenly felt that I had traveled through time as much as through space.
For as sure as my ancestors were born into a
country where none of them was the equal of any white man, Israel was revealing itself to be a country where no Palestinian is ever the equal of any Jewish person anywhere."

The last essay was my favourite.]]> 4.51 2024
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: brainrot-book-club, non-fiction, 2024, adult
review:
"Again I felt the mental lens curving against the light and was reminded of something I have long known, something I've written and spoken about, but still was stunned to see here in such stark detail: that race is a species of power and nothing else. And I knew here, in this moment, how I would have fallen in the hierarchy of power if I had told that Black soldier that I was a Muslim. And on that street so far from home, I suddenly felt that I had traveled through time as much as through space.
For as sure as my ancestors were born into a
country where none of them was the equal of any white man, Israel was revealing itself to be a country where no Palestinian is ever the equal of any Jewish person anywhere."

The last essay was my favourite.
]]> 217002158 Six people ruined Anna Matheson's life.

Four men and two women, associated with her father's train engine company, who orchestrated an act of sabotage in 1942 that resulted in the deaths of 37 others, including her only brother, and framed her father for the crime.

It's now 1954 and Anna is ready for retribution. She has gathered the six on an overnight train from New York to Chicago and announced that she has proof of what they did, and that all six conspirators will be arrested when the train arrives in Chicago.

At 8pm, the train departs. And by 10pm, one of the six has been murdered.

But Anna isn't responsible for the killing, and there's no one else on the train... Someone else is enacting their own form of revenge, and they're making it look as though Anna is behind it.

Anna needs the conspirators alive, and the irony isn't lost on her. In order to destroy her enemies, she must save them first...]]> Riley Sager 1399742094 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.78 2025
author: Riley Sager
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.78
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/18
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 203956677 A thrilling collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds of the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance Trilogy, including a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set.

From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.]]> 430 Naomi Novik 0593600355 Duanur 0 to-read 3.98 2024
author: Naomi Novik
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200555182
Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, capturing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that's beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.��

For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She's so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they're professional rivals.��

When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning.��Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can't trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology.]]> 384 India Holton Duanur 0 to-read 3.90 2024
author: India Holton
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217108838
An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.]]> 5 Ali Hazelwood Duanur 3 3.55 2024
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: 2024, adult, audiobooks, contemporary, novellas
review:
Ali Hazelwood writes the same stories over and over again but still manages to somehow make it fun. This one is about two game developers trying to work together. Of course, they secretly like each other but think the other person hates them. It kind of has the Hating Game vibes. Overall, this didn't do anything special for me, but I still enjoyed listening to it.
]]> 217388100
Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.]]> 384 Sarah Beth Durst 1250333989 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.46 2025
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 53414230
At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it. With gorgeous, soulful intensity, Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years.]]> 145 Caleb Azumah Nelson 0241448778 Duanur 0
I can't stand the writing. The characters don't feel human.]]> 4.03 2021
author: Caleb Azumah Nelson
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: 2024, adult, e-books, literary-fiction, dnf, brainrot-book-club
review:
DNF at 25%

I can't stand the writing. The characters don't feel human.
]]> 49002221 Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author, continues her spellbinding series set in the Hidden Legacy world where magic controls everything…except the hearts of those who wield it.

As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart.

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won't rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that's tearing their world apart.]]> 399 Ilona Andrews 0062878379 Duanur 5
I loved seeing more of Nevada in this book. That scene between Nevada and Catalina was absolutely amazing. It is hard to find sister relationships portrayed well in books but especially in UF so I'm really happy to see this amazing family dynamic in this series. I can't wait for the next book and hopefully we can have 3 more books for Arabella after Catalina's story is over.]]> 4.61 2020
author: Ilona Andrews
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/27
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: e-books, favourites, fun, urban-fantasy, 2020, second-chance-romance
review:
This is me reading slowly. It has been 2 days since this book came out and it is already over. How? I can't seem to get enough of these characters. This series is one of the best urban fantasy series I have ever read. It has action, romance, emotional scenes, funny dialogues. I love all of these characters so much. I was afraid that since I loved Nevada and Connor so much, I wouldn't love Catalina's story as much but I'm so glad I was wrong. It is a different story but with all of our favourite characters and so much more.

I loved seeing more of Nevada in this book. That scene between Nevada and Catalina was absolutely amazing. It is hard to find sister relationships portrayed well in books but especially in UF so I'm really happy to see this amazing family dynamic in this series. I can't wait for the next book and hopefully we can have 3 more books for Arabella after Catalina's story is over.
]]> 8757361
Evanjalin is determined to return home and she is the only one who can lead them to the heir. As they journey together, Finnikin is affected by her arrogance . . . and her hope. He begins to believe he will see his childhood friend, Prince Balthazar, again. And that their cursed people will be able to enter Lumatere and be reunited with those trapped inside. He even believes he will find his imprisoned father.

But Evanjalin is not what she seems. And the truth will test not only Finnikin's faith in her . . . but in himself.]]> 417 Melina Marchetta 0763651753 Duanur 0 3.92 2008
author: Melina Marchetta
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: fantasy, dnf, young-adult, unhauled
review:

]]> 18106318
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.]]> 336 Rosamund Hodge 0062224751 Duanur 2
This book had so much potential. The characters were interesting enough, the story was different (except the fact that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling), the writing was good. But I think the amount of mythology it had was too much. It made the story hard to understand and unnecessarily complicated. The beginning chapters had a lot of repetitions that I started to think that the author thought I was a fool. I believe she tried to show Nyx's intense feelings but it just made me frustrated.

I really like snarky, know-it-all male characters so it is not a surprise that my favourite character is Ignifex. I really liked Nyx as well. She was a strong female lead and I love badass protagonists.

I was going to give this book 3 stars but the ending made me lower my rating. I pretty much guessed what was going to happen at the end. But I didn't like the way it happened.

Ignifex was the best thing about this book.]]> 3.67 2014
author: Rosamund Hodge
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2015/08/28
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: e-books, fantasy, beauty-and-the-beast, young-adult
review:
*2.5*

This book had so much potential. The characters were interesting enough, the story was different (except the fact that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling), the writing was good. But I think the amount of mythology it had was too much. It made the story hard to understand and unnecessarily complicated. The beginning chapters had a lot of repetitions that I started to think that the author thought I was a fool. I believe she tried to show Nyx's intense feelings but it just made me frustrated.

I really like snarky, know-it-all male characters so it is not a surprise that my favourite character is Ignifex. I really liked Nyx as well. She was a strong female lead and I love badass protagonists.

I was going to give this book 3 stars but the ending made me lower my rating. I pretty much guessed what was going to happen at the end. But I didn't like the way it happened.

Ignifex was the best thing about this book.
]]> 59629744 A prizewinning, thrillingly subversive debut novel about a woman in Japan who avoids harassment at work by perpetuating, for nine months and beyond, the lie that she's pregnant

When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job in Tokyo to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that, as the only woman at her new workplace--a company that manufactures cardboard tubes--she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can't clear away her colleagues' dirty cups--because she's pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant.

Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn't have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn't forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata rests, watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. But pregnant Ms. Shibata also has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Helped along by towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app on which she can log every stage of her "pregnancy," she feels prepared to play the game for the long haul. Before long, though, the hoax becomes all-absorbing, and the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.

A surreal and wryly humorous cultural critique, Diary of a Void is bound to become a landmark in feminist world literature.]]> 213 Emi Yagi 0143136879 Duanur 2 2024, adult, literary-fiction "How many other imaginary children were there in the world? And where were they now? What were they doing? I hoped they were leading happy lives."

This is a very character driven book about a woman who fakes being pregnant to stop making small chores around the workplace that only she does because she is a woman.

It reads like an unhinged women lit-fic book. Personally, this book didn't do anything for me. I have seen way worse workplaces for women, and the main character's mental health issues were discussed too surface level for me to find it interesting.]]> 3.51 2020
author: Emi Yagi
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: 2024, adult, literary-fiction
review:
"How many other imaginary children were there in the world? And where were they now? What were they doing? I hoped they were leading happy lives."

This is a very character driven book about a woman who fakes being pregnant to stop making small chores around the workplace that only she does because she is a woman.

It reads like an unhinged women lit-fic book. Personally, this book didn't do anything for me. I have seen way worse workplaces for women, and the main character's mental health issues were discussed too surface level for me to find it interesting.
]]> 40864002 ASIN B08H831J18 moved to the more recent edition

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?]]> 151 Becky Chambers Duanur 3
I thought this would be more philosophical. It is more of a hopeful look at life with surface level discussions. I loved Mosscap, and I wish we had more of it in the first half. Dex sounded more whiny than anything.

This had interesting topics, and it was very easy to read. I just think it could have been more impactful with more depth.]]> 4.25 2021
author: Becky Chambers
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: 2024, adult, brainrot-book-club, e-books, scifi
review:
*3.5*

I thought this would be more philosophical. It is more of a hopeful look at life with surface level discussions. I loved Mosscap, and I wish we had more of it in the first half. Dex sounded more whiny than anything.

This had interesting topics, and it was very easy to read. I just think it could have been more impactful with more depth.
]]> 216364822 Lose yourself in this exhilarating return to the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe, the first book in a new series set ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment.

James Anderson had a plan. Or half of one. All that matters is that he managed to do what his older brother, the famous Aaron Warner Anderson, never did: infiltrate Ark Island, the last refuge of The Reestablishment. In the past decade no outsider has breached the stronghold of the authoritarian regime, but James is in. In a prison cell, sure, but as far as James is concerned, a win is a win.

It’s been ten years since the fall of The Reestablishment. Ten years since the notorious duo �� Juliette Ferrars and Aaron Warner Anderson �� led a worldwide rebellion and established the New Republic of the West. But after a decade of unsettling quiet, The Reestablishment is ready to make a devastating move, and they have the perfect person for the job.

Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. She always has a plan. On Ark Island, where constant surveillance is packaged as security, even emotions must be experienced with caution. A trained assassin, her every movement is monitored by synthetic intelligence—and when she’s given an order to kill, she never hesitates.

Brimming with pulse-pounding action and torturous romance, Watch Me is an explosive journey through a dystopian landscape where enemies-to-lovers has never felt more impossible. Step into a beloved and breathtaking world that demands an answer to a desperate question��

Who are we when no one is watching?]]> 368 Tahereh Mafi 0063419009 Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.31 2025
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 58748511 A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro tells the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. Retreating into the past, she finds herself reliving one particular hot summer in Nagasaki, when she and her friends struggled to rebuild their lives after the war. But then as she recalls her strange friendship with Sachiko - a wealthy woman reduced to vagrancy - the memories take on a disturbing cast.]]> 183 Kazuo Ishiguro Duanur 4 3.79 1982
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves: 2024, adult, literary-fiction, owned
review:
Not sure how to interpret this book, but I am in love with Ishiguro's writing.
]]> 217206738
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There’s only one problem: Now that he has her...he can't bring himself to let her go.

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn't her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged-marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature listeners only.]]> 398 Ana Huang Duanur 4
Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.]]> 4.05 2022
author: Ana Huang
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/01
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves: 2023, adult, contemporary, e-books
review:
Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.

Merged review:

Is Dante my worst nightmare of a man? Arrogant, can't communicate, so hot-and-cold that he will drive you crazy??? I would run so fast if I saw him on the street. But, as a fictional book boyfriend he had his character development and I loved him and Vivian together.

Do I still think they would break up the next time they had a disagreement? Let's not talk about it.

I liked the family aspect of it as well but to be honest, I wanted more background on Vivian's father. I feel like he had a story to tell but we didn't get around to it.

I had so much fun reading this. We even see Christian's obsession over Stella a little and I miss him so much. Christian is my favourite from the Twisted series.

I am so excited for the second book since Kai somehow reminded me of Darcy. Chapter 22 kind of reminded me of a scene from Pride and Prejudice... especially when Kai says "ladies" and dips his head. He takes a freaking bow, and he has an english accent AND he is the cold type. I hope the next book won't be dissapointing.
]]> 9462815
Sure, her ex-boyfriend was Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames. Now Meena's sworn off vampires for good ... at least until she can prove her theory that just because they've lost their souls doesn't mean demons have lost the ability to love.

Meena knows convincing her co-workers �� including her partner, über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf �� that vampires can be redeemed won't be easy ... especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just the lives of the Palatine, but Meena's friends and family as well.

But Meena isn't the Palatine's only hope. Father Henrique �� aka Padre Caliente �� New York City's youngest, most charming priest, has also been assigned to the case.

So why doesn't Meena �� or Alaric �� trust him?

As she begins unraveling the truth, Meena finds her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare ... and temptations she never even imagined existed, but finds impossible to resist.

This time, Meena may finally have bitten off more than she can chew.]]> 275 Meg Cabot 0061735108 Duanur 1
I liked the first couple of chapters then it went downhill from there. I didn't like how the love triangle was handled, I hated the main character, I was bored throughout most of this book.

Lucien deserved better.]]> 3.35 2011
author: Meg Cabot
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2020/02/13
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: owned, paranormal, meg-cabot, love-triangle, vampires, 2020
review:
*1.5*

I liked the first couple of chapters then it went downhill from there. I didn't like how the love triangle was handled, I hated the main character, I was bored throughout most of this book.

Lucien deserved better.
]]> 45032 488 Jane Austen Duanur 4
The romance in this... It didn't work for me since Fanny falls in love with her cousin. Anyone who is close to her cousins would find it impossible to imagine anything romantic about that.

But, I loved everything else, especially the writing. The characters, even though they were all very unlikable (except for Fanny of course), I found all of them interesting to read about. It dragged a little at times, but I loved the atmosphere, and it was so good to be back to reading Jane Austen's writing.

Fanny is very different from all of her other main characters. She usually writes about more out-spoken women. But, Fanny was an interesting change. Her strength was her patience, and it is hard to find MCs like that anymore.

This wouldn't get into my top 3 favourites from Jane Austen but I am glad I didn't read this when I was a teenager since I would only care about the romance, and I could not enjoy the nuances of these unlikable characters.]]> 3.86 1814
author: Jane Austen
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/31
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: owned, classics, historical-romance, books-1001, 2024, adult
review:
On the one hand, I am so happy for finally reading this book since it has been on my tbr for at least 10 years. On the other hand, this was the last Jane Austen book I had left. It is very bittersweet to finish all of Jane Austen's works since she is one of my favourite authors of all time (if not my favourite). Thankfully, I love rereading, and I am already planning on going back and rereading her books. I especially don't remember anything about Northanger Abbey, so that's good.

The romance in this... It didn't work for me since Fanny falls in love with her cousin. Anyone who is close to her cousins would find it impossible to imagine anything romantic about that.

But, I loved everything else, especially the writing. The characters, even though they were all very unlikable (except for Fanny of course), I found all of them interesting to read about. It dragged a little at times, but I loved the atmosphere, and it was so good to be back to reading Jane Austen's writing.

Fanny is very different from all of her other main characters. She usually writes about more out-spoken women. But, Fanny was an interesting change. Her strength was her patience, and it is hard to find MCs like that anymore.

This wouldn't get into my top 3 favourites from Jane Austen but I am glad I didn't read this when I was a teenager since I would only care about the romance, and I could not enjoy the nuances of these unlikable characters.
]]> 15730101 The Call of Cthulhu is a harrowing tale of the weakness of the human mind when confronted by powers and intelligences from beyond our world.]]> 43 H.P. Lovecraft Duanur 1
I guess I expected so much more from Lovecraft since he is still so popular even with all the racial slurs he has in his stories.

The other short stories the edition I read had: The Statement of Randolph Carter, The Outsider, The Music of Erich Zann.]]> 3.97 1928
author: H.P. Lovecraft
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1928
rating: 1
read at: 2022/08/24
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 2022, adult, horror, owned, novellas, scifi
review:
Not going to lie, I'm dissapointed. This is a 40 paged horror story and I nearly fell asleep twice reading it. I appreciate Lovecraft starting a whole new subgenre. Cosmic horror sounds amazing but I yet to find a good one to really keep me on the edge of my seat or just make me think in general.

I guess I expected so much more from Lovecraft since he is still so popular even with all the racial slurs he has in his stories.

The other short stories the edition I read had: The Statement of Randolph Carter, The Outsider, The Music of Erich Zann.
]]> 12983100 Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?]]> 438 Susan Ee Duanur 3 *3.5* 4.24 2013
author: Susan Ee
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/12
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: paranormal, funny-reads, e-books, young-adult
review:
*3.5*
]]> 210223811 Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.]]> 400 R.F. Kuang Duanur 0 to-be-released 4.01 2025
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves: to-be-released
review:

]]> 199531938
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right�� thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.��]]> 384 Tessa Bailey 0063308436 Duanur 3
On another note, this is the first time I see a half Turkish heroine in a romance book written by an American author. That was cool. I don't understand why her name is Tallulah, but it was still fun to read about her talking about Istanbul and her mother's "famous shakshouka"]]> 3.57 2024
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/25
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: 2024, adult, audiobooks, contemporary
review:
Single dad-nanny romances are not for me. I picked this up just because it's Tessa Bailey. It was fun. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. It was just too long.

On another note, this is the first time I see a half Turkish heroine in a romance book written by an American author. That was cool. I don't understand why her name is Tallulah, but it was still fun to read about her talking about Istanbul and her mother's "famous shakshouka"
]]> 11544421 Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap��

Includes the short story "An Ill-Advised Rescue"]]> 355 Ilona Andrews 1937007588 Duanur 4
I am more of a Hidden Legacy fan, but I do love Kate as well. It was great reading about her, Curran, and the Pack again. Ilona Andrews might be the only authors who can make me read fight scenes and actually enjoy them.

This takes place in a coastal town near the Black Sea. Whenever the Black Sea is mentioned in a book, I get more excited than Turkey being mentioned.

The romance was very angsty in this one. I thought it was unnecessary at first, but I think both Kate and Curran needed the conflict to understand each other better.

The start of the book was slow. The mystery was slow to develop but very interesting. I loved the last 40%.

I also loved Hugh and Kate's back and forth.

Excited for the next book.]]> 4.43 2013
author: Ilona Andrews
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/22
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves: 2024, adult, e-books, funny-reads, urban-fantasy
review:
Years later, I finally picked back up the Kate Daniels series. It has been around eight (!!!) years since I read the fifth book in the series. I binged the first five and burned myself out at the time, and I heard mixed things about this book. That being said, I wasn't confused in the slightest after reading a quick summary of the first 5 books. Ilona Andrews sum up their earlier books so well that I didn't even need to read the book summaries.

I am more of a Hidden Legacy fan, but I do love Kate as well. It was great reading about her, Curran, and the Pack again. Ilona Andrews might be the only authors who can make me read fight scenes and actually enjoy them.

This takes place in a coastal town near the Black Sea. Whenever the Black Sea is mentioned in a book, I get more excited than Turkey being mentioned.

The romance was very angsty in this one. I thought it was unnecessary at first, but I think both Kate and Curran needed the conflict to understand each other better.

The start of the book was slow. The mystery was slow to develop but very interesting. I loved the last 40%.

I also loved Hugh and Kate's back and forth.

Excited for the next book.
]]> 166997
John Williams’s luminous and deeply moving novel is a work of quiet perfection. William Stoner emerges from it not only as an archetypal American, but as an unlikely existential hero, standing, like a figure in a painting by Edward Hopper, in stark relief against an unforgiving world.]]> 292 John Williams 1590171993 Duanur 0 to-read 4.36 1965
author: John Williams
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60784636
Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.

Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.]]> 326 Stacy Willingham 1250803853 Duanur 3
It's fans of domestic thrillers' world and we are just living in it.

I guess Stacy Willingham is a 3.5 star author for me because I felt the exact same way while reading her other book, The Flicker in the Dark. Unfortunately for me, this is more of a domestic thriller. (Why does nearly every thriller I pick up turn out to be a domestic thriller??? I know I know it's on me.)

Good writing, intriguing enough to keep you going, and great audiobook. I love Karissa Vacker's narration, and to be honest, most of my enjoyment is because of her.

This was a bit predictable, but I loved the ending.]]> 4.04 2023
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves: 2024, adult, audiobooks, mystery-thriller, unreliable-narrator
review:
*3.5*

It's fans of domestic thrillers' world and we are just living in it.

I guess Stacy Willingham is a 3.5 star author for me because I felt the exact same way while reading her other book, The Flicker in the Dark. Unfortunately for me, this is more of a domestic thriller. (Why does nearly every thriller I pick up turn out to be a domestic thriller??? I know I know it's on me.)

Good writing, intriguing enough to keep you going, and great audiobook. I love Karissa Vacker's narration, and to be honest, most of my enjoyment is because of her.

This was a bit predictable, but I loved the ending.
]]> 58906388
The extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize winning The Remains of the Day

The Romans have long since departed, and Britain is steadily declining into ruin. But at least the wars that once ravaged the country have ceased.

The Buried Giant begins as a couple, Axl and Beatrice, set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen for years. They expect to face many hazards - some strange and other-worldly - but they cannot yet foresee how their journey will reveal to them dark and forgotten corners of their love for one another.

Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war.

'Kazuo Ishiguro is an original and remarkable genius.' The New York Times

'A master craftsman.' Margaret Atwood, Slate

'The best and most original writer of his generation.' Susan Hill, Mail on Sunday]]> 362 Kazuo Ishiguro Duanur 0 to-read 3.70 2015
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25291348 496 Jules Verne 0241198771 Duanur 0 to-read 3.68 1869
author: Jules Verne
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1869
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61885029
Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.]]> 264 John Scalzi 0765389223 Duanur 1
Are you into long villain monologues, commentary on finance (bros), so much tell and no show (actually except for a few bombs going off NOTHING happens)? Then this book is for you. The humour, at least, should be the one thing that made me enjoy this book. But that also didn't work for me. So, all I got was pages of pages of nothing happening, only people talking about stuff happening.

I'm just upset this is my first Scalzi book, and it is going to ruin my (already low) average rating on goodreads.]]> 4.09 2023
author: John Scalzi
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves: 2024, adult, brainrot-book-club, e-books, scifi
review:
1.5 stars just because the funeral scene was funny.

Are you into long villain monologues, commentary on finance (bros), so much tell and no show (actually except for a few bombs going off NOTHING happens)? Then this book is for you. The humour, at least, should be the one thing that made me enjoy this book. But that also didn't work for me. So, all I got was pages of pages of nothing happening, only people talking about stuff happening.

I'm just upset this is my first Scalzi book, and it is going to ruin my (already low) average rating on goodreads.
]]> 39829653
Keiko is very happy in her life, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, pressure her to settle down with a man and to find a proper profession. Eventually, she is pushed to make a huge change. The static world of Keiko is upended, but will it be for the better?A brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche and an extraordinary world, Convenience Store Woman is both an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.]]> 4 Sayaka Murata 1538584557 Duanur 2 3.61 2016
author: Sayaka Murata
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2022/05/08
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2022, adult, audiobooks, contemporary, novellas, translated
review:
This is about societal expectations and the main character probably has Asperger's. I really don't have anything to say about this book. It was very straight to the point and didn't leave any room for discussion. For such a short story, it was so boring.
]]> 6081685
First published in Japan in 2006 by Hakusensha Inc., Tokyo.]]> 208 Hiro Fujiwara 1427814031 Duanur 4 4.42 2006
author: Hiro Fujiwara
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/16
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: fun, e-books, illustrated, translated
review:
I love this manga series so much! They are so addicting
]]> 15797938
Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act - an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. When the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

Tautly written, incredibly gripping, and told by an unforgettable narrator, The Dinner is an internationally bestselling phenomenon that will leave you breathless.]]> 292 Herman Koch 0770437850 Duanur 3
I feel like I need to read this book again to fully understand what I think of it. I need some time to process all of this. I love unreliable narrators though. ]]> 3.18 2009
author: Herman Koch
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2018/04/14
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: adult, e-books, mystery-thriller, unreliable-narrator, translated
review:
*3.5*

I feel like I need to read this book again to fully understand what I think of it. I need some time to process all of this. I love unreliable narrators though.
]]> 55883882
Collects MONSTRESS #1-6

About the Creators:

New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop. Ms. Liu's extensive work includes the bestselling "Astonishing X-Men" for Marvel Comics, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to writing full-time, Liu was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.

Sana Takeda is an illustrator and comic book artist who was born in Niigata, and now resides in Tokyo, Japan. At age 20 she started out as a 3D CGI designer for SEGA, a Japanese video game company, and became a freelance artist when she was 25. She is still an artist, and has worked on titles such as "X-23" and "Ms. Marvel" for Marvel Comics, and is an illustrator for trading card games in Japan.]]> 192 Marjorie M. Liu 1632157098 Duanur 2 3.96 2016
author: Marjorie M. Liu
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2020/12/09
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: adult, illustrated, fantasy, 2020
review:
The art is absolutely amazing. But unfortunately, this wasn't for me. There were too much gore and violence involving children. The plot and the world is interesting and I would have wanted to read more about the story but for now, I'll pass.
]]> 58478790
Güney Kore edebiyatının çağdaş yıldızlarından Kim Young-ha’nın kaleminden karanlık, keskin, parlak ve sürprizli bir roman: Bir Katilin Güncesi.]]> 144 Young-ha Kim 605083914X Duanur 3 3.91 2019
author: Young-ha Kim
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/04
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: adult, audiobooks, 2022, serial-killers, translated
review:
Alzheimer'lı eski seri katilin evlat edindiği kızı başka bir seri katilden korumaya çalışması fikri çok ilginçti. Sonuna kadar da ilgiyle dinledim fakat sonunu beğenemedim. Sonu haricinde 4 yıldızlık bir hikaye. Sesli kitaplara yeni yeni adapte oluyorum ama Erdem Akakçe'nin seslendirmesi harikaydı.
]]> 6786692 Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.]]> 610 Koushun Takami 1421527723 Duanur 4
For a book that had 42 characters, I really felt for all of them. My only real problem with this book was the writing style. I don't know whether it was the translation or the writing itself but it was very bad at times. I also wanted more from the ending. Since it is a 600-paged book I wanted to learn more about this world. But since this book was more about the action and the characters, it succeeds what it set out to do.

It's impossible for me to compare this to the Hunger Games since I have read both books in different times of my life. But I believe it is easy to enjoy both of them with their similarities and differences. I was more intrigued by the world in the Hunger Games but I didn't feel half of the emotions I felt while reading this during reading the Hunger Games trilogy.]]> 4.22 1999
author: Koushun Takami
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/17
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2022, dystopian, young-adult, translated
review:
This was such a fast and fun read. (As fun as it can be to read about 15 year olds killing each other)

For a book that had 42 characters, I really felt for all of them. My only real problem with this book was the writing style. I don't know whether it was the translation or the writing itself but it was very bad at times. I also wanted more from the ending. Since it is a 600-paged book I wanted to learn more about this world. But since this book was more about the action and the characters, it succeeds what it set out to do.

It's impossible for me to compare this to the Hunger Games since I have read both books in different times of my life. But I believe it is easy to enjoy both of them with their similarities and differences. I was more intrigued by the world in the Hunger Games but I didn't feel half of the emotions I felt while reading this during reading the Hunger Games trilogy.
]]> 37004370
When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.

A surreal, provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, The Memory Police is a stunning new work from one of the most exciting contemporary authors writing in any language.]]> 274 Yōko Ogawa 1101870605 Duanur 4
Melancholic, touching and beautiful.

I need to read more japanese fiction since I love the soothing writing japanese literature generally has.

This one was about a world where the Memory Police dissapeared objects... and more. The dissapearences might be small like harmonicas or pretty big like living creatures, birds and roses.

The story is not plot-driven. It was more of a sociological and psychological read.

I loved the first half. The writing is beautiful. The japanese culture and the setting were interesting. But the second half dragged and I found myself skimming a little to finish the book. The ending was perfect for the story and overall I found the book interesting and melancholic in a beautiful way so I'm rounding my rating up to a 4.]]> 3.72 1994
author: Yōko Ogawa
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/04
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2024, adult, fantasy, literary-fiction, owned, translated
review:
*3.5*

Melancholic, touching and beautiful.

I need to read more japanese fiction since I love the soothing writing japanese literature generally has.

This one was about a world where the Memory Police dissapeared objects... and more. The dissapearences might be small like harmonicas or pretty big like living creatures, birds and roses.

The story is not plot-driven. It was more of a sociological and psychological read.

I loved the first half. The writing is beautiful. The japanese culture and the setting were interesting. But the second half dragged and I found myself skimming a little to finish the book. The ending was perfect for the story and overall I found the book interesting and melancholic in a beautiful way so I'm rounding my rating up to a 4.
]]> 11297
A magnificent blending of the music, the mood, and the ethos that was the sixties with the story of one college student's romantic coming of age, Norwegian Wood brilliantly recaptures a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.]]> 296 Haruki Murakami 0375704027 Duanur 1 owned, adult, translated
I can't believe I actually managed to finish this book. I was so close to dnfing it... multiple times. I couldn't though. Because I needed to understand why this book was so popular and well-loved. After finishing the whole thing, I still don't understand. Why the hype? I'm not saying that Haruki Murakami is a bad author. His writing is easy to read and he did manage to make me read the whole thing, I have to give him that. The tone of the book was also done well. I imagine he was going for the "we are all alone in the world" kind of vibe and it worked. I did feel pretty alone while reading this book. But that's about it. I didn't care a single thing for the characters. [spoilers removed] It is a pretty dark and disturbing book. But it was mostly because of the characters and how they behaved to each other and themselves. I know they were all messed up some way. But I just didn't understand why they were messed up. I wanted to understand the characters throughout the book, that even may be the reason why I read the whole thing. But I just couldn't understand why they acted like they had to punish themselves or everyone around them.

Do not read this book for the plot. This is definitely not a plot driven book. It mostly revolves around the characters and their sad, lonely lives. There really isn't anything that is interesting happening. But at the end, I can't really say there was even any character development throughout, either. The only thing that interested me was... well since it is a spoiler I will write it like this. [spoilers removed]

This book is basically an adult version The Catcher in the Rye (with a little bit of Great Gatsby thrown in) and I did not know why that book was popular either. (Both books are Toru's favourites so it wasn't a surprise to see the similarities between all of these books.)

Overall, I am glad that I finally read a Murakami book but to be honest, I just don't think it was worth my time.]]> 4.01 1987
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1987
rating: 1
read at: 2019/12/01
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: owned, adult, translated
review:
*1.5*

I can't believe I actually managed to finish this book. I was so close to dnfing it... multiple times. I couldn't though. Because I needed to understand why this book was so popular and well-loved. After finishing the whole thing, I still don't understand. Why the hype? I'm not saying that Haruki Murakami is a bad author. His writing is easy to read and he did manage to make me read the whole thing, I have to give him that. The tone of the book was also done well. I imagine he was going for the "we are all alone in the world" kind of vibe and it worked. I did feel pretty alone while reading this book. But that's about it. I didn't care a single thing for the characters. [spoilers removed] It is a pretty dark and disturbing book. But it was mostly because of the characters and how they behaved to each other and themselves. I know they were all messed up some way. But I just didn't understand why they were messed up. I wanted to understand the characters throughout the book, that even may be the reason why I read the whole thing. But I just couldn't understand why they acted like they had to punish themselves or everyone around them.

Do not read this book for the plot. This is definitely not a plot driven book. It mostly revolves around the characters and their sad, lonely lives. There really isn't anything that is interesting happening. But at the end, I can't really say there was even any character development throughout, either. The only thing that interested me was... well since it is a spoiler I will write it like this. [spoilers removed]

This book is basically an adult version The Catcher in the Rye (with a little bit of Great Gatsby thrown in) and I did not know why that book was popular either. (Both books are Toru's favourites so it wasn't a surprise to see the similarities between all of these books.)

Overall, I am glad that I finally read a Murakami book but to be honest, I just don't think it was worth my time.
]]> 1232 487 Carlos Ruiz Zafón Duanur 0 4.26 2001
author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: to-read, owned, physical-tbr, translated
review:

]]> 63017297 In this suspenseful and darkly funny debut novel, a sophisticated French woman spends her life obsessing over her perfect husband--but can their marriage survive her passionate love?

At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and most importantly, an ideal husband. After fifteen years together, she is still besotted with him. But she's never quite sure that her passion is reciprocated. After all, would a truly infatuated man ever let go of his wife's hand when they're sitting on the couch together?

Determined to keep their relationship perfect, she meticulously prepares for every encounter they have, always taking care to make her actions seem effortless. She watches him attentively, charting every mistake and punishing him accordingly to help him improve. And she tests him--setting traps to make sure that he still loves her just as much as he did when they first met.

Until one day she realizes she may have gone too far . . .

The winner of France's First Novel Prize in 2021, My Husband builds on the premise of hits like Gone Girl and Fates and Furies--how well can you really know your spouse?--and adds the tension and creepy obsession of You. The result is an irresistible read--compelling, tense, and engaging, infused with sly subversive humor, and told in an utterly original voice that makes it unforgettable.

Translated from the French by Emma Ramadan]]> 272 Maud Ventura 0063274825 Duanur 5 My husband has no name; he is my husband, he belongs to me.

When I say I love reading about unhinged women, I mean this.

More generally, the idea that my husband existed before meeting me is surreal, even revolting.

I had to put this book down a few times because it was exhausting to be in this woman's head after a while. She is obsessed with her husband. She loves and punishes him. She is more in love with the idea of being in love and being in a relationship than actually in love with him as a person.

My husband had the wonderful idea to get sick during our honeymoon.

This book is meandering. It is darkly funny. It is exhausting to read at times because it is repetitive. It is very much of a character driven story and has no real plot.

My husband didn’t even have the originality to catch a tropical illness.

I absolutely loved the translation. I thought it was written in english at first. It doesn't read like a translated work at all.

When I’m with my husband, I don’t need to see our friends.

I also loved how some of the unhinged thoughts of our main character are actually how society is like.

I can’t explain it, but my faked status as a married woman finally showed the world that my existence had value. The transformation took place in the gaze of others: people assumed I was expected somewhere, that I had better things to be doing.

This is not a book you can read a summary of but have to experience it yourself. It is not for everybody, and I wouldn't know how or who to recommend this for. But I thought it was smart, darkly hilarious, and lowkey... describes what a soulmate is. I can't believe this is a debut novel.

I created a very nice moment between the two of us—romantic memories don’t fall from the sky, one of us has to fabricate them.]]> 3.67 2021
author: Maud Ventura
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2024, adult, e-books, literary-fiction, translated
review:
My husband has no name; he is my husband, he belongs to me.

When I say I love reading about unhinged women, I mean this.

More generally, the idea that my husband existed before meeting me is surreal, even revolting.

I had to put this book down a few times because it was exhausting to be in this woman's head after a while. She is obsessed with her husband. She loves and punishes him. She is more in love with the idea of being in love and being in a relationship than actually in love with him as a person.

My husband had the wonderful idea to get sick during our honeymoon.

This book is meandering. It is darkly funny. It is exhausting to read at times because it is repetitive. It is very much of a character driven story and has no real plot.

My husband didn’t even have the originality to catch a tropical illness.

I absolutely loved the translation. I thought it was written in english at first. It doesn't read like a translated work at all.

When I’m with my husband, I don’t need to see our friends.

I also loved how some of the unhinged thoughts of our main character are actually how society is like.

I can’t explain it, but my faked status as a married woman finally showed the world that my existence had value. The transformation took place in the gaze of others: people assumed I was expected somewhere, that I had better things to be doing.

This is not a book you can read a summary of but have to experience it yourself. It is not for everybody, and I wouldn't know how or who to recommend this for. But I thought it was smart, darkly hilarious, and lowkey... describes what a soulmate is. I can't believe this is a debut novel.

I created a very nice moment between the two of us—romantic memories don’t fall from the sky, one of us has to fabricate them.
]]> 6034810 Rare book 128 David Zane Mairowitz 1411415949 Duanur 3 3.30 2008
author: David Zane Mairowitz
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2012/03/02
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, translated, illustrated
review:

]]> 1220467
Stefan Zweig'ın Brezilya'da sürgündeyken yazdığı ve Şubat 1942'deki intiharından birkaç ay önce tamamladığı �����ٰ�����ç, Avrupa kültürünün nasyonal sosyalist tehlike altında yok oluşuna işaret eder.

Avrupa kültürüne elveda derken yaşama da veda etmeyi seçen Zweig'ın son yapıtı �����ٰ�����ç, gerilimli kurgusu ve kahramanın ruhsal gelgitlerinin işlendiği dokusuyla, kısa ama her bakımdan etkileyici olağanüstü bir uzun öyküdür.]]> 72 Stefan Zweig 9755103554 Duanur 4 "Gerçek turnuvalarda adet olduğu üzere partinin ağır ağır ilerlemesi, biz amatörlerde düş kırıklığı yarattı. Çünkü figürler tuhaf bir süsleme şeklinde ne kadar iç içe geçerse oyunun durumu bizim için o kadar içinden çıkılmaz bir hale geliyordu. Rakiplerden ne birinin ne de diğerinin niyetini kestirebiliyor, avantajın hangisinde olduğunu bir türlü anlayamıyorduk."
(ben de 2021 dünya satranç şampiyonasını bu şekilde izledim.)

Son 6 aydır ilginç bir şekilde satranca merak sardım ve favori yazarlarımdan biri olan Stefan Zweig'in satrançla ilgili olan hikayesini okumadığımı fark ettim. Zweig her zamanki gibi insan psikolojisini ustalıkla yakalamış. Bir insanın bir konu üzerine olan saplantısını, monomaniyi, satranç üzerinden anlatmanın yanı sıra Hitler'e laf atmayı da ihmal etmemiş. Herhangi bir şekilde ikinci dünya savaşıyla alakalı kitapları sevmemem yüzünden olabilir ama favori Zweig kitabım olan Korku'nun yerini alamadı. Fakat satrançla ilgili olan yorumları ve saplantılı bir insanın duygularını muhteşem bir şekilde konu almış.]]> 4.37 1942
author: Stefan Zweig
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1942
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/14
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: 2021, classics, owned, translated
review:
"Gerçek turnuvalarda adet olduğu üzere partinin ağır ağır ilerlemesi, biz amatörlerde düş kırıklığı yarattı. Çünkü figürler tuhaf bir süsleme şeklinde ne kadar iç içe geçerse oyunun durumu bizim için o kadar içinden çıkılmaz bir hale geliyordu. Rakiplerden ne birinin ne de diğerinin niyetini kestirebiliyor, avantajın hangisinde olduğunu bir türlü anlayamıyorduk."
(ben de 2021 dünya satranç şampiyonasını bu şekilde izledim.)

Son 6 aydır ilginç bir şekilde satranca merak sardım ve favori yazarlarımdan biri olan Stefan Zweig'in satrançla ilgili olan hikayesini okumadığımı fark ettim. Zweig her zamanki gibi insan psikolojisini ustalıkla yakalamış. Bir insanın bir konu üzerine olan saplantısını, monomaniyi, satranç üzerinden anlatmanın yanı sıra Hitler'e laf atmayı da ihmal etmemiş. Herhangi bir şekilde ikinci dünya savaşıyla alakalı kitapları sevmemem yüzünden olabilir ama favori Zweig kitabım olan Korku'nun yerini alamadı. Fakat satrançla ilgili olan yorumları ve saplantılı bir insanın duygularını muhteşem bir şekilde konu almış.
]]> 46037330
Pauline gizli çekmeceleri olan bir eserdir. Dumas onları açmak için 17. yüzyıldan beri rağbette olan “gömülü roman�� tekniğinden faydalanır. Bu teknik, sırayla anlatıcı olan karakterler sayesinde birbirine bağlanan, art arda anlatılar sistemine dayanır. Romancı bu işleyişi seçerek gizemlerin ve anlatılan tecrübelerin çeşitliliğinin adım adım keşfini harekete geçirir, bunlar en sonunda bilgece bir yöntemle birleşir. Romanda giriş niteliğindeki ��1834 yılının sonlarına doğru�� sözleriyle bir âna yerleştirilmiş üç anlatı art arda sıralanır. Kendini yazar ve anlatıcı olarak tanıtan Alexandre Dumas çerçeve anlatıyı yürütür ve doğrudan okura hitap ederek onunla bir sohbet başlatır...]]> 192 Alexandre Dumas 6053143820 Duanur 4
I didn't even know this book existed until I saw it in a random bookstore and I couldn't help myself and got it because Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors. His books have that amazing blend of mystery, thriller and romance. His books tend to be centered on his characters rather than the adventures. (Except for The Three Musketeers, but unfortunately I couldn't finish that book. Most probably because of that fact)

Going into this book, I didn't expect Alexandre Dumas to amaze me yet again but he did. I felt for the characters and I honestly didn't know how it would all turn out at the end. Even though, we know how it all ends in the beginning, we don't know why. The story is told in an old fashioned way (probably a popular way when he wrote it at the time). I actually really like this story telling.

The book starts off with Alexandre Dumas as the narrative and he meets his friend, Alfred. Then Alfred tells him a story about a woman named Pauline and goes into Pauline telling the story to Alfred. It is, essentially, a story in a story where we learn about these characters' life through their eyes.

Without a doubt, Pauline is the main character of these stories, and I felt everything she felt when she talked about what happened to her. She especially made me feel the loneliness and the terror she felt through her narrative.

My only complaint (?) would be that the relationships could have been explored a little bit more. Maybe I just wanted more than selfishness from these characters. It was realistic but I couldn't help it. At the end of the book, I felt like I have read about three selfish characters. I don't know if it was meant to be that way. How Alfred loved Pauline and didn't want her to be with anyone else and wanted her to only depend on him. How the count didn't care about anyone else but himself (and supposedly his two best friends) even though he was in love with Pauline and even how Pauline didn't want Alfred to ever leave her because she needed someone to be there for her. I'm really not blaming Pauline or anyone for their feelings actually. And that is probably why I loved this book so much. They all were flawed and selfish but I loved reading about them.

I don't know how Alexandre Dumas manage to make me feel melancholic and hopeful at the same time. But I want to read all of his books to find out.]]> 3.60 1838
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1838
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/11
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, 2020, 4-and-a-half-stars, translated
review:
*4.5*

I didn't even know this book existed until I saw it in a random bookstore and I couldn't help myself and got it because Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors. His books have that amazing blend of mystery, thriller and romance. His books tend to be centered on his characters rather than the adventures. (Except for The Three Musketeers, but unfortunately I couldn't finish that book. Most probably because of that fact)

Going into this book, I didn't expect Alexandre Dumas to amaze me yet again but he did. I felt for the characters and I honestly didn't know how it would all turn out at the end. Even though, we know how it all ends in the beginning, we don't know why. The story is told in an old fashioned way (probably a popular way when he wrote it at the time). I actually really like this story telling.

The book starts off with Alexandre Dumas as the narrative and he meets his friend, Alfred. Then Alfred tells him a story about a woman named Pauline and goes into Pauline telling the story to Alfred. It is, essentially, a story in a story where we learn about these characters' life through their eyes.

Without a doubt, Pauline is the main character of these stories, and I felt everything she felt when she talked about what happened to her. She especially made me feel the loneliness and the terror she felt through her narrative.

My only complaint (?) would be that the relationships could have been explored a little bit more. Maybe I just wanted more than selfishness from these characters. It was realistic but I couldn't help it. At the end of the book, I felt like I have read about three selfish characters. I don't know if it was meant to be that way. How Alfred loved Pauline and didn't want her to be with anyone else and wanted her to only depend on him. How the count didn't care about anyone else but himself (and supposedly his two best friends) even though he was in love with Pauline and even how Pauline didn't want Alfred to ever leave her because she needed someone to be there for her. I'm really not blaming Pauline or anyone for their feelings actually. And that is probably why I loved this book so much. They all were flawed and selfish but I loved reading about them.

I don't know how Alexandre Dumas manage to make me feel melancholic and hopeful at the same time. But I want to read all of his books to find out.
]]> 76171 The exhilarating dystopian novel that inspired George Orwell's 1984 and foreshadowed the worst excesses of Soviet Russia

Yevgeny Zamyatin's We is a powerfully inventive vision that has influenced writers from George Orwell to Ayn Rand. In a glass-enclosed city of absolute straight lines, ruled over by the all-powerful 'Benefactor', the citizens of the totalitarian society of OneState live out lives devoid of passion and creativity - until D-503, a mathematician who dreams in numbers, makes a discovery: he has an individual soul. Set in the twenty-sixth century AD, We is the classic dystopian novel and was the forerunner of works such as George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. It was suppressed for many years in Russia and remains a resounding cry for individual freedom, yet is also a powerful, exciting and vivid work of science fiction. Clarence Brown's brilliant translation is based on the corrected text of the novel, first published in Russia in 1988 after more than sixty years' suppression.]]> 256 Yevgeny Zamyatin 0140185852 Duanur 3
Our gods are here, below. They are with us in the Bureau, in the kitchen, in the shops, in the restrooms. The gods have become like us, ergo we have become like gods. And we shall come to you, my unknown readers on another planet, we shall come to you to make your life as god-like, as rational and as correct as ours...

Every once in a while I love to get obsessed with one spesific genre and read every book that sounds interesting to me in a short(-ish) amount of time. Dystopia was my obsession in 2010s and I wanted to read the first ones ever written in the genre. For some reason I was misinformed that 1984 was the first published dystopia book. Then I heard about Brave New World. Now imagine my surprise after my obsession (kind of) died down with dystopia I learned that "We" was the original dystopia book ever written (I might still be wrong, at this point I trust no one.) So it took awhile for me to finally read this but I am so glad that I did!

1984 will always be my favourite but it was interesting to see the similarities between all of these 3 works. Personally, I thought Brave New World was a lot more similar to this. But there are still some parallels between 1984 and We as well.

Even though "We" is a novella, it has the same effect as a full length novel. For a short work written in early 20s, it is very ahead of its time. The writing is a bit hard to get into but I am not sure if it is because of the translation or the atmosphere the author wanted to create.

My big problem with most of the dystopia books (usually the older ones) is the brainwashing plot. Whether it be a procedure or a literal brainwashing techniques, authors love this plot twist/point.

For a spesific flaw of this book, I have to say I wanted to learn more about I-330 and the Benefactor/Well-doer. This was more about our main character and how he slowly went into madness. It was interesting but after awhile I couldn't take what the author was criticizing seriously since he made the situations too over the top at times.

Overall, a must read for dystopia fans and maybe also for people who are afraid of russian literature. It really doesn't read as depressing as Dostoevski and that's saying something.

I felt myself. To feel one's self, to be conscious of one's personality, is the lot of an eye inflamed by a cinder, or an infected finger, or a bad tooth. A healthy eye, or finger, or tooth is not felt; it is non-existent as it were. Is it not clear then, that consciousness of oneself is a sickness?]]> 3.91 1924
author: Yevgeny Zamyatin
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1924
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/11
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: books-1001, owned, 2023, adult, brainrot-book-club, classics, dystopian, unreliable-narrator, translated
review:
*3.5*

Our gods are here, below. They are with us in the Bureau, in the kitchen, in the shops, in the restrooms. The gods have become like us, ergo we have become like gods. And we shall come to you, my unknown readers on another planet, we shall come to you to make your life as god-like, as rational and as correct as ours...

Every once in a while I love to get obsessed with one spesific genre and read every book that sounds interesting to me in a short(-ish) amount of time. Dystopia was my obsession in 2010s and I wanted to read the first ones ever written in the genre. For some reason I was misinformed that 1984 was the first published dystopia book. Then I heard about Brave New World. Now imagine my surprise after my obsession (kind of) died down with dystopia I learned that "We" was the original dystopia book ever written (I might still be wrong, at this point I trust no one.) So it took awhile for me to finally read this but I am so glad that I did!

1984 will always be my favourite but it was interesting to see the similarities between all of these 3 works. Personally, I thought Brave New World was a lot more similar to this. But there are still some parallels between 1984 and We as well.

Even though "We" is a novella, it has the same effect as a full length novel. For a short work written in early 20s, it is very ahead of its time. The writing is a bit hard to get into but I am not sure if it is because of the translation or the atmosphere the author wanted to create.

My big problem with most of the dystopia books (usually the older ones) is the brainwashing plot. Whether it be a procedure or a literal brainwashing techniques, authors love this plot twist/point.

For a spesific flaw of this book, I have to say I wanted to learn more about I-330 and the Benefactor/Well-doer. This was more about our main character and how he slowly went into madness. It was interesting but after awhile I couldn't take what the author was criticizing seriously since he made the situations too over the top at times.

Overall, a must read for dystopia fans and maybe also for people who are afraid of russian literature. It really doesn't read as depressing as Dostoevski and that's saying something.

I felt myself. To feel one's self, to be conscious of one's personality, is the lot of an eye inflamed by a cinder, or an infected finger, or a bad tooth. A healthy eye, or finger, or tooth is not felt; it is non-existent as it were. Is it not clear then, that consciousness of oneself is a sickness?
]]> 49552 The Stranger has long been considered a classic of twentieth-century literature. Le Monde ranks it as number one on its "100 Books of the Century" list. Through this story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on a sundrenched Algerian beach, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd."]]> 123 Albert Camus Duanur 2 4.04 1942
author: Albert Camus
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1942
rating: 2
read at: 2022/11/11
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, 2022, adult, audiobooks, e-books, translated
review:
"But, though I mightn’t be so sure about what interested me, I was absolutely sure about what didn’t interest me. And the question he had raised didn’t interest me at all."
]]> 20737237 208 Alexandre Dumas 9944883247 Duanur 4 Alexandre Dumas and ghost/supernatural stories.

This was the best "short story collection" I have ever read. The reason why I'm using quotation marks is because it is not really a short story collection. We have 5 characters who are all inspired from real people, our main character being Alexandre Dumas himself. Basically throughout this book each of these characters (except Alexandre Dumas) tell a ghost or a supernatural story they heard or actually encountered themselves. So unlike real short story collections you actually get to know the characters and I even loved some of them.

Before starting the book, it actually has a letter from Alexandre Dumas to -I believe- his editor. And that was such an interesting thing to read as well. It is only a few pages long but I felt like I actually talked to Alexandre Dumas and got to know him better. And since Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors, that was a dream come true for me.

He always combines history, action, mystery, romance so well together. And this book had all of these and more.

I don't know who to recommend this book specifically but I think it is one of those books that everyone can read and enjoy. If you haven't read anything by Alexandre Dumas and you are intimidated by the sizes of his books, this may be a good book to start with.]]> 3.88 1846
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1846
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/27
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, paranormal, translated
review:
I can't believe I haven't heard about this book before. It has my two favourite things: Alexandre Dumas and ghost/supernatural stories.

This was the best "short story collection" I have ever read. The reason why I'm using quotation marks is because it is not really a short story collection. We have 5 characters who are all inspired from real people, our main character being Alexandre Dumas himself. Basically throughout this book each of these characters (except Alexandre Dumas) tell a ghost or a supernatural story they heard or actually encountered themselves. So unlike real short story collections you actually get to know the characters and I even loved some of them.

Before starting the book, it actually has a letter from Alexandre Dumas to -I believe- his editor. And that was such an interesting thing to read as well. It is only a few pages long but I felt like I actually talked to Alexandre Dumas and got to know him better. And since Alexandre Dumas is one of my favourite authors, that was a dream come true for me.

He always combines history, action, mystery, romance so well together. And this book had all of these and more.

I don't know who to recommend this book specifically but I think it is one of those books that everyone can read and enjoy. If you haven't read anything by Alexandre Dumas and you are intimidated by the sizes of his books, this may be a good book to start with.
]]> 25939964
Korku insanı bilinçdışına itilmiş utanç verici deneyimlerden, bastırılmış pişmanlıklardan özgürleştirebilecek güçte bir yapıt.]]> 80 Stefan Zweig 6053325017 Duanur 5
Şuana kadar okuduğum en güzel Zweig kitabıydı. Hala daha Stefan Zweig'in bir kadının ağızından nasıl bu kadar güzel yazabildiğini anlayamıyorum.]]> 4.26 1910
author: Stefan Zweig
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1910
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/28
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: adult, classics, owned, favourites, novellas, 4-and-a-half-stars, translated
review:
*4.75*

Şuana kadar okuduğum en güzel Zweig kitabıydı. Hala daha Stefan Zweig'in bir kadının ağızından nasıl bu kadar güzel yazabildiğini anlayamıyorum.
]]> 25610105 104 Stefan Zweig 6059908829 Duanur 3 classics, owned, translated "Yaşlanmak, artık geçmişten korkmamaktan başka nedir ki?"

Hala daha Stefan Zweig'in bir kadın karakterin gözünden nasıl bu kadar gerçekçi yazabildiğini anlamıyorum.

]]> 4.02 1925
author: Stefan Zweig
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1925
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/24
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, translated
review:
"Yaşlanmak, artık geçmişten korkmamaktan başka nedir ki?"

Hala daha Stefan Zweig'in bir kadın karakterin gözünden nasıl bu kadar gerçekçi yazabildiğini anlamıyorum.


]]> 865 197 Paulo Coelho 0061122416 Duanur 3 classics, translated
It had some good quotes and it was a feel-good book. But the plot and the characters were underwhelming for me. So, 3 stars it is.]]> 3.85 1988
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2018/04/17
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, translated
review:
This book is reeaaaalllyyyyyy popular in Turkey so I wanted to see why. It has a lot of commentary about religion, superstitions and something in-between. The representation of Islam wasn't 100% true but I think it wasn't trying to do that. It was more about the culture and really more about how you should need to set yourself a goal in life and also not to over-stress yourself about life. In a way, it made me destress about my problems as well, making me re-realize that everyone has their own journeys, problems and also made me see the big picture when I sometimes couldn't.

It had some good quotes and it was a feel-good book. But the plot and the characters were underwhelming for me. So, 3 stars it is.
]]> 27839637 Olağanüstü Bir Gece, seçkin bir burjuva olarak rahat ve tasasız varoluşunu sürdürürken giderek duyarsızlaşan bir adamın hayatındaki dönüştürücü deneyimin hikâyesidir. Sıradan bir pazar gününü at yarışlarında geçirirken, belki de ilk kez burjuva ahlakından saparak "suç" işler. Böylece yeniden "hissetmeye" başladığını, kötücül ve ateşli hazları olan gerçek bir insan olduğunu fark eder. İçindeki haz dolu esrime, aynı günün akşamında onu gece âleminin son atıklarının arasına, "hayatın en dibindeki lağımlara" sürükleyecek, varış noktası ise ruhani bir uyanış olacaktır.]]> 69 Stefan Zweig 6053326097 Duanur 4 3.93 1922
author: Stefan Zweig
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1922
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/11
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, novellas, translated
review:
"Bir kez kendini bulmuş olan kişinin bu yeryüzünde yitirecek bir şeyi yoktur artık. Ve bir kez kendi içindeki insanı anlamış olan bütün insanları anlar."
]]> 20749912 Bilinmeyen Bir Kadının Mektubu (Brief einer Unbekannten) adlı uzun öyküsünü 1920'li yılların ilk yarısında kaleme aldı.

Bilinmeyen Bir Kadının Mektubu'nun kadın kahramanını sadece uzun bir mektubun yazarı olarak tanıyoruz. Kadının hayatı boyunca sevmiş olduğu erkek için kaleme aldığı bu mektubun "gönderen"inin adı yoktur. Mektubun başında tek bir hitap vardır: "Sana, beni asla tanımamış olan sana." Kadın büyük tutkusunu hep bir "bilinmeyen" olarak, tek başına yaşamaya razıdır, bu aşk öyküsünde "taraflar" değil, sadece tek bir "taraf" vardır. Böylesine, gerçek anlamda aşk denilebilir mi?

Zweig, okurunu bir kez daha insan psikolojisinde eşine pek rastlanmayan bir yolculuğa davet ediyor. Bu yeni yolculuğun sonunda "mutlak aşk" kavramının şimdiye kadar bilinmeyen kıyılarına varmayı amaçlamış olması da bir ihtimal.]]> 68 Stefan Zweig Duanur 3
Bu kitaba nasıl puan vereceğimi bilmiyorum. Baş karaktere duyduğum sinir ve nefretime karşın kitap çok sürükleyiciydi. 55 sayfa olmasına rağmen beni duygu seline soktu. Kitabı bir erkeğin yazdığına ne kadar inanamıyorsam Stefan Zweig'i daha önce hiç duymadığıma da o kadar inanamıyorum. Bir erkek yazarın kitabını bir kadının ağzından anlatması gerçekten çok zor bir şey ama Stefan Zweig bunu o kadar ustaca yazmış ki Zweig'in en sonunda kadın olduğunu düşünmeye başladım.

Konu genel olarak gayet basit ve kısaydı. Fakat yazış şekli, sürükleyiciliği ve tabii ki de "karşılıksız aşk" konusuyla merak uyandırdığı için okuması çok zevkli bir kitaptı.]]> 4.26 1922
author: Stefan Zweig
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1922
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/04
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: adult, classics, owned, novellas, translated
review:
*3.5*

Bu kitaba nasıl puan vereceğimi bilmiyorum. Baş karaktere duyduğum sinir ve nefretime karşın kitap çok sürükleyiciydi. 55 sayfa olmasına rağmen beni duygu seline soktu. Kitabı bir erkeğin yazdığına ne kadar inanamıyorsam Stefan Zweig'i daha önce hiç duymadığıma da o kadar inanamıyorum. Bir erkek yazarın kitabını bir kadının ağzından anlatması gerçekten çok zor bir şey ama Stefan Zweig bunu o kadar ustaca yazmış ki Zweig'in en sonunda kadın olduğunu düşünmeye başladım.

Konu genel olarak gayet basit ve kısaydı. Fakat yazış şekli, sürükleyiciliği ve tabii ki de "karşılıksız aşk" konusuyla merak uyandırdığı için okuması çok zevkli bir kitaptı.
]]> 16640 149 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0812969901 Duanur 2 3.71 1774
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1774
rating: 2
read at: 2011/12/03
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: owned, classics, books-1001, translated
review:

]]> 428077 79 �ѴDZ���è���� 2091878235 Duanur 4 3.66 1668
author: �ѴDZ���è����
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1668
rating: 4
read at: 2013/12/29
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, funny-reads, fun, translated
review:

]]> 7182 'To have discovered the black tulip, to have seen it for a moment... then to lose it, to lose it forever!'

Cornelius von Baerle, a respectable tulip-grower, lives only to cultivate the elusive black tulip and win a magnificent prize for its creation. But after his powerful godfather is assassinated, the unwitting Cornelius becomes caught up in deadly political intrigue and is falsely accused of high treason by a bitter rival. Condemned to life imprisonment, his only comfort is Rosa, the jailer's beautiful daughter, and together they concoct a plan to grow the black tulip in secret.

Dumas' last major historical novel is a tale of romantic love, jealousy and obsession, interweaving historical events surrounding the brutal murders of two Dutch statesman in 1672 with the phenomenon of tulipomania that gripped seventeenth-century Holland.]]> 246 Alexandre Dumas 0140448926 Duanur 5 3.86 1850
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1850
rating: 5
read at: 2014/06/08
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, favourites, translated
review:
Amazing characters, intriguing storyline, unique writing style and surprisingly a fast paced classic!
]]> 17183502
Mutluluk: Maupassant öyküleri karşımıza ani ve sürprizli gelişmeler çıkartarak bizi şaşırtırlar.]]> 242 Guy de Maupassant 9758688448 Duanur 2 owned, classics, translated 3.78 1884
author: Guy de Maupassant
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1884
rating: 2
read at: 2015/02/28
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: owned, classics, translated
review:

]]> 7126 The epic tale of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge, in its definitive translation

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to use the treasure to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas�� epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.

Translated with an Introduction by Robin Buss

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here]]> 1276 Alexandre Dumas 0140449264 Duanur 5 4.29 1846
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1846
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, favourites, books-1001, translated
review:
It is an amazing book!!! Loved it!! <3
]]> 157993
Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince, presented here in a stunning new translation with carefully restored artwork. The definitive edition of a worldwide classic, it will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.]]> 96 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 0152023984 Duanur 5 4.32 1943
author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1943
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, paranormal, fun, middle-grade, books-1001, translated
review:

]]> 485894 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 0553213695 / 9780553213690

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes."

With it's startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first opening, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowing—though absurdly comic—meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. As W.H. Auden wrote, "Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man."]]> 201 Franz Kafka 0553213695 Duanur 3 classics, owned, translated 3.90 1915
author: Franz Kafka
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1915
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: classics, owned, translated
review:

]]> 7186 World's Classics.]]> 256 Alexandre Dumas fils 0192836382 Duanur 2 owned, classics, translated 4.03 1848
author: Alexandre Dumas fils
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1848
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: owned, classics, translated
review:

]]> 110675820 I, Ainsley James, am crazy.
Desperate and crazy.
It’s the only explanation as to why I’m nauseous, standing outside Maverick Lexington’s door.
I mean, it’s possible the stories about his deck of playing cards—with the words IOU scrawled across the back—are just rumors of the ruthless quid pro quo deals he barters.
But the flutters in my stomach know better.
Maverick is as cold as they come.
But, I need one of those cards.
I NEED to owe Maverick Lexington a favor��
Whatever the terms, I’m willing to pay.
Because, at this point, I have nothing left to lose.]]> 264 Kristy Marie 1958560146 Duanur 4
When my genie needs me, I’m going to be there for him like he was for me.

This was very quick and fun. I thought the romance would be more angsty but surprisingly, it was more like a friends to lovers. Ainsley is getting over a terrible break up, so their relationship was more of a slow burn. I also liked Ainsley's relationship with the firefighters, especially Boss.

College romance is not my go-to genre, but once in a while I need a cute romance. The writing and even the dialogues were a bit weak at times, but it was an enjoyable read.

IOU too many favors to count—consider my life yours. Do with me as you wish. ]]> 3.58 2020
author: Kristy Marie
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/17
date added: 2024/07/17
shelves: 2024, contemporary, e-books, fun, new-adult
review:
*3.5*

When my genie needs me, I’m going to be there for him like he was for me.

This was very quick and fun. I thought the romance would be more angsty but surprisingly, it was more like a friends to lovers. Ainsley is getting over a terrible break up, so their relationship was more of a slow burn. I also liked Ainsley's relationship with the firefighters, especially Boss.

College romance is not my go-to genre, but once in a while I need a cute romance. The writing and even the dialogues were a bit weak at times, but it was an enjoyable read.

IOU too many favors to count—consider my life yours. Do with me as you wish.
]]> 199116301
Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her job as an archival librarian, constantly surrounded by thought-provoking ideas and the books she loved. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured divorcee with a job that took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.

A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.

Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . . but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.]]> 255 Peter Swanson 0063205033 Duanur 0 to-read 3.58 2024
author: Peter Swanson
name: Duanur
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195138130 Every home needs a little magic . . .

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. But to her dismay, in addition to a nosy �� and very handsome �� neighbour, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks �� the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high . . .]]> 385 Sarah Beth Durst 1035042355 Duanur 5 2024, adult, fantasy, fun Maybe this was something that could last. How often did you meet someone who offered to build you bookshelves?

Where are my Stardew Valley girlies at???

Kielan might not be a farmer, but this felt like playing Stardew Valley. It was so cozy with a slow burn romance, a found family, and nature love.

I needed more romance since I loved Larran. But, at its heart, this was a book about finding your home.

I also loved the audiobook. Highly recommend it if you want a cozy escapism.




P.s. I have a deeper connection with my spider plant now lol]]> 4.04 2024
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: Duanur
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/14
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves: 2024, adult, fantasy, fun
review:
Maybe this was something that could last. How often did you meet someone who offered to build you bookshelves?

Where are my Stardew Valley girlies at???

Kielan might not be a farmer, but this felt like playing Stardew Valley. It was so cozy with a slow burn romance, a found family, and nature love.

I needed more romance since I loved Larran. But, at its heart, this was a book about finding your home.

I also loved the audiobook. Highly recommend it if you want a cozy escapism.




P.s. I have a deeper connection with my spider plant now lol
]]>