Damian's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 02 Mar 2025 00:24:46 -0800 60 Damian's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Crossroads and the Dominion of Four (Crossroads, #2)]]> 36954958 340 C. Toni Graham 1504391616 Damian 0 to-read 4.30 Crossroads and the Dominion of Four (Crossroads, #2)
author: C. Toni Graham
name: Damian
average rating: 4.30
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]]> Steel Blood 215598873 308 Gabriel F.W. Koch 1977272754 Damian 0 to-read 4.35 Steel Blood
author: Gabriel F.W. Koch
name: Damian
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wasp Trap (The Charlotte's War Trilogy Book 3)]]> 216036968
Alec and his colleague, Philip Bing-Wallace, investigate and become entangled in an intriguing mystery, linked to the dazzling Baroness Freya Saumures. But Freya is not her real name � Alec is told she is Charlotte, a young woman thought to have been killed by the Nazis in 1940.

Alec finds himself plunged into in a world of deceit, vengeance and recrimination. He falls in love with Charlotte, despite her mysterious past, her treacherous uncle, and the murder of her husband.]]> 411 Hugo Woolley Damian 0 to-read 4.41 The Wasp Trap (The Charlotte's War Trilogy Book 3)
author: Hugo Woolley
name: Damian
average rating: 4.41
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]]> <![CDATA[Mademoiselle le Sleuth (Paris Backstage Murders)]]> 220768368
The novel is etched in the vibrant colors of Paris streets and neighborhoods. From the Skeleton Museum to the zoo and carousel of extinct animals in the Jardin des Plantes, young Miranda and her aunt take readers on a thrilling romp through every tourist’s favorite city.]]> 201 Theasa Tuohy Damian 0 to-read 4.30 Mademoiselle le Sleuth (Paris Backstage Murders)
author: Theasa Tuohy
name: Damian
average rating: 4.30
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]]> The Polymorph 101265124
Brown finds that an alien species has successfully assimilated themselves with the humans on Earth and is ruling over them covertly. When an attempt is made to kidnap him, he realises he has become a target in a hidden game where different groups are vying for power, complicated by the introduction of artificial humans and super androids to boost Earth’s population and armies.

Some ruling factions are preparing for war against the planet Levita and re-conquest of a group of planets, former colonies in the Delta Quadrant, who have declared their independence from Earth.

Brown realises that he is also running the gauntlet of former enemies who are out to get him. He is desperate to thwart the prospects of war against Levita, where he has a son he has never met and is also against re-colonisation after his recent experiences on Pirrus.

Aboard The Space Adventurer, the cruise ship on which he is returning, he meets two beautiful women. Marika, who has been sent as his minder, by the EPA, Earth Policy Administration, to keep an eye on Brown as they don’t fully trust him and Leela, the daughter of Earth’s biggest industrialist, who is secretly building the super androids on a space hub, where the ship makes a stop.

He soon realises that he is in a desperate battle for survival, before he can even reach Earth and the big bash the EPA is throwing for him, for successfully completing his mission on Pirrus.]]> 0 Max Nowaz 1803133961 Damian 0 to-read 4.28 2023 The Polymorph
author: Max Nowaz
name: Damian
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
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]]> Stoneslayer: Book One Scandal 217306484
The Stoneslayer high fantasy series charts a lost world of political scandals, explosive family secrets, and the reincarnation of a line of extraordinary women who challenge the cataclysmic rampage of an ancient, demonic foe.

Book One Scandal

Lt. Helen Andros is a mixed-race outcast in Azgard. Saved from death when her true parentage comes to light, she now faces the outrage of the overclass, the lethal hostility of the mighty Temple of Kronos—and a powerful, high-ranked father she neither knows nor trusts.

Steering a volatile personal journey with her stranger parent, Helen is stalked. Will a hidden menace—the deadly Stoneslayer—plunder the mysterious green gem she inherited from her mother? Will political necessity bind her in marriage to a man she does not love and who cannot love her back?]]> 364 Candace L. Talmadge 1964293014 Damian 0 to-read 4.36 Stoneslayer: Book One Scandal
author: Candace L. Talmadge
name: Damian
average rating: 4.36
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]]> And Then I Heard the Quiet 210301962
Not long after, a long-hidden murder resurfaces, pulling her into the unravelling of events within the home she’s entrusted to care for. As Valerie grapples with the ghosts of her past, the true motives behind her actions remain elusive. Amid escalating tension, a surprising romance catches Valerie off guard and helps to ease her through the turbulence of the unfolding mysteries.

Struggling to move on, Valerie can’t seem to let go of finding the answers she hopes will serve as her atonement. What concealed truths lie beneath the surface, and will Valerie’s pursuit lead her to the answers she seeks or deeper into the shadows of what she was running from?]]> 240 Alyssa Hall 1038303451 Damian 0 to-read 4.40 And Then I Heard the Quiet
author: Alyssa Hall
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]]> The Bridge to Rembrandt 58549182 291 Nelson K. Foley 9090345892 Damian 0 to-read 4.40 The Bridge to Rembrandt
author: Nelson K. Foley
name: Damian
average rating: 4.40
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]]> <![CDATA[Unlock Your Deliverance: Keys to Freedom From Demonic Oppression]]> 216151199 When we have the power of God, demons will be manifested and forced to flee, and people will be set free.
Ěý
While reading this book, you will wholeheartedly believe in Christ’s promise to the Church in John 10:10. Likewise, you will prepare yourself for deliverance so that you can lead others to freedom as well.
Ěý
People are looking for answers to be freed from addictions, anxiety, and depression. They want healing in their marriages, their children to be free from the symptoms of autism, or to not live in poverty any longer. People want relief from mental disorders. They are searching everywhere, paying tons of money to try and find the answers to these problems, or if not finding complete relief, at least alleviating some of the symptoms. All of these things are demonic, and the answer can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Finding Freedom from Demonic Oppression will help guide you step-by-step to learn what you’ve been missing. The good news is that deliverance and freedom are easy. You only have to give your life to Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Deliverer, is the answer to all questions. You simply have to come to Jesus and believe. He does the rest. You don’t have to pay tons of money. Deliverance is free. God gives it to you. There is a cost, but that cost is surrendering; it’s nothing you can buy.

By reading this essential guide, you will What deliverance is Why we need deliverance in the church today The first key to receive deliverance How to help others receive deliverance]]> 224 Kathryn Krick 1636414427 Damian 0 to-read 4.31 Unlock Your Deliverance: Keys to Freedom From Demonic Oppression
author: Kathryn Krick
name: Damian
average rating: 4.31
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lost City: An Epic YA Fantasy Novel (The Tixie Chronicles Book 4)]]> 220761949 Four summers have flown by, since Avelyn and her family won the vicious battle in the unforgettable YA Fantasy novel The Ants of Fire . Now, a mysterious aging sickness is tragically shortening the lives of the tixies everywhere in their forest homes.

When shy but determined 16-year-old Avelyn's beloved mother suddenly ages 100 summers before her eyes, she is paralyzed with sadness. But her more outgoing little brother Killian discovers a way to save their mother and the other tixies suffering from the debilitating disease.

Far into the west, outside of the confines of their massive forest home, a fabled pixie city sits on a barren hilltop. This legendary city is the home of a sacred Magic Dust that is rumored to give creatures unnaturally long life. Desperate to find a cure for her mother, Avelyn agrees to her younger brother's crazy idea, leading to an epic journey across dark and dangerous lands, where three young heroes fight for their lives against mythical creatures, like the stinky Toadskunks, and many other formidable foes.

The Lost City is the immersive 4th volume of the Tixies Chronicles YA Fantasy series, which features heart-stopping sword fighting action scenes, memorable characters with complex relationships, heroic bravery, and vivid world-building. In this memorable coming of age journey, Avelyn must realize her full potential and use the Sword of Light to find her destiny� before it’s too late.

“The king’s fall is imminent, Konskara. The prophesy is true and is coming to fulfillment. They have come.�

Page Up and Order Now.


]]> Jack Borden Damian 0 to-read 4.38 The Lost City: An Epic YA Fantasy Novel (The Tixie Chronicles Book 4)
author: Jack Borden
name: Damian
average rating: 4.38
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]]> <![CDATA[My Bully, My Aunt, & Her Final Gift]]> 226183698

After the passing of Hal's evil aunt, the pastor attempts to ease her past the Pearlie Gates regardless of her past misdeeds. Hal's attitude is totally different than the reverend. But the pastor needs Hal's full support in order to pull off his caper.�
Will she get routed to heaven or hell?
]]> 139 Harold Phifer Damian 0 to-read 4.38 My Bully, My Aunt, & Her Final Gift
author: Harold Phifer
name: Damian
average rating: 4.38
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]]> <![CDATA[Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master]]> 52022378 For five years Me’acca Mysuth Sheever has lived among his “sworn enemies,� pretending to be one of them. One night he buys a journal, its pages blank. The woman who sells him the journal extracts his promise to record his deeds for study. “Lo, the steps of your life mark the journey of your soul.� To expose his prior life, however, would be akin to suicide, for Sheever is a man brimming with secrets.

He begins the journal cautiously, describing the area where he works as a cook, and the people he’s forced to endure. Hints of his past emerge as he also records day-to-day events. As the journal evolves, he finds himself more entangled than he ever wanted to be in the lives around him, and more sympathetic to people he wanted to hate.

Memories haunt him, and he struggles to maintain a grip on his sanity as he prays for � and fears � the signal that his years in exile have ended and he can return home.

This then is Sheever’s Journal, Diary of a Poison Master.

About the Author:
K. Ritz lives with her husband in a small town in Massachusetts. This is her first book in a series about a world of shadows.
]]> 410 K. Ritz 1950015327 Damian 0 to-read 4.30 2019 Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master
author: K. Ritz
name: Damian
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
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]]> <![CDATA[Playing Ball: Life Lessons from My Journey to the Super Bowl and Beyond]]> 202470606 NFL football star Vernon Davis delves into his astonishing career, from winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016 with the Denver Broncos to reinventing himself as an actor and producer, and recalls the hard-won lessons—including that infamous press conference—that paved his path to success. In October 2008, after a San Francisco loss to Seattle, Vernon Davis was put on blast by Coach Mike Singletary in a fiery speech criticizing his “me-myself-and-I attitude�. It proved to be the turning point in Davis’s career, and the inspiration for him to change his mindset, his playing, and his life. At the time, Davis was a young, talented player who had been drafted by the 49ers in 2006 at number six, one of the highest draft positions for a tight end in NFL history. He played ten years for the team, which included a 2013 Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens in a 34-31 heartbreaker, where he recorded six catches for 104 yards. Winning a Super Bowl in 2016 with Peyton Manning, Davis landed a crucial downfield block and sprung teammate C.L. Anderson for a key 34-yard run that helped the Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-10. Davis retired in 2019 after a final four years playing pro for his hometown team in Washington. He’s now deeply involved in his new acting and producing feature films. Here he rewinds the tape to reflect on his career and competitive spirit—and the insights about teamwork, leadership, and responsibility that came in the aftermath of Coach Singletary’s press conference, spurring him to transform his life for the better. Weaving personal reflections with frank, real-world advice, Playing Ball is not just one athlete’s memoir but an eye-opening exploration of what winning—on the field and beyond—really means.]]> 240 Vernon Davis 1496746570 Damian 0 to-read 4.28 Playing Ball: Life Lessons from My Journey to the Super Bowl and Beyond
author: Vernon Davis
name: Damian
average rating: 4.28
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]]> <![CDATA[His Forefathers and Mick 2nd Edition]]> 219849520 334 Michael G. Kramer 1763586065 Damian 0 to-read 4.30 2024 His Forefathers and Mick 2nd Edition
author: Michael G. Kramer
name: Damian
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
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]]> Joey and His Friend Water 153680369 96 Ellen J. Lewinberg 0228881692 Damian 0 to-read 4.35 Joey and His Friend Water
author: Ellen J. Lewinberg
name: Damian
average rating: 4.35
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]]> Crossing Tinker's Knob 21953991
Becca Miller has lived her life trying to do the right thing, even when its cost has been giving up the boy she loved and wanted to marry. The sacrifice she made for her sister isn’t one she regrets because there was no other choice for her to make. And for eighteen years, she lives this choice with full commitment and as little looking back as she can manage.

But when Matt Riley returns to Ballard County for the funeral of his grandmother, the path that had seemed so straight begins to loop back and take her across feelings she thought she had put away for good. As it turns out, those roads we’ve traveled do not fade at all. They simply wait to be retraveled, leaving us with the decision to follow them exactly as we did before, or make a different choice and find out where it will lead us.]]> 425 Inglath Cooper Damian 0 to-read 4.05 Crossing Tinker's Knob
author: Inglath Cooper
name: Damian
average rating: 4.05
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]]> <![CDATA[Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine]]> 31434883 No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they had been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond’s big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one. If she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all.

Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

the only way to survive is to open your heart.]]> 336 Gail Honeyman 0735220689 Damian 0 to-read 4.21 2017 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
author: Gail Honeyman
name: Damian
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2017
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]]> <![CDATA[ROCKLEDGE: INTRODUCING CADE CHASE]]> 57639915
The main character, Cade Chase, recently retired from the military. He has given insufficient thought to life afterward. He accedes to the urgings of a longtime friend and former JAG officer, to come to the town of Rockledge. He leaves Florida and heads to Rockledge uncertain that this move is wise.

On his first morning in Rockledge he runs across a hillbilly octogenarian named Dale Carter, who tells him finding a place to live will be tough. So Carter invites him to have a look at a home, one of three, he owns on a mountainside "out in the valley." The home he shows Cade is one of the grandest Cade has ever seen. Carter tells Cade the house is his if he wants it. Seems joining the military was the defining event of Dale's life. Without the military's 'gifts' he wouldn't have amassed the wealth he possesses. But he stipulates one condition: help protect him and his wife against what appears to be a dangerous crew of squatters camping in the woods on or near his property.

Cade is instantly fond of Dale, and agrees to help him. This agreement sets the story in motion. There's plenty of action from that point onward.

Yes, it's a thrilling story involving crime, but more important, it's a story of the evils of autocratic behavior by political elites. Cade is determined to bring the evildoers down. He quickly learns that extreme southwest Virginia has been a whipping boy for sixty years or more. Cade and a cadre of like-minded people strive to end the trampling of this region of the state.

You may find it on Amazon and Kindle books. If searching under my name, you need to search under John M. Vermillion, including the middle initial.

Thank you.

jmv]]> 353 John M. Vermillion Damian 0 to-read 4.48 ROCKLEDGE: INTRODUCING CADE CHASE
author: John M. Vermillion
name: Damian
average rating: 4.48
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]]> Just Love Her 216474926 A poetic and inspirational journey into love's divine essence

"Just Love Her" by Raz Mihal is a spiritual exploration of divine love and soul connection. Through heartfelt meditations, Mihal shares his journey of experiencing an eternal bond with a beloved soul known as "Her."

Each entry offers a poetic and reflective look at love that transcends time and physical boundaries, highlighting its transformative power. Mihal delves into the intuitive nature of the heart, presenting love as a divine force and a guiding goddess. He encourages readers to embrace the divine feminine within and to see love as a central guiding principle in their lives. Interwoven with philosophical insights on existence and the spiritual dimensions of love, the book provides profound reflections on spiritual connection, the practice of divine love, and the mystical experiences that shape our lives. Key themes include daily meditations on divine love, the challenges and complexities of love, and love's power to bring about spiritual growth.

Perfect for readers interested in spiritual growth, self-discovery, and a deeper understanding of love, "Just Love Her" is a testament to love's transformative power. Mihal's poetic prose and deep reflections make this book a valuable guide for embracing the divine love within your heart.]]> 240 Raz Mihal 1068630019 Damian 0 to-read 4.30 Just Love Her
author: Raz Mihal
name: Damian
average rating: 4.30
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]]> Emma 6969 The newest edition is here. Another alternate cover can be found here.

Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.]]> 474 Jane Austen 0141439580 Damian 0 to-read 4.05 1815 Emma
author: Jane Austen
name: Damian
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1815
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]]> Mistress Suffragette 34521870 A young woman without prospects at a ball in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island is a target for a certain kind of “suitor.�

At the Memorial Day Ball during the Panic of 1893, impoverished but feisty Penelope Stanton draws the unwanted advances of a villainous millionaire banker who preys on distressed women—the incorrigible Edgar Daggers. Over a series of encounters, he promises Penelope the financial security she craves, but at what cost?

Skilled in the art of flirtation, Edgar is not without his charms, and Penelope is attracted to him against her better judgment. Initially, as Penelope grows into her own in the burgeoning early Women’s Suffrage Movement, Edgar exerts pressure, promising to use his power and access to help her advance. But can he be trusted, or are his words part of an elaborate mind game played between him and his wife?

During a glittering age where a woman’s reputation is her most valuable possession, Penelope must decide whether to compromise her principles for love, lust, and the allure of an easier life.

]]> 320 Diana Forbes 1946409065 Damian 0 to-read 4.29 2017 Mistress Suffragette
author: Diana Forbes
name: Damian
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[James Ed Hoskins and the One-Room Schoolhouse: The Unprosecuted Crime Against Children]]> 191385541
If Governor Eversole is successful, his reforms will scrap the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), and they will rebuild K-12 education on a solid foundation of courses known to the "Greatest Generation" as the Three R's. His reforms also limit instructional practices in the classroom to the ancient principles of teaching and learning.

James Ed Hoskins initiates the first of many battles that the gubernatorial reforms will encounter in the legislative process. At a staff meeting, he questions his supervisor. Her summary of the information that her staff had collected from focus groups in school districts across Kentucky did not include the meritorious suggestions. She gives him a curt non-answer. He reminds her that Governor Eversole is a businessman, and he urges her to assist him in every way possible with the K-12 experience on her staff. "With our help," James Ed concludes, "we can at least give him a fighting chance to keep his promise.]]> 279 Shafter Bailey Damian 0 to-read 4.38 James Ed Hoskins and the One-Room Schoolhouse: The Unprosecuted Crime Against Children
author: Shafter Bailey
name: Damian
average rating: 4.38
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]]> A Man Called Ove 18774964
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.]]> 337 Fredrik Backman 1476738017 Damian 0 to-read 4.35 2012 A Man Called Ove
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Damian
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
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]]> <![CDATA[The Prisoner of Acre (Ash Carter Near East Crime, #4)]]> 203179651 'Easy to get sucked in. Difficult to put down' Jessica Belmont'The sense of danger and menace is compelling' Rambling Mads 'I read into the early hours desperate to find out what happened next' Grace J Reviewerlady'Gritty and dark and heartfelt at times. It is also one of the best series I have read' Whispering StoriesAsh Carter returns to Israel on what should be a straightforward mission. However there is a mystery. Why did Alfred Duffy go AWOL from the British Army, go to Israel and then hand himself in at Acre Prison. The mystery deepens when Carter finds that Duffy escaped just as he arrived. The hunt begins but as the mystery unravels towards an exciting climax, it becomes unclear who is the hunter and who the hunted.]]> 311 Murray Bailey Damian 0 to-read 4.41 The Prisoner of Acre (Ash Carter Near East Crime, #4)
author: Murray Bailey
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]]> A Particular Man 212083184 A Particular ManĚýis about love, truth and the unpredictable consequences of loss.

When Edgar dies in a Far East prisoner of war camp it breaks the heart of fellow prisoner Starling. In Edgar’s final moments, Starling makes him a promise. When, after the war, he visits Edgar’s family to fulfill this promise, Edgar's mother Clementine mistakes him for another man.Ěý

Her mistake allows him access to Edgar’s home and to those who loved him, stirring powerful and disorientating emotions, and embroiling him in a web of deceit.

The loss has driven his sister Aida to seek solace in the arms of a series of men—but the meeting with Starling sparks a complex connection, fueled by their mutual longing for Edgar.

Meanwhile Clementine, also grieving for Edgar, has secrets of her own…]]> 374 Lesley Glaister Damian 0 to-read 4.40 2024 A Particular Man
author: Lesley Glaister
name: Damian
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
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]]> <![CDATA[Crossroads and the Himalayan Crystals (Crossroads, #1)]]> 16220184 266 C. Toni Graham 1452558272 Damian 0 to-read 4.34 2012 Crossroads and the Himalayan Crystals (Crossroads, #1)
author: C. Toni Graham
name: Damian
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion: A playbook for sculpting cultures that overcome demographic collapse & facilitate long-term human flourishing (The Pragmatist's Guide)]]> 84283898 483 Simone Collins Damian 0 to-read 4.36 The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion: A playbook for sculpting cultures that overcome demographic collapse & facilitate long-term human flourishing (The Pragmatist's Guide)
author: Simone Collins
name: Damian
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]]> A Delicate Marriage 183316742 Isabela, a wealthy woman, sacrifices her artistic aspirations to marry Marco, a penniless man dedicated to improving conditions on the island. As the island's insular government enacts pro-U.S. policies, Marco builds a real estate empire while struggling to maintain his populist principles. Meanwhile, Isabela feels unfulfilled in her traditional role as a wife and mother and becomes disillusioned with Marco's shifting moral compass. She begins to identify with anti-U.S. factions, leading a dangerous double life that puts her family in peril.
As political violence threatens their paradise, Isabela and Marco question whether their marriage, like the island's relationship with the U.S., should continue. Margarita Barresi's debut novel celebrates Puerto Rican culture while delving into themes of class, oppression, and the effects of colonialism through the lens of a marriage.]]> 352 Margarita Barresi 1639889302 Damian 0 to-read 4.40 A Delicate Marriage
author: Margarita Barresi
name: Damian
average rating: 4.40
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]]> Then She Was Gone 35297426 She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?]]> 359 Lisa Jewell 1501154648 Damian 0 to-read 4.02 2017 Then She Was Gone
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Damian
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
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]]> The Virgins of Venice 60659597 2023 1st Place Chaucer Award Winner for Best Historical Fiction!

In sixteenth-century Venice, one young noblewoman dares to resist the choices made for her

Venice in 1509 is on the brink of war. The displeasure of Pope Julius II is a continuing threat to the republic, as is the barely contained fighting in the countryside. Amid this turmoil, noblewoman Justina Soranzo, just sixteen, hopes to make a rare love marriage with her sweetheart, Luca Cicogna. Her hopes are dashed when her father decides her younger sister, Rosa, will marry in a strategic alliance and Justina will be sent to the San Zaccaria convent, in the tradition of aristocratic daughters. Lord Soranzo is not acting only to protect his family. It’s well known that he is in debt to both his trading partners and the most infamous courtesan in the city, La Diamante, and the pressure is closing in.

After arriving at the convent, Justina takes solace in her aunt Livia, one of the nuns, and in the growing knowledge that all is not strictly devout at San Zaccaria. Justina is shocked to discover how the women of the convent find their own freedom in what seems to her like a prison. But secrets and scandals breach the convent walls, and Justina learns there may be even worse fates for her than the veil, if La Diamante makes good on her threats.

Desperate to protect herself and the ones she loves, Justina turns to Luca for help. She finds she must trust her own heart to make the impossible decisions that may save or ruin them all.]]> 432 Gina Buonaguro 1443468398 Damian 0 to-read 4.26 2022 The Virgins of Venice
author: Gina Buonaguro
name: Damian
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Christmas in High Heels (High Heels, #3.5)]]> 28149982
Fashion designer turned amateur sleuth Maddie Springer can't wait to spend the holidays with her boyfriend, LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez. It's their first Christmas together, and Maddie wants it to be perfect. Only between her zany family and wacky friends, Maddie's having a hard time finding alone time with her man. But come Christmas morning, this is one holiday she'll be sure to remember—naughty or nice!

*This is a 4500 word SHORT STORY**

Books in the High Heels Series:
#1 Spying in High Heels
#2 Killer in High Heels
#3 Undercover in High Heels
#3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story)
#4 Alibi in High Heels
#5 Mayhem in High Heels
#5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (novella)
#5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (short story)
#6 Fearless in High Heels
#7 Danger in High Heels
#8 Homicide in High Heels
#9 Deadly in High Heels

What critics are saying about The High Heels Mysteries:

"A saucy combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible."
—Chicago Tribune

"Stylish... nonstop action...guaranteed to keep chick lit and mystery fans happy!"
—Publishers� Weekly, *starred review*

"Smart, funny and snappy…the perfect beach read!"
—Fresh Fiction

"A roller coaster ride full of fun and excitement!"
—Romance Reviews Today
]]> 39 Gemma Halliday 0985534540 Damian 3 3.84 2010 Christmas in High Heels (High Heels, #3.5)
author: Gemma Halliday
name: Damian
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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date added: 2024/11/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Death in the Floating City (Lady Emily, #7)]]> 13538723 The Huffington Post calls "Tears of Pearl" author Tasha Alexander "one to watch--and read" and her new Lady Emily mystery set in Venice proves it.

Years ago, Emily's childhood nemesis, Emma Callum, scandalized polite society when she eloped to Venice with an Italian count. But now her father-in-law lies murdered, and her husband has vanished. There's no one Emma can turn to for help but Emily, who leaves at once with her husband, the dashing Colin Hargreaves, for Venice. There, her investigations take her from opulent palazzi to slums, libraries, and bordellos. Emily soon realizes that to solve the present day crime, she must first unravel a centuries old puzzle. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, especially when these revelations might threaten the interests of some very powerful people.]]> 309 Tasha Alexander 0312661762 Damian 5 3.90 2012 Death in the Floating City (Lady Emily, #7)
author: Tasha Alexander
name: Damian
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Chocolate Ă  la Murder (Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum #4)]]> 54012338 Maddie gets rattled by a candy-coated murder.

It's Wine and Chocolate Days in San Benedetto, and paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski has sweet dreams about her new Magic of Chocolate exhibit. Her latest attraction is a haunted Mexican whisk called a molinillo that rattles if someone lies. When Maddie visits the town's new boutique chocolate shop, she finds one of the owners dead and covered in melted cocoa.

Maddie's determined to catch the killer, and she soon uncovers deadly dealings in the world of artisan chocolate. But the deception surrounding those dealings are enough to make the molinillo rattle all night. Will Maddie have to temper her passion for sleuthing before a killer makes her fate a bittersweet one?]]> 314 Kirsten Weiss 1944767584 Damian 5 4.19 2019 Chocolate Ă  la Murder (Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum #4)
author: Kirsten Weiss
name: Damian
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Scandal in Skibbereen (County Cork Mystery, #2)]]> 18210674 As the new owner of Sullivan’s Pub in County Cork, Ireland, Maura Donovan gets an earful of all the village gossip. But uncovering the truth about some local rumors may close her down for good�

Bostonian Maura is beginning to feel settled in her new Irish home, just in time for summer tourist season to bring fresh business to her pub. But the first traveler to arrive is thirsty for more than just a pint of Guinness. Althea MelvilleĚýis hot on the trail of a long-lost Van Dyck painting.

Maura agrees to help Althea meet with the residents at the local manor house, the most likely location of the missing art. But when the manor’s gardener is found murdered, Maura wonders what Althea’s real motives are. Now, to solve the secret of the lost portrait and catch a killer, Maura will have to practice her Irish gift of gab and hunt down some local history—before someone else is out of the picture…]]> 294 Sheila Connolly 0425252507 Damian 5 3.80 2014 Scandal in Skibbereen (County Cork Mystery, #2)
author: Sheila Connolly
name: Damian
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/11/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson, #7)]]> 19286674
A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

We’re doomed.]]> 322 Darynda Jones 1250045649 Damian 4 4.32 2014 Seventh Grave and No Body (Charley Davidson, #7)
author: Darynda Jones
name: Damian
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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date added: 2024/11/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (Jane Austen Mysteries, #6)]]> 456743
Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House

“I will assert that sailors are endowed with greater worth than any set of men in England.�

So muses Jane Austen as she stands in the buffeting wind of Southampton’s quay beside her brother Frank on a raw February morning. Frank, a post captain in the Royal Navy, is without a ship to command, and his best prospect is the Stella Maris , a fast frigate captained by his old friend Tom Seagrave.

“Lucky� Tom � so dubbed for his habit of besting enemy ships � is presently in disgrace, charged with violating the Articles of War. Tom’s first lieutenant, Eustace Chessyre, has accused Seagrave of murder in the death of a French captain after the surrender of his ship.

Though Lucky Tom denies the charge, his dagger was found in the dead man’s chest. Now Seagrave faces court-martial and execution for a crime he swears he did not commit.

Frank, deeply grieved, is certain his friend will hang. But Jane reasons that either Seagrave or Chessyre is lying � and that she and Frank have a duty to discover the truth.

The search for the captain’s honor carries them into the troubled heart of Seagrave’s family, through some of the seaport’s worst sinkholes, and at long last to Wool House, the barred brick structure that serves as gaol for French prisoners of war.

Risking contagion or worse, Jane agrees to nurse the murdered French captain’s imprisoned crew � and elicits a debonair surgeon’s account of the Stella Maris ’s battle that appears to clear Tom Seagrave of all guilt.

When Eustace Chessyre is found murdered, the entire affair takes on the appearance of an insidious plot against Seagrave, who is charged with the crime. Could any of his naval colleagues wish him dead? In an era of turbulent intrigue and contested amour, could it be a case of cherchez la femme ... or a veiled political foe at work? And what of the sealed orders under which Seagrave embarked that fateful night in the Stella Maris? Death knocks again at Jane’s own door before the final knots in the killer’s net are completely untangled.

Always surprising, Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House is an intelligent and intriguing mystery that introduces Jane and her readers to “the naval set� � and charts a true course through the amateur sleuth’s most troubled waters yet.]]> 304 Stephanie Barron 0553107356 Damian 2 3.95 2001 Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (Jane Austen Mysteries, #6)
author: Stephanie Barron
name: Damian
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2001
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Murder on Family Grounds (Mary Wandwalker #3)]]> 205338104 334 Susan Rowland 1685032095 Damian 4 4.30 2024 Murder on Family Grounds (Mary Wandwalker #3)
author: Susan Rowland
name: Damian
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)]]> 110384
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide...is she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?]]> 370 Julia Quinn 0380820846 Damian 3 3.86 2002 Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Damian
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2002
rating: 3
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]]> No. 23 Burlington Square 185040105
On the morning of Friday 5th February, 1927, Miss Agnes Humphries � the landlady of the attractive, if-slightly shabby, white-fronted townhouse at Number 23 Burlington Square � has a decision to make.

The rooms of the second floor lie empty, since poor Mr Blandford’s unfortunate demise, God rest his soul. And Agnes must make up her mind as to who will be her new lodger� Will it be her spirited, young niece Clara, who drifts through the glamorous world of London’s Bright Young Things? Or Stephen, the sensible, church-going, respectable banker who seems just be too good to be true? Or the timid war widow named Mercy, who is clearly running from something � or someone�?

Agnes must choose between them. But what will her decision lead to? One of the choices could result in scandal, one in devastation, and one could even lead to happiness. If only she gets it right�

As all three lodgers enter Number 23, in alternate timelines, relationships are formed and destroyed, feathers are ruffled, and secrets are exposed. Three different choices. Three very different paths. And Agnes is to discover that nobody � including herself � is quite who they seem�]]> 426 Jenni Keer 178513955X Damian 3 4.19 2023 No. 23 Burlington Square
author: Jenni Keer
name: Damian
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 3
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]]> The Keeper of Happy Endings 57429914 An enchanting novel about fate, second chances, and hope, lost and found, by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Last of the Moon Girls.

Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It’s said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline’s world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget.

Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline’s old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory’s and Soline’s lives begin to surface. It’s clear that they were destined to meet—and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and opening the door to shared healing and, perhaps, a little magic.]]> 415 Barbara Davis 1542021480 Damian 5 4.47 2021 The Keeper of Happy Endings
author: Barbara Davis
name: Damian
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2021
rating: 5
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]]> The Consequence of Anna 199280824 The Instant #1 BESTSELLER, reminiscent of The Thorn Birds, The Light Between Oceans, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Poignant, heartbreaking, and unforgettable. Inspired by a TRUE STORY . . .

Nominated for a PULITZER PRIZE . . . Soon to be a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE.

“An intense and emotional read!� � Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of In Farleigh Field and The Tuscan Child

"SHAMED BE THE WOMAN WHO ALLOWETH SUCH A SIN!"

Set against the sprawling backdrop of 1930s Australia, Anna May Shahan is a wild child raised on a lush farm by the sea, always barefoot and playing in her neighbor’s secret garden. Her Aboriginal nanny teaches her the ways of the land, and she grows up to be a quirky, eccentric, and sweet woman. But she is not without her demons, as she struggles with bizarre behaviors and a haunting, dark side.

Soon after marriage, Anna inherits Sugar Alexandria, her family’s sheep station, and she and her Irish husband James lead a simple, hardworking life. That is until Anna’s beautiful widowed cousin Lottie returns from London after being absent for over a decade. Lottie confesses to Anna her heart’s greatest desire to have a child, and Anna, in fear of losing her beloved cousin again, seeks to grant her wish by means of her own husband. What happens next brings devastating consequences for them all.

A literary achievement and the most emotionally gripping book of the year, The Consequence of Anna is a complex historical family saga, intertwined with the haunting mystery of Anna’s mental illness and the secrets, lies, and revelations revealed through the hidden passions of Lottie and James. Layered with lush romance, obsessive love, the strong bond of female friendship, and the frightening effects of altruistic intentions gone wrong, this provocative and powerful allegory cuts through rules and boundaries and proves the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished!]]> 568 Kate Birkin Damian 3 3.81 2023 The Consequence of Anna
author: Kate Birkin
name: Damian
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 3
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]]> The Diamond of London 138378623
Fans of Shana Abé, Theresa Ann Fowler, and Fiona Davis will be captivated by the unforgettable spirit at the heart of USA Today bestselling author Andrea Penrose’s dazzling new historical novel based on the real life of Lady Hester Stanhope (1776-1839), a British aristocrat, antiquarian, and adventurer who defied all conventional strictures of what a woman could and couldn’t do during the Regency era.

Even with her privileged life, Lady Hester Stanhope knows that claiming the adventurous life she truly wants will not be easy, thanks to her eccentric father’s stifling grip. With the help of her renowned statesman uncle William Pitt the Younger, she takes on the glittering, treacherous heights of London Society. Her formidable intelligence, outspoken opinions, and headstrong determination gain the favor of the beau monde’s leading taste-maker Beau Brummell—and she quickly learns to bend the rules of the ton to her own advantage. And as her uncle’s hostess, she astutely uses her skills to preside over—and give advice to—the most influential figures of her day, rising to a position unequaled in society . . .

But when it comes to holy matrimony, Hester will settle for no less than a passionate match of equals—a search marked by challenges and heartbreak. Her affair with a charismatic naval officer tempts her with forbidden pleasures—even as it threatens her reputation. Her love for a sophisticated, brilliant diplomat offers the marriage of her dreams . . . and unsuspected betrayal. And as England is plunged into war, Hester’s world changes forever, causing her to find courage and strength amid loss, chart a completely unexpected future—and make a glorious legacy forever hers . . .]]> 368 Andrea Penrose 1496744209 Damian 4 3.64 2024 The Diamond of London
author: Andrea Penrose
name: Damian
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 4
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]]> Victor's Blessing 63140926 Meticulously researched for everyday life (rather than battles), Victor's Blessing takes the reader on a journey from quaint Ste. Genevieve Missouri, the patent halls of Washington D.C., the battle of Wilderness, till finally the infamous Andersonville prison. With a bevy of rich male and female characters, that experience the turbulent decade before and after the Civil War, Victor's Blessing is a haunting love story, that seems to whisper the eternal question, is death really the end?]]> 582 Barbara Sontheimer 1639885897 Damian 5 4.34 2022 Victor's Blessing
author: Barbara Sontheimer
name: Damian
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Grace (The Shackleford Sisters #1)]]> 59741656 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here

In this funny romantic series, the Shackleford sisters descend on a Regency society that don’t know what’s hit them�

....Reverend Augustus Shackleford’s mission in life (aside from ensuring the collection box was suitably full every Sunday) was to secure advantageous marriages for each of his eight daughters. A tall order, given the fact that in the Reverend’s opinion they didn’t possess a single ladylike bone in the eight bodies they had between them. Quite where he would find a wealthy titled gentleman bottle headed enough to take any of them on remained a mystery and indeed was likely to test even his legendary resourcefulness.

....Grievously wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nicholas Sinclair was only recently returned to Blackmore after receiving news of his estranged father’s unexpected death. After an absence of twenty years, the new Duke was well aware it was his duty to marry and produce an heir as quickly as possible. However, tormented by recurring nightmares after his horrific experiences during the battle, Nicholas had no taste to brave the ton’s marriage mart in search of a docile obedient wife.

�..Never in his wildest dreams did Reverend Shackleford envisage receiving an offer for his eldest daughter from the newly appointed Duke of Blackmore. Of course, the Reverend was well aware he was fudging it a bit in describing Grace as respectful, meek or dutiful, nevertheless, he could never have imagined that his eldest daughter’s unruliness might end up ruining them all�.]]> 184 Beverley Watts Damian 5 3.77 2020 Grace (The Shackleford Sisters #1)
author: Beverley Watts
name: Damian
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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]]> The Secret Life of Sunflowers 61613291 A gripping, inspiring novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.

When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.

Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's paintings. They were all she had, and they weren't worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow with a baby in the 1800s, without any means of supporting herself, living in Paris where she barely spoke the language. Yet she managed to introduce Vincent's legacy to the world.

The inspiration couldn't come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past?]]> 356 Marta Molnar 1940627486 Damian 3 4.10 The Secret Life of Sunflowers
author: Marta Molnar
name: Damian
average rating: 4.10
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rating: 3
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]]> The Lost Letters of Aisling 200125574 A woman faces the past she fled in a heart-stirring novel about unforgettable love and indomitable courage by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Lighthouse Keeper.

Rainey’s grandmother makes a startling request: Take me home. To Ireland, the country she fled post–World War II. Though they’re inseparably close, Rainey knows few of her grandmother’s secrets. Until they arrive at Aisling—the majestic estate on the southern coast of Ireland where her grandmother was raised—and Rainey discovers a collection of seventy-year-old letters in a trunk.

Dublin, 1945. The Germans surrender, celebrants crowd the streets, and fourteen-year-old Evie meets her best friend, the spirited Harding McGovern. Years on, they are more like sisters when rumors begin that Harding works in the black market trade—a source of wealth that could give her a dream life in America but could also cause great danger. Evie is uncertain of the truth but will stand by Harding, whatever the cost.

As Rainey uses the letters to reunite her grandmother with the past, what unfolds is a never-forgotten story of family, friendship, and love, and the healing that comes from letting go of secrets.]]> 302 Cynthia Ellingsen Damian 3 4.32 2024 The Lost Letters of Aisling
author: Cynthia Ellingsen
name: Damian
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days]]> 98233 456 Jessica Livingston 1590597141 Damian 3 4.02 2001 Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
author: Jessica Livingston
name: Damian
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy]]> 998 CAN YOU SPOT THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR?

Who are the rich in this country?

What do they do?

Where do they shop?

What do they drive?

How do they invest?

Where did their ancestors come from?

How did they get rich?

Can I ever become one of them?

Get the answers in The Millionaire Next Door, the never-before-told story about wealth in America. You'll be surprised at what you find out....

]]> 258 Thomas J. Stanley 0671015206 Damian 2 4.05 1995 The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy
author: Thomas J. Stanley
name: Damian
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1995
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products]]> 22668729 How do successful companies create products people can’t put down?

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us?
Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior. Through consecutive “hook cycles,� these products reach their ultimate goal of bringing users back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.


Hooked is based on Eyal’s years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a start-up founder—not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behavior.


Eyal provides readers with:


� Practical insights to create user habits that stick.
� Actionable steps for building products people love.

� Fascinating examples from the iPhone to Twitter, Pinterest to the Bible App, and many other habit-forming products.]]> 256 Nir Eyal 1591847788 Damian 5 4.12 2013 Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
author: Nir Eyal
name: Damian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Power of Positive Thinking]]> 1134122 "This book is written with the sole objective of helping the reader achieve a happy, satisfying, and worthwhile life."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

The precursor to The Secret, The Power of Positive Thinking has helped millions of men and women to achieve fulfillment in their lives. In this phenomenal bestseller, Dr. Peale demonstrates the power of faith in action. With the practical techniques outlined in this book, you can energize your life -- and give yourself the initiative needed to carry out your ambitions and hopes. You'll learn how to:

Expect the best and get it

Believe in yourself and in everything you do

Develop the power to reach your goals

Break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life

Improve your personal and professional relationships

Assume control over your circumstances

Be kind to yourself

]]> 128 Norman Vincent Peale 1416560610 Damian 3 4.13 1952 The Power of Positive Thinking
author: Norman Vincent Peale
name: Damian
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1952
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know]]> 55539565 Think Again is a book about the benefit of doubt, and about how we can get better at embracing the unknown and the joy of being wrong. Evidence has shown that creative geniuses are not attached to one identity, but constantly willing to rethink their stances and that leaders who admit they don't know something and seek critical feedback lead more productive and innovative teams.

New evidence shows us that as a mindset and a skilllset, rethinking can be taught and Grant explains how to develop the necessary qualities to do it. Section 1 explores why we struggle to think again and how we can learn to do it as individuals, arguing that 'grit' alone can actually be counterproductive. Section 2 discusses how we can help others think again through learning about 'argument literacy'. And the final section 3 looks at how schools, businesses and governments fall short in building cultures that encourage rethinking.

In the end, learning to rethink may be the secret skill to give you the edge in a world changing faster than ever.]]> 307 Adam M. Grant 1984878107 Damian 1 4.12 2021 Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
author: Adam M. Grant
name: Damian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 1
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Win Friends & Influence People]]> 4865
Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 30 million copies. Dale Carnegie's first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with rock-solid advice that has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

As relevant as ever before, Dale Carnegie's principles endure, and will help you achieve your maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age.

Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.]]> 288 Dale Carnegie Damian 5 4.22 1936 How to Win Friends & Influence People
author: Dale Carnegie
name: Damian
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1936
rating: 5
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]]> The Lean Startup 10127019 Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.



The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on "validated learning," rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.

Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs - in companies of all sizes - a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it's too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.]]> 299 Eric Ries 0307887898 Damian 4 4.11 2011 The Lean Startup
author: Eric Ries
name: Damian
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2011
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't]]> 76865
The Challenge
Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.

But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?

The Study
For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?

The Standards
Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck.

The Comparisons
The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good?

The Findings
The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include:
Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness.

The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence.

A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology.

The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap.]]> 300 Jim Collins 0066620996 Damian 3 4.12 2001 Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
author: Jim Collins
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average rating: 4.12
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]]> <![CDATA[Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future]]> 18050143
The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.

Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It comes from the most important skill that every leader must master: learning to think for yourself.

Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique.

Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.]]> 195 Peter Thiel 0804139296 Damian 3 4.15 2014 Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
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average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
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]]> Steve Jobs 11084145 630 Walter Isaacson 1451648537 Damian 1 4.15 2011 Steve Jobs
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book published: 2011
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]]> <![CDATA[Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future]]> 25541028 392 Ashlee Vance 0062301233 Damian 4 4.12 2015 Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
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name: Damian
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2015
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]]> The Diary of a Young Girl 48855
In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe� of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
--back cover]]> 283 Anne Frank Damian 3 4.19 1947 The Diary of a Young Girl
author: Anne Frank
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average rating: 4.19
book published: 1947
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