Josiej's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 25 Mar 2025 13:09:28 -0700 60 Josiej's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Familiar 211004837
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 400 Leigh Bardugo 1250884276 Josiej 0 to-read 3.94 2024 The Familiar
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Katabasis 210191773 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.]]> 560 R.F. Kuang 0063021471 Josiej 0 to-read 4.27 2025 Katabasis
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tomb of Dragons (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #3)]]> 211004174
While his title may be gone, his duties are not. Celehar contends with a municipal cemetery with fifty years of secrets, the damage of a revethavar he’s terrified to remember, and a group of miners who are more than willing to trade Celehar’s life for a chance at what they feel they’re owed.

Celehar does not have to face these impossible tasks alone. Joining him are his mentee Velhiro Tomasaran, still finding her footing with the investigative nature of their job; Iäna Pel-Thenhior, his beloved opera director friend and avid supporter; and the valiant guard captain Hanu Olgarezh.

Amidst the backdrop of a murder and a brewing political uprising, Celehar must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.]]> 352 Katherine Addison 125081619X Josiej 0 to-read 4.32 2025 The Tomb of Dragons (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #3)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Odyssey 1381 Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.

So begins Robert Fagles' magnificent translation of the Odyssey.

If the Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces, during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance.

In the myths and legends that are retold here, Fagles has captured the energy and poetry of Homer's original in a bold, contemporary idiom, and given us an Odyssey to read aloud, to savor, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery.

Renowned classicist Bernard Knox's superb Introduction and textual commentary provide new insights and background information for the general reader and scholar alike, intensifying the strength of Fagles' translation.

This is an Odyssey to delight both the classicist and the public at large, and to captivate a new generation of Homer's students.

--

Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presents us with Homer's best-loved and most accessible poem in a stunning new modern-verse translation.]]> 541 Homer 0143039954 Josiej 3 3.79 -700 The Odyssey
author: Homer
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.79
book published: -700
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:
Yet another great work of literature destroyed by the stress of school. Will reread this summer.
]]> Detransition, Baby 48890225 A whipsmart debut about three women—transgender and cisgender—whose lives collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires around gender, motherhood, and sex.

Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.

Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?

This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel.]]> 337 Torrey Peters 0593133374 Josiej 0 to-read 3.94 2021 Detransition, Baby
author: Torrey Peters
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Listeners 56988057
January 1942. The Avallon Hotel & Spa has always offered elegant luxury in the wilds of West Virginia, its mountain sweetwater washing away all of high society’s troubles.

Local girl-turned-general manager June Porter Hudson has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. The Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners, have trained her well. But when the family heir makes a secret deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats, June must persuade her staff—many of whom have sons and husbands heading to the front lines—to offer luxury to Nazis. With a smile.

Meanwhile FBI Agent Tucker Minnick, whose coal tattoo hints at an Appalachian past, presses his ears to the hotel’s walls, listening for the diplomats� secrets. He has one of his own, which is how he knows that June’s balancing act can have dangerous consequences: the sweetwater beneath the hotel can threaten as well as heal.

June has never met a guest she couldn’t delight, but the diplomats are different. Without firing a single shot, they have brought the war directly to her. As clashing loyalties crack the Avallon’s polished veneer, June must calculate the true cost of luxury.]]> 400 Maggie Stiefvater 0593655508 Josiej 0 to-read 4.04 2025 The Listeners
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Iliad 77265004 848 Homer 1324001801 Josiej 4 Otherwise, I would make no changes.]]> 4.09 -800 The Iliad
author: Homer
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.09
book published: -800
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves:
review:
Dolon deserved better.
Otherwise, I would make no changes.
]]> Poverty, by America 204736844 The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of Evicted reimagines the debate on poverty, making a new and bracing argument about why it persists in because the rest of us benefit from it. ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2023: The Washington Post, Time, Esquire, Newsweek, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Elle, Salon, Lit Hub, Kirkus ReviewsThe United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages? In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow. Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.]]> 320 Matthew Desmond 0593239938 Josiej 0 to-read 4.24 2023 Poverty, by America
author: Matthew Desmond
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hamlet 1420 289 William Shakespeare 0521618746 Josiej 4 4.02 1601 Hamlet
author: William Shakespeare
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1601
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves:
review:
Much better when read over vacation.
]]> <![CDATA[Kavithri (Ghosts of Ethuran #1)]]> 197821747
Meet Kavithri. Outcast. Underdog. Survivor.

Kavi is a Taemu. Her people, once feared berserkers and the spearhead of a continent-spanning invasion, are the dregs of Raayan society. Their spirits crushed. Their swords broken. Their history erased.

But Kavi has a dream and a plan. She will do whatever it takes to earn a place at the secretive mage academy, face the Jinn within its walls, and gain the power to rise above her station and drag her people out of the darkness.

Except power and knowledge come at a cost, and the world no longer needs a Taemu who can fight. So they will break her. Beat her down to her knees. And make her bleed.

But if blood is what they want, Kavi will give them blood. She will give them violence. She will show them a berserker's fury.

And she will make them remember her name.]]> 448 Aman J. Bedi 1399609858 Josiej 0 to-read 4.33 2024 Kavithri (Ghosts of Ethuran #1)
author: Aman J. Bedi
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> November 22, 1963 4309217 November 22, 1963 chronicles the day of John F. Kennedy's assassination. It begins that morning, with Jackie Kennedy in a Fort Worth hotel, about to leave for Dallas. Her airplane trip out of Dallas after the assassination forms the connecting arc for the book, which ends with Mrs. Kennedy’s return to the White House at 4 a.m. Interwoven throughout are stories of real people intimately connected with that day: a man who shares cigarettes with the First Lady outside the trauma room; a motorcycle policeman flanking the entourage; Abe Zabruder, who caught the assassination on film; the White House servants following Mrs. Kennedy’s orders to begin planning a funeral modeled on Lincoln’s; and the morticians overseeing President Kennedy’s autopsy. Adam Braver’s brilliantly constructed historical fiction explores the intersection of stories and memories, and reveals how together, they have come to represent and mythologize that fateful day.]]> 206 Adam Braver 0980243629 Josiej 0 to-read, dnf 3.64 2008 November 22, 1963
author: Adam Braver
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves: to-read, dnf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paper Forests (The Paper Forest, #1)]]> 79155314 Special hardcover edition featuring redesigned cover art and extra content

"While your children and grandchildren are away, I like to think that they're visiting a fantastic place, somewhere where they aren't restrained by an illness or held back by their own emotions, a place where there is nothing but health and happiness to greet them."

Once upon a time, Oliver wakes up in a Forest full of magic and monsters, not quite dead, but not quite alive either. He wakes with three other people whose lives have been cut short, each more tragically than the last.

Together, they embark on a journey that will take them deep into the heart of the Forest, where they will have to face the ghosts of their pasts and their long-hidden secrets. Secrets that will force Oliver to choose between finding a new life in the trees and finding a way home.

Welcome to the Paper Forest.]]> 328 Tegan Anderson 1739170601 Josiej 0 to-read 3.82 2022 Paper Forests (The Paper Forest, #1)
author: Tegan Anderson
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sunshine Court (All For the Game, #4)]]> 201914164 My name is Jean Moreau. My place is at Evermore. I belong to the Moriyamas.

It is a truth Jean has built his life around, a reminder this is the best he can hope for and all he deserves. But when he is stolen from Edgar Allan University and sold to a more dangerous master, Jean is forced to contend with a life outside of the Nest for the first time in five years. The Foxes call his transfer to California a fresh start; Jean knows it is little more than a golden cage.

Captain Jeremy Knox is facing his final year with the USC Trojans and fifth straight year falling short of the championships trophy he desperately craves. Taking in the nation’s best defenseman is a no-brainer, even if that man is a Raven. But Jean is no monster, just a man with no hope or desire for a future, and when Evermore's collapse starts dragging Jean's hideous secrets to light, Jeremy is forced to contend with the cost of victory.]]> Nora Sakavic Josiej 4 dumb-stuff-i-love But I was able to read this without entirely hating my past self, so... props to Nora.
My only issue was Jeremy. I did not need his random slice-of-life chapters interrupting Jean's ongoing meltdown. He needs way more page time for me to care about him as a character. His entire plotline was Jean's existence, with some side notes about how the only person in his family who likes him is his butler. ]]> 4.53 2024 The Sunshine Court (All For the Game, #4)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: dumb-stuff-i-love
review:
I had very low expectations for this, because who starts a sequel series 10 years after the originals came out??
But I was able to read this without entirely hating my past self, so... props to Nora.
My only issue was Jeremy. I did not need his random slice-of-life chapters interrupting Jean's ongoing meltdown. He needs way more page time for me to care about him as a character. His entire plotline was Jean's existence, with some side notes about how the only person in his family who likes him is his butler.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tomb of Dragons (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #3)]]> 62064986
While his title may be gone, his duties are not. Celehar contends with a municipal cemetery with fifty years of secrets, the damage of a revethavar he’s terrified to remember, and a group of miners who are more than willing to trade Celehar’s life for a chance at what they feel they’re owed.

Celehar does not have to face these impossible tasks alone. Joining him are his mentee Velhiro Tomasaran, still finding her footing with the investigative nature of their job; Iäna Pel-Thenhior, his beloved opera director friend and avid supporter; and the valiant guard captain Hanu Olgarezh.

Amidst the backdrop of a murder and a brewing political uprising, Celehar must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.]]> Katherine Addison Josiej 0 to-read 4.33 2025 The Tomb of Dragons (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #3)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Grief of Stones (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #2)]]> 58724898 In The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison returns to the world of The Goblin Emperor with a direct sequel to The Witness For The Dead...

Celehar’s life as the Witness for the Dead of Amalo grows less isolated as his circle of friends grows larger. He has been given an apprentice to teach, and he has stumbled over a scandal of the city—the foundling girls. Orphans with no family to claim them and no funds to buy an apprenticeship. Foundling boys go to the Prelacies; foundling girls are sold into service, or worse.

At once touching and shattering, Celehar’s witnessing for one of these girls will lead him into the depths of his own losses. The love of his friends will lead him out again.]]> 245 Katherine Addison 1250813891 Josiej 0 good-fantasy 4.27 2022 The Grief of Stones (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #2)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves: good-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Witness for the Dead (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #1)]]> 41302953 Katherine Addison returns to the glittering world she created for her beloved novel, 'The Goblin Emperor', in this stand-alone sequel.

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin.

Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. He has not escaped from politics, but his position gives him the ability to serve the common people of the city, which is his preference. He lives modestly, but his decency and fundamental honesty will not permit him to live quietly. As a Witness for the Dead, he can, sometimes, speak to the recently dead: see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, experience the last thing they felt. it is his duty to use that ability to resolve disputes, to ascertain the intent of the dead, to find the killers of the murdered.

Celehar's skills now lead him out of the quiet and into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice. No matter his own background with the imperial house, Celehar will stand with the commoners, and possibly find a light in the darkness.]]> 240 Katherine Addison 0765387441 Josiej 0 good-fantasy 4.11 2021 The Witness for the Dead (The Cemeteries of Amalo, #1)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves: good-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)]]> 17910048 A lush tale of deadly court intrigue and a modern classic of fantasy by Locus award winner and Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award finalist Katherine Addison

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.]]> 446 Katherine Addison 076532699X Josiej 0 4.04 2014 The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/04
shelves: good-fantasy, i-will-reread-you-soon-my-babies
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 1 15704307
Collects: Saga #1-6.]]> 160 Brian K. Vaughan 1607066017 Josiej 5 good-fantasy, graphic-novels Good stuffs.]]> 4.16 2012 Saga, Volume 1
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:
I may or may not have read 66 issues of these comic books in the last three days.
Good stuffs.
]]> Saga, Volume 11 29237226
Collects SAGA #61-66]]> 153 Brian K. Vaughan 1534345930 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.25 2023 Saga, Volume 11
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 10 29237224
Collects: Saga #55-60.]]> 160 Fiona Staples 1534323341 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.30 2022 Saga, Volume 10
author: Fiona Staples
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 9 29237221
Collects: Saga #49-54.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.56 2018 Saga, Volume 9
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 8 43307890
Collects: Saga #43-48.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan 1534303499 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.46 2017 Saga, Volume 8
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 7 29237211 Saga event! Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat and the refugee experience.

Collects: Saga #37-42.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan 1534300600 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.48 2017 Saga, Volume 7
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 6 28862528
Collects: Saga #31-36.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan 163215711X Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.46 2016 Saga, Volume 6
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 5 25451555
Collects: Saga #25-30.]]> 152 Brian K. Vaughan 1632154382 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.40 2015 Saga, Volume 5
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 4 23093367
Collects: Saga #19-24.]]> 144 Brian K. Vaughan 1632150778 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.42 2014 Saga, Volume 4
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 3 19358975
Collects: Saga #13-18.]]> 144 Brian K. Vaughan 1607069318 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.48 2014 Saga, Volume 3
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> Saga, Volume 2 17131869
Collects: Saga #7-12.]]> 144 Brian K. Vaughan 1607066920 Josiej 0 good-fantasy, graphic-novels 4.49 2013 Saga, Volume 2
author: Brian K. Vaughan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: good-fantasy, graphic-novels
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke, #2)]]> 127305686 New sparks. Old flames. And a mission that's playing with fire.

A year has passed since superstar Winter Young last saw secret agent Sydney Cossette. After barely surviving their first assignment together in London -- and their intense chemistry � the two haven’t spoken at all. Though they’re never far from the other’s thoughts, or fantasies.

So when Syndey shows up at Winter’s studio one day with a new mission from Panacea, he has no choice but to accept. With the clock ticking, the duo prepares to head to Singapore to rescue an operative in danger -- only to learn he’s none other than Sydney's ex, a rogue agent known as the Arsonist.

Of course, nothing is ever simple when it comes to Winter and Sydney. Especially not with the glamorous Gavi Ginsburg, a globe-trotting socialite and Winter’s one-time girlfriend, in the mix. Is she back for Winter’s heart � or does she have her eye on another prize?

The smoldering sequel to New York Times-bestselling Stars and Smoke follows Winter and Sydney on yet another treacherous mission that grows more sinister with each twist and turn. To make it out alive, they'll have to figure out how to be partners again -- and if they can resist the burn of something more.]]> 320 Marie Lu 1250852919 Josiej 0 to-read 3.90 2024 Icon and Inferno (Stars and Smoke, #2)
author: Marie Lu
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1) 7619057
Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...]]> 240 Isaac Marion 0099549344 Josiej 0 to-read 3.94 2010 Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies, #1)
author: Isaac Marion
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brilliance (Brilliance Saga, #1)]]> 17171909
From Marcus Sakey, "a modern master of suspense" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "one of our best storytellers" (Michael Connelly), comes an adventure that’s at once breakneck thriller and shrewd social commentary; a gripping tale of a world fundamentally different and yet horrifyingly similar to our own, where being born gifted can be a terrible curse.]]> 444 Marcus Sakey 1611099692 Josiej 0 to-read 3.92 2013 Brilliance (Brilliance Saga, #1)
author: Marcus Sakey
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Folklore and Culture on the Texas-Mexican Border]]> 491462 317 Américo Paredes 0292765649 Josiej 0 to-read 4.60 1991 Folklore and Culture on the Texas-Mexican Border
author: Américo Paredes
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.60
book published: 1991
rating: 0
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]]> The Power 29751398 The Power the world is a recognizable place: There's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; and a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: They can cause agonizing pain and even death. With this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.]]> 341 Naomi Alderman 0670919985 Josiej 0 to-read 3.75 2016 The Power
author: Naomi Alderman
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels, #1)]]> 35036409 My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.]]> 331 Elena Ferrante Josiej 0 to-read 4.08 2011 My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels, #1)
author: Elena Ferrante
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> The Hummingbird 60616148 Un romanzo potentissimo, che incanta e commuove, sulla forza struggente della vita.]]> 304 Sandro Veronesi 1474617484 Josiej 0 to-read 3.78 2019 The Hummingbird
author: Sandro Veronesi
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/14
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]]> Fruit of the Dead 176443312
Camp counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother in New York, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is middle-aged, divorced, magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo proffers a childcare job (and an NDA), Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island. Plied with luxury and opiates manufactured by his company, she continues to tell herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.

Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Rachel Lyon’s Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s own late capitalist mythos. Lyon’s reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for a haunting and ecstatic novel that vibrates with lush abandon. Readers will not soon forget it.]]> 320 Rachel Lyon 1668020858 Josiej 0 to-read 3.50 2024 Fruit of the Dead
author: Rachel Lyon
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Josiej 0 to-read 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/11
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]]> A Fragile Enchantment 127305900 In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

Niamh Ă“ Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.]]> 373 Allison Saft 125089283X Josiej 0 to-read 3.49 2024 A Fragile Enchantment
author: Allison Saft
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/03
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]]> Next of Kin (Next, #1) 107525389
Enter Warren, a surly mechanic’s apprentice attempting to get custody of his deaf fifteen-year-old brother after failing CPS� housing evaluation. The two strangers immediately clash but agree to live together until Warren can find housing elsewhere and Chloe can further grow her freelance career.

As their lives intertwine, Chloe and Warren both realise that they’re far more similar than they could have imagined. What started as forced begins to feel natural—and far less lonely. Chemistry soon intensifies beyond what either of them can stand, but they must each decide if what burns between them is worth risking their arrangement and, ultimately, the well-being of their siblings.

With banter, heart, and steam that will have the reader blushing, Next of Kin is a true underdog story of two young adults redefining what family can look like.]]> 295 Hannah Bonam-Young Josiej 2 3.71 2022 Next of Kin (Next, #1)
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 2
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date added: 2024/03/02
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]]> <![CDATA[A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting]]> 78292265 “Bridgerton fans will swoon over this entertaining romp through Britain’s Regency-era high society.� �People

�A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting is a sharp, modern, and absolutely delicious take on the marriage plot. Sophie Irwin’s debut is one of the most fun, romantic books I’ve read in a long time. I cannot wait to see what she does next.�
—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

A whip-smart debut that follows the adventures of an entirely unconventional heroine who throws herself into the London Season to find a wealthy husband. But the last thing she expects is to find love�

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.

Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.

Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.

The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn�.

This is a frothy pleasure, full of brilliant repartee and enticing wit–one that readers will find an irresistible delight.]]> 336 Sophie Irwin 0593491971 Josiej 4 3.86 2022 A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting
author: Sophie Irwin
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 4
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]]> Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) 518848
With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen series, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether.]]> 491 Garth Nix 0064471837 Josiej 0 to-read 4.17 1995 Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)
author: Garth Nix
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/01/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Malevolent Seven (The Malevolent Seven, #1)]]> 61124074
Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No doubt he's wearing iridescent silk robes that couldn't protect his frail body from a light breeze. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing, covered in esoteric symbols that would instantly show every other mage where this one gets his magic? Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a  real  war mage looks like . . . but be you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

At least, until such irritating concepts as  friendship  and  the end of the world  get in the way.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.  

Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .]]> 384 Sebastien de Castell 1529422779 Josiej 0 to-read 3.91 2023 The Malevolent Seven (The Malevolent Seven, #1)
author: Sebastien de Castell
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations, #2)]]> 6342483 THE SECRET IS IN THE TOWER. THE PROBLEM IS THE BEAST. THE ANSWER IS TWO THIEVES.

When a destitute young woman hires two thieves to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. What begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm � that could change the future of Elan.]]> 331 Michael J. Sullivan 0979621119 Josiej 0 4.32 2009 Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations, #2)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Nyphron Rising (The Riyria Revelations, #3)]]> 6527941 A PUPPET IS CROWNED. THE TRUE HEIR REMAINS HIDDEN. A ROGUE'S SECRET COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

War has come to Melengar and Princess Arista runs a desperate gamble when she defies her brother and hires Royce and Hadrian for a dangerous mission. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce's suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own game. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian's past.]]> 350 Michael J. Sullivan Josiej 0 4.35 2009 Nyphron Rising (The Riyria Revelations, #3)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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]]> The Children of Húrin 23591 The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales , also edited by Tolkien's son, Christopher, only hinted at the depth and power of the tragic story of Túrin and Niënor, the children of Húrin, the lord of Dor-lómin, who achieved renown for having confronted Morgoth, who was the master of Sauron, the manifestation of evil in the Lord of the Rings.

Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed, Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The greatest warriors among elves and men have perished, and all is in darkness and despair. But a deadly new leader rises, TĂşrin, son of HĂşrin, and with his grim band of outlaws begins to turn the tide in the war for Middle-earth -- awaiting the day he confronts his destiny and the deadly curse laid upon him.]]> 313 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618894640 Josiej 0 to-read 3.90 2007 The Children of HĂşrin
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Gideon the Cutpurse (The Gideon Trilogy, #1)]]> 621687 1763.

Gideon Seymour, cutpurse and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an antigravity machine. Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine -- and Kate and Peter's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Kate, and Peter are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.

]]> 404 Linda Buckley-Archer 1416915257 Josiej 0 3.75 2006 Gideon the Cutpurse (The Gideon Trilogy, #1)
author: Linda Buckley-Archer
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2006
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1-3)]]> 11754293
But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.

The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.
Like a king.

Includes the novels: The Spirit Thief, The Sprit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater.]]> 1040 Rachel Aaron 0316193577 Josiej 0 4.19 2012 The Legend of Eli Monpress (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1-3)
author: Rachel Aaron
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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]]> Scarlet (Scarlet, #1) 11983940 she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in and puts innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

]]> 287 A.C. Gaughen 0802723462 Josiej 0 3.93 2012 Scarlet (Scarlet, #1)
author: A.C. Gaughen
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations, #5-6)]]> 11100431 A FORCED WEDDING. A DOUBLE EXECUTION. TWO THIEVES HAVE OTHER PLANS.

The New Empire intends to celebrate its victory over the Nationalists with a day that will never be forgotten. On the high holiday of Wintertide, they plan to execute two traitors (Degan Gaunt and the Witch of Melengar) as well as force the Empress into a marriage of their own design. But they didn’t account for Royce and Hadrian finally locating the Heir of Novron—or the pair’s desire to wreak havoc on the New Empire’s carefully crafted scheme.]]> 932 Michael J. Sullivan 0316187712 Josiej 0 4.48 2012 Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations, #5-6)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Rise of Empire (The Riyria Revelations, #3-4)]]> 10790277 A PUPPET IS CROWNED. THE TRUE HEIR REMAINS HIDDEN. A ROGUE'S SECRET COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

War has come to Melengar and once more Royce and Hadrian are hired to make a desperate gamble and form an alliance with the Nationalists whom are fighting the Imperialists in the south. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce's suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own grab for power. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian's past--what he discovers may end their friendship and break Riyria in two.]]> 786 Michael J. Sullivan 0316187704 Josiej 0 4.37 2010 Rise of Empire (The Riyria Revelations, #3-4)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Crown Conspiracy (The Riyria Revelations, #1)]]> 4345290 They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.

There is no ancient evil to defeat, no orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out...and so begins this tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.]]> 296 Michael J. Sullivan 0980003431 Josiej 0 4.21 2008 The Crown Conspiracy (The Riyria Revelations, #1)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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]]> Les Misérables 24280 1463 Victor Hugo 0451525264 Josiej 0 to-read 4.19 1862 Les Misérables
author: Victor Hugo
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1862
rating: 0
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]]> Oliver Twist 18254
The story of Oliver Twist - orphaned, and set upon by evil and adversity from his first breath - shocked readers when it was published. After running away from the workhouse and pompous beadle Mr Bumble, Oliver finds himself lured into a den of thieves peopled by vivid and memorable characters - the Artful Dodger, vicious burglar Bill Sikes, his dog Bull's Eye, and prostitute Nancy, all watched over by cunning master-thief Fagin. Combining elements of Gothic Romance, the Newgate Novel and popular melodrama, Dickens created an entirely new kind of fiction, scathing in its indictment of a cruel society, and pervaded by an unforgettable sense of threat and mystery.

This Penguin Classics edition of Oliver Twist is the first critical edition to faithfully reproduce the text as its earliest readers would have encountered it from its serialisation in Bentley's Miscellany, and includes an introduction by Philip Horne, a glossary of Victorian thieves' slang, a chronology of Dickens's life, a map of contemporary London and all of George Cruikshank's original illustrations.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]> 608 Charles Dickens Josiej 0 to-read 3.88 1838 Oliver Twist
author: Charles Dickens
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1838
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2)]]> 10790290
Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires?

And so begins the first tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

When author Michael J. Sullivan self-published the first books of his Riyria Revelations, they rapidly became ebook bestsellers. Now, Orbit is pleased to present the complete series for the first time in bookstores everywhere.]]> 691 Michael J. Sullivan 0316187747 Josiej 0 4.23 2011 Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/03
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]]> The Thief Lord 113304
Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past � a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.]]> 350 Cornelia Funke 1903434777 Josiej 0 3.99 2000 The Thief Lord
author: Cornelia Funke
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself]]> 135988052 From New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe comes a daring first-hand account of one young woman's unbelievable adventure as one of the most terrifying sea rovers of all time.

In Boston, as the Golden Age of Piracy comes to a bloody close, Hannah Masury � bound out to service at a waterfront inn since childhood � is ready to take her life into her own hands. When a man is hanged for piracy in the town square and whispers of a treasure in the Caribbean spread, Hannah is forced to flee for her life, disguising herself as a cabin boy in the pitiless crew of the notorious pirate Edward "Ned" Low. To earn the freedom to choose a path for herself, Hannah must hunt down the treasure and change the tides.

Meanwhile, professor Marian Beresford pieces Hannah’s story together in 1930, seeing her own lack of freedom reflected back at her as she watches Hannah's transformation. At the center of Hannah Masury’s account, however, lies a centuries-old mystery that Marian is determined to solve, just as Hannah may have been determined to take it to her grave.

A True Account tells the unforgettable story of two women in different worlds, both shattering the rules of their own society and daring to risk everything to go out on their own account.]]> 275 Katherine Howe 1250304881 Josiej 0 to-read 3.72 2023 A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself
author: Katherine Howe
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/29
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]]> <![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)]]> 77197
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.]]> 435 Robin Hobb 055357339X Josiej 0 to-read 4.21 1995 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/27
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]]> The Familiar 133286777 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo 125088425X Josiej 0 to-read 3.74 2024 The Familiar
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/11/27
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]]> The Connellys of County Down 61815336
While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys� secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.

The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.]]> 288 Tracey Lange 1250865379 Josiej 3 arc This is the kind of book that usually sucks me in� the family secrets, the betrayal, the heartbreak, the sacrifice. But reading The Connellys of County Down, I just felt kind of heartless.The book had all the right parts —good pacing, structure, characters, expo� but I just never really connected with the characters and the book felt like a chore to finish. It felt almost too dutiful to everything you're told a novel must include, particularly when it came to the exposition, which was rather forced.
The ending was another pet-peeve of mine. It was trying to be open-ended, to allow readers to imagine for themselves what would be the next step in each character's life, but it didn't offer enough ideas. For all I know, the characters could all get jobs in a coffee shop au. (Which would be cute)
In all, it was a good book but it gave me debut vibes, like the author hasn't yet managed to hone their craft yet.]]> 3.81 2023 The Connellys of County Down
author: Tracey Lange
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/08/05
shelves: arc
review:
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is the kind of book that usually sucks me in� the family secrets, the betrayal, the heartbreak, the sacrifice. But reading The Connellys of County Down, I just felt kind of heartless.The book had all the right parts —good pacing, structure, characters, expo� but I just never really connected with the characters and the book felt like a chore to finish. It felt almost too dutiful to everything you're told a novel must include, particularly when it came to the exposition, which was rather forced.
The ending was another pet-peeve of mine. It was trying to be open-ended, to allow readers to imagine for themselves what would be the next step in each character's life, but it didn't offer enough ideas. For all I know, the characters could all get jobs in a coffee shop au. (Which would be cute)
In all, it was a good book but it gave me debut vibes, like the author hasn't yet managed to hone their craft yet.
]]> Q 53193991
Now everyone must undergo routine tests for their quotient, Q, and any children who don't measure up are placed into new government schools. Instead, teachers can focus on the gifted.

Elena tells herself it's not about eugenics, not really, but when one of her daughters scores lower than expected and is taken away, she intentionally fails her own test to go with her.

But what Elena discovers is far more terrifying than she ever imagined…]]> 319 Christina Dalcher 0008303355 Josiej 0 to-read 3.63 2020 Q
author: Christina Dalcher
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[More Than This (The Davenports, #2)]]> 174610825
Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, More Than This is the second book in the critically adored Davenports series, following four empowered and passionate young Black women as they navigate a rapidly changing society and discover the courage to steer their own paths in life—and love.]]> 379 Krystal Marquis 0593463366 Josiej 0 to-read 3.78 2024 More Than This (The Davenports, #2)
author: Krystal Marquis
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love, Theoretically 63098427
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?]]> 391 Ali Hazelwood 0593336860 Josiej 0 to-read 4.22 2023 Love, Theoretically
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)]]> 58724626
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.]]> 165 T. Kingfisher 1250830753 Josiej 0 to-read 3.86 2022 What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Picture Day (The Brinkley Yearbooks, #1)]]> 62926934
Seventh-grader Viv never looks forward to picture day. It’s just another day where she wears a boring braid and no one notices her. (Her two best friends, Milo and Al, don’t count, of course.) 

But enough is enough. This year, she’s taking matters into her own hands. Literally. Viv grabs a pair of scissors, her phone for live-streaming, and, well, bye-bye braid.

Suddenly Viv is an over-night influencer at Brinkley Middle School. Everyone wants her help planning their next big moment—from haircuts, to dance proposals, activist rallies and mathlete championships. She hardly even has time for her friends anymore. It’s exactly how she dreamed of reinventing herself…right?

In the tradition of modern classics like Vera Brosgol's Be Prepared , Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward , and Kayla Miller's Click , Picture Day brings answers to perennial questions of what it means to be true to yourself—and a true friend.]]> 288 Sarah Sax 0593306899 Josiej 0 to-read 3.78 2023 Picture Day (The Brinkley Yearbooks, #1)
author: Sarah Sax
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Garlic and the Vampire: A Graphic Novel]]> 56470362 A farm-fresh debut graphic novel starring a heroine who is braver than she realizes.

Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it’s nice and safe.

But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.

After all, garlic drives away vampires�right?]]> 160 Bree Paulsen 006299509X Josiej 3 4.29 2021 Garlic and the Vampire: A Graphic Novel
author: Bree Paulsen
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)]]> 41952489
Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance. Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.]]> 535 Evan Winter 031648976X Josiej 4 4.30 2017 The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1)
author: Evan Winter
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/21
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves: good-fantasy, i-will-reread-you-soon-my-babies
review:

]]> Signal Moon 61045711
Yorkshire, 1943. Lily Baines, a bright young debutante increasingly ground down by an endless war, has traded in her white gloves for a set of headphones. It’s her job to intercept enemy naval communications and send them to Bletchley Park for decryption.

One night, she picks up a transmission that isn’t code at all—it’s a cry for help.

An American ship is taking heavy fire in the North Atlantic—but no one else has reported an attack, and the information relayed by the young US officer, Matt Jackson, seems all wrong. The contact that Lily has made on the other end of the radio channel says it’s� 2023.

Across an eighty-year gap, Lily and Matt must find a way to help each other: Matt to convince her that the war she’s fighting can still be won, and Lily to help him stave off the war to come. As their connection grows stronger, they both know there’s no telling when time will run out on their inexplicable link.]]> 57 Kate Quinn 1662500882 Josiej 0 to-read 4.32 2022 Signal Moon
author: Kate Quinn
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Enemies Are Human 128849991 248 Reinhold Pabel Josiej 0 to-read 4.00 2014 Enemies Are Human
author: Reinhold Pabel
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> No One Is Talking About This 55820702
Suddenly, two texts from her mother pierce the fray: 'Something has gone wrong,' and 'How soon can you get here?' As real life and its stakes collide with the increasing absurdity of the portal, the woman confronts a world that seems to contain both an abundance of proof that there is goodness, empathy and justice in the universe, and a deluge of evidence to the contrary.

Irreverent and sincere, poignant and delightfully profane, No One Is Talking About This is at once a love letter to the infinite scroll and a meditation on love, language and human connection from one of the most original voices of our time.]]> 224 Patricia Lockwood 152662978X Josiej 0 to-read 3.45 2021 No One Is Talking About This
author: Patricia Lockwood
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chaos & Flame (Chaos & Flame, #1)]]> 61391785 Darling Seabreak cannot remember anything before the murder of her family at the hands of House Dragon, but she knows she owes her life to both the power of her Chaos Boon and House Kraken for liberating her from the sewers where she spent her childhood. So when her adoptive Kraken father is captured in battle, Darling vows to save him--even if that means killing each and every last member of House Dragon.

Talon Goldhoard has always been a dutiful War Prince for House Dragon, bravely leading the elite troops of his brother, the High Prince Regent. But lately his brother's erratic rule threatens to undo a hundred years of House Dragon's hard work, and factions are turning to Talon to unseat him. Talon resists, until he's ambushed by a fierce girl who looks exactly like the one his brother has painted obsessively, repeatedly, for years, and Talon knows she's the key to everything.

Together, Darling and Talon must navigate the treacherous waters of House politics, caught up in the complicated game the High Prince Regent is playing against everyone. The unlikeliest of allies, they'll have to stop fighting each other long enough to learn to fight together in order to survive the fiery prophecies and ancient blood magic threatening to devastate their entire world.

From New York Times bestselling author Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton comes the first book in a ferocious YA fantasy duology featuring ancient magic, warring factions, and a romance between the two people in the world with the most cause to hate one another.]]> 325 Tessa Gratton 0593353323 Josiej 3 arc, read-over-breakfast This had all the basic necessary elements of a story: plot, characters, world building. It had all the hallmarks of YA Fantasy: romance, backstory, magic. There was nothing stunning. Some dragons, some healing powers, some fight scenes, some insanity, a prophecy or two. I didn't like Darling. I didn't hate her either. She's a fighter, but she's ready for peace. Her family's dead, but she's been adopted. She was kind of like Katniss without angst. Her character didn't really commit to a single stereotype, but she still wasn't a unique, complex character. Talon had the same problem. He was responsible, but not very cunning, and he dealt with too much court politics for that to work out well for him. I got bored. Their romance wasn't instalove, but there wasn't much buildup either. Talon and Darling both like each other from the get-go, they just don't realize it. At one point Darling thinks, "Why am I not disgusted by the thought of kissing Talon?" And she's had about two conversations with him.
The plot was meh. It didn't work as a Romeo and Juliet because Romeo and Juliet are supposed to be helpless; victims of circumstance. Talon and Darling have an extraordinary amount of control over their lives. There was also some court politics, conspiracies, prophecies, plot twists. Nothing really surprised me. Meh.]]> 3.42 2023 Chaos & Flame (Chaos & Flame, #1)
author: Tessa Gratton
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: arc, read-over-breakfast
review:
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This had all the basic necessary elements of a story: plot, characters, world building. It had all the hallmarks of YA Fantasy: romance, backstory, magic. There was nothing stunning. Some dragons, some healing powers, some fight scenes, some insanity, a prophecy or two. I didn't like Darling. I didn't hate her either. She's a fighter, but she's ready for peace. Her family's dead, but she's been adopted. She was kind of like Katniss without angst. Her character didn't really commit to a single stereotype, but she still wasn't a unique, complex character. Talon had the same problem. He was responsible, but not very cunning, and he dealt with too much court politics for that to work out well for him. I got bored. Their romance wasn't instalove, but there wasn't much buildup either. Talon and Darling both like each other from the get-go, they just don't realize it. At one point Darling thinks, "Why am I not disgusted by the thought of kissing Talon?" And she's had about two conversations with him.
The plot was meh. It didn't work as a Romeo and Juliet because Romeo and Juliet are supposed to be helpless; victims of circumstance. Talon and Darling have an extraordinary amount of control over their lives. There was also some court politics, conspiracies, prophecies, plot twists. Nothing really surprised me. Meh.
]]> Our Lady of the Artilects 61306548
But when an Artilect belonging to the wealthiest man in Africa shows up at Our Lady of Nigeria basilica claiming to be possessed, the stakes are raised.

The Vatican sends Father Gabriel Serafian, an exorcist who left behind a brilliant career as a neuroscientist, to Benin City to investigate...and to figure out who is behind what must surely be a hack.

The timing couldn't be worse. Rome is on the verge of reconciliation with the Chinese Economic Interest Zone after a 50 year cold war, and the Chinese are particularly sensitive about the so-called Apparition.

Serafian quickly finds himself caught up in a conspiracy of global--and possibly supernatural--dimensions.

To discover the truth and save not only humanity but the artilects themselves, Serafian enlists the aid of a tough-as-nails Imperial Praetor named Namono Mbambu.

Serafian and Mbambu are helped by a guilt-wracked Filipino Emperor, a taciturn Caliph, and a Uyghur Sufi named Ilham Tiliwadi as they race against time to stop a centuries-old plot that could end humanity as we know it.

Our Lady of the Artilects is a mind-bending supernatural science fiction novel where "The Exorcist" meets "Westworld,� with a light dusting of Snow Crash!]]> 483 Andrew Gillsmith 0578284618 Josiej 0 to-read 4.18 2022 Our Lady of the Artilects
author: Andrew Gillsmith
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)]]> 164154 334 Walter M. Miller Jr. 0060892994 Josiej 0 to-read 3.99 1959 A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)
author: Walter M. Miller Jr.
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Harare Voices and Beyond 63895828
- Sue Quainton, Bicester, United Kingdom


Harare Voices and Beyond

A drunken confession exposes a dark family secret. Rhys appears to have it all. A white Zimbabwean living in affluent Borrowdale Brooke area he gets involved in a freak traffic accident. Therein unfolds a confession which unleashes a cathartic chain of events in the family’s hitherto well-choreographed life, a family whose lived experience becomes microcosmic and an eye opener to Zimbabwe’s seemingly closed, forgotten, white minority community.

Through offering a rare insight into lives of the white community in post-independent Zimbabwe, Harare Voices and Beyond explores the dynamics of love, money, family feuds, identity politics, false philanthropy, and respectability inter-alia. Two families� lives are inexorably linked in this fast-paced narrative which not only traverses multiple locations, but also juxtaposes the seedy underbelly of Harare with the leafy northern suburbs, and little-known Marina Thompson from UK Durham University all appear linked in a drama-infused finale that will shock and numb the reader.]]> 263 Andrew Chatora Josiej 1 I just feel like I didn't get what I signed up for. The cover was gorgeous and the summary was intriguing. The talent of the publisher and marketer far outstripped that of the the author, who could not grasp the concept of "show don't tell." The book couldn't pick a genre but didn't blend them successfully and just felt very disjointed. The characters were flat, although admittedly they may have some hidden depths that I did not have the patience to read to.
I may try rereading this when I can't sleep. I can't imagine who would actually enjoy this book. I might recommend to friends who read boring books because it makes them feel intellectual. ÂŻ\_(ă�)_/ÂŻ
Thanks to Bookish First for the arc in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.95 2023 Harare Voices and Beyond
author: Andrew Chatora
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/02/26
shelves: arc, what-did-i-just-read, dnf
review:
I feel bad DNFing an arc, but sometimes you just have to admit defeat. This book just felt like a chore. Part of that is because I read it as an ebook and did not like the format but mostly it was the writing style.
I just feel like I didn't get what I signed up for. The cover was gorgeous and the summary was intriguing. The talent of the publisher and marketer far outstripped that of the the author, who could not grasp the concept of "show don't tell." The book couldn't pick a genre but didn't blend them successfully and just felt very disjointed. The characters were flat, although admittedly they may have some hidden depths that I did not have the patience to read to.
I may try rereading this when I can't sleep. I can't imagine who would actually enjoy this book. I might recommend to friends who read boring books because it makes them feel intellectual. ÂŻ\_(ă�)_/ÂŻ
Thanks to Bookish First for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[The Woad to Wuin (Sir Apropos of Nothing, #2)]]> 366032 512 Peter David 0743448324 Josiej 1 dnf, what-did-i-just-read 3.69 2002 The Woad to Wuin (Sir Apropos of Nothing, #2)
author: Peter David
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2002
rating: 1
read at: 2023/02/26
date added: 2023/02/26
shelves: dnf, what-did-i-just-read
review:
Once was enough, this book made me nauseous.
]]> <![CDATA[Gina and the Last City on Earth (Hilo #9)]]> 60607096
Is Gina the hero the world needs? Gina, D.J., and Hilo are back with an epic time-turning adventure in the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series that kids and critics love!

"An action-packed page-turner with heart!" --Dav Pilkey, author of DOG MAN

Sometimes the world needs to be saved and there's only one person brave enough to do it. This time . . . that person is Gina. With the help of D.J., Hilo, one warrior cat, one warrior cat's annoying little brother, one flying Bearacat, lots of magic, lots of action, lots of laughs, and a whole world that believes in her, Gina is ready to save the world once and for all!

Prepare for a Hilo with more twists, more turns, more monsters, and more shocking surprises than ever before--because sometimes we all need to be reminded who we've always been.]]> 240 Judd Winick 0593488091 Josiej 0 to-read 4.49 Gina and the Last City on Earth (Hilo #9)
author: Judd Winick
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wandering Inn (The Wandering Inn, #1)]]> 41033158
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.

It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.

In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.

She’s an [Innkeeper].]]> 1235 Pirateaba Josiej 0 to-read 4.26 2018 The Wandering Inn (The Wandering Inn, #1)
author: Pirateaba
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Foster 8143909
Winner of the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize, Foster is now published in a revised and expanded version. Beautiful, sad and eerie, it is a story of astonishing emotional depth, showcasing Claire Keegan's great accomplishment and talent.]]> 89 Claire Keegan 0571255655 Josiej 0 to-read 4.32 2010 Foster
author: Claire Keegan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sir Apropos of Nothing (Sir Apropos of Nothing, #1)]]> 558833 672 Peter David 0743412346 Josiej 4 3.76 2001 Sir Apropos of Nothing (Sir Apropos of Nothing, #1)
author: Peter David
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/18
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves:
review:
This book was in turns funny and horrific, but always entertaining. I don't know anyone I could honestly recommend it to, but then I don't know anyone who would dislike it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wide-Awake Princess (Wide-Awake Princess, #1)]]> 7197913
But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.]]> 261 E.D. Baker 159990487X Josiej 0 to-read 4.12 2010 The Wide-Awake Princess (Wide-Awake Princess, #1)
author: E.D. Baker
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Compassionate Guide For Social Robots]]> 43330226 How does one deal with elusive things like trust, fear, being in love, friendship, and a disastrous morning attitude?
How can anyone handle the truth if there are so many different views on it?

If you’re made to be of service to humans, you’ll be facing quite a few challenges, because humans are full of contradictions, they will usually be anything but rational, and horribly arrogant. But fortunately, they’re amazing at dressing things up, they can occasionally be truly compassionate, and they are gifted with a stunning ability called “suspension of disbelief.�
These things are crucial, and this guide will tell you why.
It does this by addressing the challenges and possibilities of social robots, with a tasty blend of science and fiction � featuring a romantic, Italian love story; an enigmatic entity called P.; and an endearing, philosophical robot.

Marcel Heerink is an internationally renowned academic researcher from the Netherlands who specializes in using social robots in therapy and education for people with special needs. The surprising experiences and insights he gained with this are what urged him to write this colorful and quite atypical guide.]]> 231 Marcel Heerink 9082977907 Josiej 0 to-read 4.03 A Compassionate Guide For Social Robots
author: Marcel Heerink
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases]]> 250296 320 Jeff VanderMeer 1892389541 Josiej 0 to-read 3.74 2003 The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases
author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)]]> 28876 356 Naomi Novik 0345481283 Josiej 0 to-read 4.06 2006 His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)
author: Naomi Novik
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> No Two Persons 60196684 One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.�

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go�

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.]]> 314 Erica Bauermeister 1250284376 Josiej 0 to-read 4.02 2023 No Two Persons
author: Erica Bauermeister
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bells: Music, Art, Culture, and Politics from Around the World]]> 61440833
From the recently discovered chimes of ancient China to the music of carillons and the surprising bell on the International Space Station, Bells brings together seventeen stories that explore the magic and mysticism of bells, their political and religious power, and their wide-ranging musicality. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s trip around the world to collect bells and informed by her own world travels, Jaan Whitehead brings these stories to life in all their rich diversity. Illustrated with more than one hundred photographs, this beautiful book creates a living portrait of one of history’s more remarkable artifacts.]]> 288 Jaan Whitehead 1954854730 Josiej 0 to-read 4.53 Bells: Music, Art, Culture, and Politics from Around the World
author: Jaan Whitehead
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The New Mother 61885084
Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It's hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it's murder.

Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.

Enter Paul, the neighbor.

Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.

But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it?]]> 304 Nora Murphy 1250822440 Josiej 0 to-read 3.42 2023 The New Mother
author: Nora Murphy
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Frozen Worlds: The Astonishing Nature of the Arctic and Antarctic (The Magic and Mystery of the Natural World)]]> 61358924
Polar bears and penguins glide and whales and walruses dive across the pages of this colorful book, which takes children on a fascinating sub-zero journey of the amazing Earth’s poles.

The Frozen Worlds combines stunning illustrations and photos to help young enthusiasts aged 7-9 learn all about the Arctic and Antarctic. From incredible frozen rivers to Antarctic volcanoes, they’ll discover the incredible secret life of Earth’s polar regions, as well as which plants and animals live near them, and how they can protect them from the issues facing them today. Children will love finding out all about the different people who live and work here, and how they can help take care of the Arctic and Antarctic themselves.

This fascinating book for children

- Intriguing information about the Arctic and Antarctic, that supports and goes beyond the curriculum!
- Factual, fascinating, and fun content - with detailed illustrations and photographs of animals, icebergs, and more.
- An engaging mixture of stunning photography and detailed illustrations by Claire McElfatrick.
- Exciting and unusual facts convey information about our amazing polar regions.

The Frozen Worlds covers a wide range of exciting subjects about the polar regions, from their wildlife to their geography and history, including a multitude of polar life, amazing facts on how icebergs are formed, how animals survive in the freezing cold, and how scientists study the Antarctic. Children with an interest in the Earth’s icy poles will love reading about the ecosystems, habitats and climates in these fascinating regions.]]> 80 D.K. Publishing 0744070007 Josiej 0 to-read 4.50 The Frozen Worlds: The Astonishing Nature of the Arctic and Antarctic (The Magic and Mystery of the Natural World)
author: D.K. Publishing
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Silk Roads: A New History of the World]]> 30689343
Frankopan realigns our understanding of the world, pointing us eastward. It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the twentieth century--this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East.

Also available: The New Silk Roads, a timely exploration of the dramatic and profound changes our world is undergoing right now--as seen from the perspective of the rising powers of the East.]]> 647 Peter Frankopan 1101912375 Josiej 0 to-read 4.17 2015 The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
author: Peter Frankopan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Poverty, by America 61358638 Reimagining the debate on poverty, making a new and bracing argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it.

The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.

Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.]]> 304 Matthew Desmond 0593239911 Josiej 0 to-read 4.27 2023 Poverty, by America
author: Matthew Desmond
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)]]> 40219200 In this stunning ninth book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie and her friends discover the true meaning of power—and evil.

Sophie Foster changed the game.

Now she’s facing impossible choices:
When to act.
When to trust.
When to let go.

Her friends are divided and scattered, and the Black Swan wants Sophie to focus on their projects. But her instincts are leading her somewhere else.

Stellarlune—and the mysterious Elysian—might be the key to everything. But finding truth in the Lost Cities always requires sacrifice. And as the Neverseen’s plans sharpen into terrifying focus, it appears that everyone has miscalculated. The Lost Cities� greatest lie could destroy everything. And in the battle that follows, only one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same.]]> 800 Shannon Messenger 153443853X Josiej 0 4.42 2022 Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)
author: Shannon Messenger
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/17
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review:

]]> Bravely 58854953
What if you had one year to save everything you loved?

ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets� and her peaceful kingdom. But she’s frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge � maybe even, someday, love.

TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm � and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year � or suffer the eternal consequences.

THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all � herself?

FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH � OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.]]> 367 Maggie Stiefvater 1368071341 Josiej 3 what-did-i-just-read 3.92 2022 Bravely
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/01
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: what-did-i-just-read
review:
If anyone but Maggie Stiefvater had written this I would have loved it, but she can do so much better. I'm a little disappointed. I love Maggie Stiefvater but this book was just....meh. I'll have forgotten it in a month. It was a good book and a solid beach read, but Maggie Stiefvater has written far better books than this. The world building and thematic structure was as excellent as usual, but the plot was a little too predictable. Here's to hoping Greywaren will be better.
]]> Counting Down with You 49399658 A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy.
How do you make one month last a lifetime?

Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents� rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.

Karina is my girlfriend.

Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.

T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to?]]> 464 Tashie Bhuiyan 1335209972 Josiej 4 dumb-stuff-i-love 4.01 2021 Counting Down with You
author: Tashie Bhuiyan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: dumb-stuff-i-love
review:

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

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

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

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

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Josiej 4 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: good-fantasy, i-will-reread-you-soon-my-babies
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)]]> 54589790 The wolves are circling. And Ravka's time is running out.

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.]]> 592 Leigh Bardugo 125014230X Josiej 3 4.36 2021 Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sisters - Free Preview Edition]]> 22820427 34 Raina Telgemeier Josiej 3 4.40 2014 Sisters - Free Preview Edition
author: Raina Telgemeier
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: graphic-novels, read-over-breakfast, my-childhood, read-at-least-5-times
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)]]> 55710822 In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.]]> 356 Lynn Painter 1534467629 Josiej 3 dumb-stuff-i-love I did not enjoy the subplot about the main character's best friend (can't remember her name). I hate watching people's relationships dissolve.]]> 4.28 2021 Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)
author: Lynn Painter
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: dumb-stuff-i-love
review:
A boy-next-door, fake-dating, rivals-to-lovers all in one. This book was the Sarah Dessen breed of fine: I enjoyed it, but I won't remember it. Lynn Painter also includes several nods to famous fictional romances.
I did not enjoy the subplot about the main character's best friend (can't remember her name). I hate watching people's relationships dissolve.
]]> Seraphina (Seraphina, #1) 19549841 Librarian Note: Alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780375866562.

In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages.

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.]]> 499 Rachel Hartman Josiej 3 arc, good-fantasy 3.91 2012 Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)
author: Rachel Hartman
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/01
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: arc, good-fantasy
review:
A solid book. I'm not obsessed, but I'll read the sequel and become obsessed. The world building was well done. I'm always a little wary of dragon books because they tend to include long info-dumps but I didn't have to deal with that. My only problem with this book was that I didn't LOVE any of the characters. I liked them well enough, in a kind of removed way but any of them could die and I wouldn't really care.
]]> The Love Hypothesis 56732449
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.]]> 356 Ali Hazelwood 0593336828 Josiej 3 dumb-stuff-i-love 4.11 2021 The Love Hypothesis
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: dumb-stuff-i-love
review:

]]> My Mechanical Romance 60685364 Nerds are so hot.
Especially battle robot building nerds.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn't seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realize they've built more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made space for each other and themselves.

This sharply funny, academic rivals to lovers romance explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty.]]> 273 Alexene Farol Follmuth Josiej 3 dumb-stuff-i-love 3.94 2022 My Mechanical Romance
author: Alexene Farol Follmuth
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: dumb-stuff-i-love
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)]]> 12974372 You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.]]> 334 Marie Brennan 0765331969 Josiej 4 3.83 2013 A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Josiej
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/17
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: favorites, i-will-reread-you-soon-my-babies
review:
This book actually made me laugh out loud.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2)]]> 17910078 The Tropic of Serpents . . .

Attentive readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, are already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world’s premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkably candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career.

Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal tree snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics.

The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.]]> 331 Marie Brennan 0765331977 Josiej 4 4.02 2014 The Tropic of Serpents (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2)
author: Marie Brennan
name: Josiej
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/02/17
shelves: favorites, i-will-reread-you-soon-my-babies
review:

]]>