Tori's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 12 Jun 2025 20:26:18 -0700 60 Tori's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Maine Characters 217453516 From beloved author Hannah Orenstein, this love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,� the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.

Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house � separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark.

When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents� pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family?

For fans of Carley Fortune and Elin Hilderbrand, this sister story set on a lush lake brims with the undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor that have endeared Hannah Orenstein to legions of readers.]]> 400 Hannah Orenstein 0593851552 Tori 5 3.59 2025 Maine Characters
author: Hannah Orenstein
name: Tori
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/12
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves:
review:
Loved this exploration into sisterhood, family drama, and an east coast house/setting that became the star of the show. I slowly savored this book over the course of the week and I was so happy to dive back into it day after day! Such excellent character development. If you’re looking for a strong summer time vibe book with no romance this is it!
]]> The Language of the Birds 217453591 A brilliant, eccentric teenager must solve a series of puzzles left behind by her dead father in this debut that features codes, riddles, and a plot that ingeniously mixes fact and fiction.

When seventeen-year-old Arizona’s mother goes missing on a family trip, Arizona tells herself not to worry. Until she finds her family’s Airstream ransacked—and the ominous note on the counter. Incredibly, impossibly, her mother has been kidnapped.

Even more bizarre are the terms of the The kidnappers believe that Arizona’s dead father took some sort of great secret to his grave—and to get her mother back safely, Arizona must now uncover it for them.Ěý

If Arizona were a “normal� teenager, she’d have no idea what to do. Luckily, Arizona’s anything but normal. Like her father, she’s more comfortable with books than with people, and inordinately fond of puzzles, codes, and riddles—and she soon realizes that the trail begins with a cipher that points her West, to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Her dog Mojo at her side, Arizona sets off in the Airstream to uncover the truth and pursue her mother’s return on her own terms. Yet her journey grows far stranger than she could have imagined, as she finds herself cracking codes and solving riddles, poring through pages of ancient texts, poking through forgotten corners of U.S. history, and uncovering mysteries hidden in plain sight in the Western landscape—all on the hunt for an impossible, centuries-old prize.

Even as she races to stay a step ahead of her adversaries and wonders at her father’s hidden life, she begins to realize that navigating the outside world on her own isn’t as terrifying as she thought—and finding other people who understand her isn’t so impossible after all.
]]> 368 K.A. Merson 0593874528 Tori 4 3.60 2025 The Language of the Birds
author: K.A. Merson
name: Tori
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/09
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves:
review:
This is for people who love a book with puzzles to solve! It's got a 17 year old neurodivergent main character, but no way would I shelve this in the teen section...I think it will mostly appeal to adult readers. Again, this is a mystery novel, but not a "whodunit" kind of mystery...this is very puzzle mystery-esqe...think anagrams, cryptograms, letter arrangements, word hunting and deep thinking.
]]> <![CDATA[There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift]]> 217452028 A smart, page-turning exploration of the business and creative decisions that transformed Taylor Swift from a teen prodigy into an unprecedented modern cultural phenomenon.

There is no shortage of ways to describe Taylor Swift. Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teen to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, she has blazed a path that is uniquely hers.

But, how exactly, has she managed to scale her success—multiple times—while dominating an industry that cycles through artists and stars as if they were fashion trends? How has she managed to make and remake herself time and again while remaining true to her artistic vision? And how has she managed to master the constant disruption in the music business?

In There's Nothing Like This, Harvard Business Review editor Kevin Evers answers those questions in riveting detail. Employing the same thoughtful analysis that is usually devoted to iconic startup founders, game-changing innovators, and pioneering brands, he chronicles the major business and creative decisions that have defined each era of Swift's career.

Mixing business and art, and analysis and narrative, and pulling from research in a wide range of subjects—including innovation, creativity, psychology, and strategy�There's Nothing Like This analyzes Swift like the modern and multidimensional superstar that she is—a songwriting savant and a strategic genius.

Swift's fans will see their icon from a fresh perspective. Others will gain more than a measure of admiration for her ability to stay at the top of her game. And everyone will come away understanding why, even after two decades, Swift keeps winning.]]> 304 Kevin Evers Tori 4 4.28 There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
author: Kevin Evers
name: Tori
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/05
date added: 2025/06/05
shelves:
review:
I've found that reading books about Taylor Swift are great for my brain when I'm in a slump because I'm interested in it, but also know most of it already soooo it feels easy to engage with when other stuff doesn't hold my attention. This one focused on the music business side of her life vs eras/social life. I bet they are sad that this was released before she owned all her Masters!
]]> <![CDATA[Big Witch Energy (Starfall Point, #2)]]> 199844219 From the wacky, fantastical brain of bestselling paranormal romance author Molly Harper comes a wickedly charming second chance at love between a sassy restaurant server-turned witch and the newest resident of Starfall Point, her high school sweetheart (now a sexy single dad). If only true love's kiss could break this curse�

Caroline Wilton is dying to get off Starfall Point, but if she leaves, there's a good chance she'll literally die. For centuries, any Wilton who ventured off the island immediately perished in some freak accident. While Caroline has begrudgingly obeyed her family's curse, she's never forgiven all that it has cost her. After all, her high school sweetheart left for college and never came back. Until now.

Although Dr. Ben Hoult returned to take over the med clinic, in his heart, he came back for Caroline. Practical, sensible Ben was too stubborn to believe in her curse. But when his own two teenagers meddle their way into coven business, Ben's eyes are opened to the world of magic. He quickly learns that Caroline and her friends have the power to see ghosts—like the angry woman in eighteen-century garb occupying her family's tavern with a menacing glare—and boy, do they need managing.

As the witches dig through old spell books for insight, they discover the angry tavern ghost as one of the island's most sinister legends—information that could be the key to breaking the Wilton curse and giving Caroline the life she's always wanted with the man she's always loved]]> 335 Molly Harper Tori 0 3.86 2023 Big Witch Energy (Starfall Point, #2)
author: Molly Harper
name: Tori
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2025/06/04
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves:
review:
No way three grown men behave like toddlers and get away with it all the way through their 30s. One of the most inaccurate portrayal of teens I’ve read in a while. Teens just don’t behave the way this author portrayed them and it was so annoying.
]]> Huda F Wants to Know? 215805865 In the hilarious and poignant follow-up to National Book Award Finalist Huda F Cares?, Huda's life and worldview is turned upside down when her parents announce they're divorcing.

Huda Fahmy is ready for junior year. She’s got a plan to join all the clubs, volunteer everywhere, ace the ACTs, write the most awe-inspiring essay for her scholarship applications. Easy.

But then Mama and Baba announce the most unthinkable they’re getting a divorce.Ěý

Huda is devastated. She worries about what this will mean for her family, their place in the Muslim community, and her future. Her grades start tanking, she has a big fight with her best friend, and everything feels out of control. Will her life ever feel normal again? Huda F wants to know.]]> 224 Huda Fahmy 0593855620 Tori 4 4.33 2025 Huda F Wants to Know?
author: Huda Fahmy
name: Tori
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/04
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves:
review:
As always Huda Fahmy always delivers exactly what I’m looking for: a funny and thoughtful graphic novel!
]]> The Rival 211003860 Rivals-to-lovers gets an academic send-up in this charming and irresistible romantic comedy from Emma Lord, New York Times bestselling author of Tweet Cute and Begin Again!

At long last, Sadie has vanquished her lifelong academic rival � her irritatingly charming, whip smart next door neighbor, Seb � by getting the coveted, only spot to her dream college. Or at least, so she thinks. When Seb is unexpectedly pulled off the waitlist and admitted, Sadie has to compete with him all over again, this time to get a spot on the school’s famous zine. Now not only is she dealing with the mayhem of the lovable, chaotic family she hid her writing talents from, as well as her own self doubt, but she has to come to terms with some less-than-resentful feelings for Seb that are popping up along the way.

But the longer they compete, the more Sadie and Seb notice flaws in the school’s system that are much bigger than any competition between them. Somehow the two of them have to band together even as they’re trying to crush each other, only to discover they may have met their match in more ways than one.]]> 320 Emma Lord 1250904021 Tori 4 3.53 2025 The Rival
author: Emma Lord
name: Tori
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/04
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves:
review:
This is a combo of the tv show “Sex Lives of College Girls� character Bela meets “Gilmore Girls� character Rory, but none of the characters are as sex driven as Bela haha! Fans of Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler will appreciate this story of a college girl writing for the local comedy newspaper! I will say I didn’t do a ton of laughing while reading this…it was more about her journey and aspirations of being a comedy writer vs actually being funny, but I still enjoyed it!
]]> Flip 220908966 SENIOR YEAR BUCKET LIST? SWITCH BODIES WITH YOUR CRUSH.

Chi-Chi Ekeh has one huge problem: She keeps having crushes on rich white boys who have no idea she exists. Enter Flip Henderson, the most popular boy at school, who receives Chi-Chi’s private video proposal to go to senior prom.

But when Flip rejects Chi-Chi in front of their entire class, what happens next is completely unexpected: Chi-Chi―shy nerd and scholarship student―switches bodies with Flip. Suddenly Chi-Chi is 6�1� and cool, while Flip gets a crash course on Chi-Chi’s life―that is, k-pop, hair-braiding, and being a poor kid of color at a rich white private school.

With graduation looming and their body swaps lasting longer and longer, Chi-Chi and Flip must form the most unlikely friendship their school has ever seen. But will they survive senior year? And, most importantly, can they find a way back to themselves?

From bestselling author of Check, Please! comes Flip, a thrilling and fantastical tale about self-acceptance, black girlhood, and how walking a mile in someone else’s shoes can teach you how to finally see yourself.]]> 320 Ngozi Ukazu 1250179521 Tori 0 to-read 4.70 2025 Flip
author: Ngozi Ukazu
name: Tori
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wild and Wrangled (Rebel Blue Ranch, #4)]]> 213650748 She’s the one that got away. He’s the one that never let her go.

From the bestselling author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small town romance in which past lovers get a second chance to rediscover what they lost.

Camille Ashwood had always loved a plan. Her latest was her best yet. She was going to get married so she could secure her daughter’s future, get her overbearing parents off her back, and finally start building her own life in small town Meadowlark, Wyoming. Easy, right?

But when her groom doesn’t show up to the wedding, Cam’s life is turned upside down—she doesn’t even have a place to live. That is, until she finds out the house she’s loved since high school is available to rent. There’s only one problem: the neighbor.

Dusty Tucker has spent nearly all of his adult life running. Running from what, though? More like who: Cam Ashwood. But ever since he returned home last year, the girl who was his first, well, everything has become a woman seemingly determined to keep him at arm’s length. And he was okay with that—at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. She was getting married, after all. But now she’s single and living next door. Dusty wants to show her that they can be friends, and that he can stay put.

Despite her best attempts to stay far away from Dusty Tucker, Cam realizes that being close to him is like slipping on her favorite jeans. Easy. Comfortable. That is until past wounds start to open and feelings—both old and new—wreak havoc. Nearly ten years after they first met, Dusty and Cam begin to wonder if their first love can also be their last. And this time, will it be forever?]]> 368 Lyla Sage Tori 0 currently-reading 3.96 2025 Wild and Wrangled (Rebel Blue Ranch, #4)
author: Lyla Sage
name: Tori
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Youth Group 180723893
Will Kay find her place in a world that’s so much more God-fearing and monster-fighting than what she’s used to? Will the Stone Mission youth group find common cause with their badass peers of other faiths? Or will a pack of small-time demons use Blights like Kay as the key to starting some real big trouble?]]> 256 Jordan Morris 1250789230 Tori 0 4.00 2024 Youth Group
author: Jordan Morris
name: Tori
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/06/02
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves:
review:
This was not what I expected it to be and I don’t really know what to think…but other reviewers liken it to Buffy…which I’ve never watched so maybe that’s why I didn’t love it?
]]> Woodworking 217311813 An unforgettable and heartwarming debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.

Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.

Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty—and loneliness—that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others� expectations.

As their unlikely friendship evolves under the increasing scrutiny of their community, both women—and those closest to them—will come to realize that sometimes there is nothing more radical than letting the world see who you really are.

Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.]]> 351 Emily St. James 163893147X Tori 5 4.37 2025 Woodworking
author: Emily St. James
name: Tori
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/29
date added: 2025/05/29
shelves:
review:
Absolutely stunning from start to finish! Easily a top 10 book of 2025 for me! This book deserves so much more hype! I wanted to spend all my time with Erica and Abigail! When books have dual perspectives you normally like one more than the other, but that was not the case with this book! I loved both perspectives and I could have read 100 more hours of these women’s stories! I secretly hope we get a follow up book like 5-10 years down the road in their lives! Such a beautiful trans story that I hope so many people read!
]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 7]]> 185965151
The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. It is The Season she must help Arabella secure a husband, while navigating the threat of Aunt Eugenia, the unflagging adoration of Charles Goddard, and the amusing unpredictability of St. Crispian’s. But the secrets of her trusted friends are what might very well bring about disaster.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

Readers have compared The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, L. M. Montgomery, and Jean Webster.]]> 313 Beth Brower 1957492015 Tori 0 currently-reading 4.77 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 7
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 6]]> 63027990 There is bedlam, and there is delightful bedlam.
This afternoon touched on the second, much to my pleasure.

The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way. It is The Season she must help Arabella secure a husband, while navigating the threat of Aunt Eugenia, the unflagging adoration of Charles Goddard, and the amusing unpredictability of St. Crispian’s. But the secrets of her trusted friends are what might very well bring about disaster.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

Readers have compared The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, L. M. Montgomery, and Jean Webster.]]> 249 Beth Brower Tori 5 4.79 2022 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 6
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/28
date added: 2025/05/28
shelves:
review:
The final two days!?!?! SO GOOD! And the urn scene!!!
]]> On Again, Awkward Again 217111997 The laugh-out-loud YA romance by two award-winning and bestselling authors, Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia, that’s perfect for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or When Dimple Met Rishi

When Pacy Mercado and Cecil Holloway spot each other during the first week of freshman year, it’s love at first sight. Well, more like love at first fleeting, injury-riddled glance, since the moment is ruined thanks to clumsiness and a criminal case of IBS.

Despite their total lack of game, Pacy and Cecil are drawn to each other. Seven seconds of eye contact turns into days of yearning and stress as they make the mistake of following misguided advice from their friends, dysfunctional families, and strangers on the internet.

But the universe conspires to bring Pacy and Cecil together when they both end up on the WADS committee to plan the freshman dance (that’s Wakeville’s Awesome Décor Society, if you must know).

As they spend more time together, they realize that the other person might be just what they need . . . that is, if they can figure out how to be themselves and embrace the mishaps, mistakes, and hilariously awkward interactions that make up their imperfectly perfect love story.]]> 272 Erin Entrada Kelly 1419775634 Tori 4 3.91 2025 On Again, Awkward Again
author: Erin Entrada Kelly
name: Tori
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/28
date added: 2025/05/28
shelves:
review:
Cute and silly! It's being marketed as YA...which makes sense since it's 9th graders, but it feels very young...I think it would probably make a great middle grade read for those looking to read up.
]]> One Golden Summer 217245639
I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.]]> 400 Carley Fortune 0593638913 Tori 5 4.40 2025 One Golden Summer
author: Carley Fortune
name: Tori
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/27
date added: 2025/05/27
shelves:
review:
This author is hit or miss for me so I wasn’t sure how this would go, but it ended up being my favorite from her! I loved the setting, romance, and side family characters!
]]> <![CDATA[You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip]]> 212426504 A delightfully insightful exploration of our obsession with gossip that weaves together journalism, cultural criticism, and memoir, from the host of the massively popular Normal Gossip podcast.

Can you keep a secret? As the pandemic forced us to socialize at a distance, Kelsey McKinney was mourning the juicy updates, jaw-dropping stories, and idle chatter that she’d typically collect over drinks with friends.ĚýShe realized she wasn’t the only one missing these little morsels and her hunger for this aspect of normalcy took on a life of its ownĚýandĚýthe blockbuster Normal Gossip podcast was born.ĚýWith listenership in the millions and gossip quickly becoming her day job, Kelsey found herself with the urge to think more critically about gossip as a form, to better understand the role that it plays in our culture.

In YOU DIDN'T HEAR THIS FROM ME, McKinney explores the murkiness of everyday storytelling. Why is gossip considered a sin and how can we better recognize when gossip is being weaponized against the oppressed? Why do we think we’re entitled to every detail of a celebrity’s personal life because they are a public figure? And how do we even define “gossip,â€� anyway? She dishes on the art of eavesdropping and dives deep into how pop culture has changed the way that we look at hearsay. But as much as the book aims to treat gossip as a subject worthy of rigor, it also hopes to capture the heart of how enchanting and fun it can be to lean over and whisper something a little salacious into your friend’s ear. With wit and honesty, McKinney unmasks what we're actually searching for when we demand to know the truth â€� and how much the truth really matters in the first place. Ěý]]> 288 Kelsey McKinney 1538757400 Tori 4 3.78 2025 You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip
author: Kelsey McKinney
name: Tori
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/27
date added: 2025/05/27
shelves:
review:
I don’t listen to this podcast so I wasn’t sure if this would be a good fit for me, but I’m happy to report that I loved it (even without the podcast exposure). Helped me rethink and reframe the concept (more accurate truth) of gossip.
]]> Circle of Friends 41977
On their first day at University College, Dublin, the inseparable pair are thrown together with fellow students Nan Mahon, beautiful but selfish, and handsome Jack Foley. But trouble is brewing for Benny and Eve's new circle of friends, and before long, they find passion, tragedy - and the independence they yearned for.]]> 722 Maeve Binchy 0099498596 Tori 0 to-read 4.06 1990 Circle of Friends
author: Maeve Binchy
name: Tori
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> August Lane 221179148 A Black country music star who lied about writing his only hit risks his comeback to reunite with the woman he stole it from, a first love the lyrics won’t let him forget.

Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob Luke Randall has to sing “Another Love Song.� God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol�90’s era Black country music star, JoJo Lane, who’s being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he’d never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing JoJo’s daughter, August Lane—the woman who wrote the lyrics he’s always claimed as his own.

August also hates that song. But she hates Luke Randall even more. When he shows up ten years too late to apologize for his betrayal, she isn’t interested in making amends. Instead, she threatens to expose his lies unless he co-writes a new song with her and performs it at the concert, something she hopes will launch her out of her mother’s shadow and into a songwriting career of her own. Desperate to keep his secret, Luke agrees to put on the rogue performance, despite the risk of losing his shot at a new record deal.

When Luke’s guitar reunites with August’s soulful alto, neither can deny that the passionate bond they formed as teenagers is still there. As the concert nears, August will have to choose between an overdue public reckoning with the boy who betrayed her, or trusting the man he’s become to write a different love song.]]> 336 Regina Black 153876752X Tori 0 to-read 4.56 2025 August Lane
author: Regina Black
name: Tori
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves]]> 216970860 From Atlantic critic and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert, a blazing critique of how early-aughts pop culture turned women and girls against each other—and themselves—with disastrous consequences

When did feminism lose its way? This question feels increasingly urgent in a moment of reactionary cultural and legislative backlash, when widespread uncertainty about the movement’s power, focus, and currency threatens decades of progress.Ěý

Sophie Gilbert, a staff writer at The Atlantic and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, provides one answer, identifying an inflection point in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the energy of third-wave and “riot girlâ€� feminism collapsed into a regressive period of hyper-objectification, sexualization, and infantilization. Gilbert mines the darker side of nostalgia, training her keen analytic eye on the most revealing cultural objects of the era, across music, film, television, fashion, tabloid journalism, and more. And what she recounts is harrowing, from the unattainable aesthetic of Victoria’s Secret ads and explicit music videos to a burgeoning internet culture vicious towards women in the spotlight and damaging for those who weren’t. Gilbert tracks many of the period’s dominant themes back to the explosion of internet porn, tracing its widespread influence as it began to pervade our collective consciousness.Ěý

Gilbert paints a devastating picture of an era when a distinctly American confluence of excess, materialism, and power-worship collided with the culture’s reactionary, puritanical, and chauvinistic currents. Amid a collective reconsideration of the way women are treated in public, Girl on Girl is a blistering indictment of the matrix of misogyny that undergirded the cultural production of the early twenty-first century, and how it continues to shape our world today.]]> 352 Sophie Gilbert 0593656296 Tori 0 to-read 4.13 2025 Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves
author: Sophie Gilbert
name: Tori
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/20
shelves: to-read
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]]> Exit Lane 227858430 For fans of You, Again, One Day, and People We Meet on Vacation.

After a post-graduation drive from Iowa City to NYC, Teddy and Marin have both had enough of each other to last the rest of their lives. But that doesn’t stop their paths from crossing over eight rocky years, punctuated by chance encounters and transatlantic visits, on a journey that eventually brings them right back to where it all started.]]> Erika Veurink Tori 0 to-read 4.10 Exit Lane
author: Erika Veurink
name: Tori
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Gather 83823717 A resourceful teenager in rural Vermont struggles to hold on to the family home while his mom recovers from addiction in this striking debut novel.

Ian Gray isn’t supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn’t happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian’s adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run, trying to evade a future that would mean leaving their house and their land. Even if the community comes together to help him, would Ian and Gather have a home to return to?

Told in a wry, cautious first-person voice that meanders like a dog circling to be sure it’s safe to lie down, Kenneth M. Cadow’s resonant debut brings an emotional and ultimately hopeful story of one teen’s resilience in the face of unthinkable hardships.]]> 337 Kenneth M. Cadow 1536234184 Tori 5 1. It does a great job of recognizing rural teens and the ways in which the US education system fails them.
2. The dog doesn't die.
3. The title is so fun to think about once you finish the book. It relates to SO many different parts of the story.]]> 4.38 2023 Gather
author: Kenneth M. Cadow
name: Tori
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/29
date added: 2025/05/17
shelves:
review:
Things to know about this book:
1. It does a great job of recognizing rural teens and the ways in which the US education system fails them.
2. The dog doesn't die.
3. The title is so fun to think about once you finish the book. It relates to SO many different parts of the story.
]]> <![CDATA[Hardly Strangers: An 831 Stories Romance]]> 213458857
This is the night Shera's been waiting for: She’s at a trendy Silver Lake bar to finally get a drink with the handsome, charming filmmaker she's been pining after for months.

But when Max King—the alluring and mischievous frontman of an Irish punk band—enters the picture, an electric attraction ignites between them.

Shera’s evening begins to unfold in ways she never imagined, and she surprises herself by getting swept up in his energy and daring to feel again after past heartbreak. But how does she know their passionate encounter won't expire in the morning? And is she ready to shed some of her hard-earned armor for this disarming stranger?]]> 160 A.C. Robinson Tori 0 3.39 Hardly Strangers: An 831 Stories Romance
author: A.C. Robinson
name: Tori
average rating: 3.39
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/05/17
date added: 2025/05/17
shelves:
review:
I’m not a big fan of celebrity/regular person romance, but this was short and an easy breeze throughout.
]]> <![CDATA[Jane and Dan at the End of the World]]> 214268974 Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise.

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.

But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—and not just because she’s in a hostage situation the likes of which she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.

Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “’til death do us part� all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.]]> 368 Colleen Oakley 0593200829 Tori 5 3.69 2025 Jane and Dan at the End of the World
author: Colleen Oakley
name: Tori
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/16
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves:
review:
This was such a fun and intellectually stimulating romp of a book! Not sure if this would be my vibe, but turns out I'm super into "weirdly funny stuck in a crime in progress" book with a wild premise!
]]> The Trouble with Heroes 214868940 Bestselling and award-winning author Kate Messner takes readers on a heart-filling journey as a boy finds his path to healing.

One summer.
46 mountain peaks.
A second chance to make things right.

Finn Connelly is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn's about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.

Caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery, he's in big trouble for kicking down some dead old lady's headstone. But it turns out that grave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber, and her daughter makes Finn an unusual offer...climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks with her dead mother's dog, and they can call it even.

In a wild three months of misadventures, mountain mud, and unexpected mentors, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak, he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don't care about any of that, and as the clock ticks down to September, they have more surprises in store. Finn's final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face.]]> 368 Kate Messner 1547616393 Tori 5 4.73 The Trouble with Heroes
author: Kate Messner
name: Tori
average rating: 4.73
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/12
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves:
review:
First off the dog lives. Second, I loved this whole thing! Now for the actual review. I saw this cover and thought it would make the perfect middle grade palate cleanser for me as I was in-between audiobooks. What I didn't realize is that it would have me sobbing (in the best way) pretty much the whole time I was reading it! This book is perfect for readers (of any age) who want to explore grief, the outdoors, and community connection. It covers tough topics in the most respectful way. You've got PTSD, 9/11, misuse of alcohol (adult...not the 7th grader), and I'm sure I'm missing a few more. But more importantly this book has growth, forgiveness, and it offers everyone the opportunity to grow an even bigger heart. UGH IT WAS SO GOOD!!! Shoutout to Libro FM for my free ALC!
]]> Shopgirls 217223460 From the author of the "delightful" (New York Times Book Review)ĚýMary Jane, a new novel of found family, growing up, and the best and worst of the 1980s, revolving around San Francisco's most exclusive department store, I. Magnin.

Nineteen-year-old Zippy can hardly believe it: she's the newest and youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin, "San Francisco's Finest Department Store." Every week, she rotates her three spruced-up Salvation Army outfits and Vaseline-shined pumps; still, she's thrilled to walk those pumps through the employee entrance five days a week as she saves to buy something new. For a girl who grew up in a one-bedroom apartment above a liquor store with her mother and her mother's madcap boyfriend, Howard; a girl who wanted to go to college but had no help in figuring out how; I. Magnin represents a real chance for a better and more elegant life. Or, at the very least, a more interesting one.

Zippy may not be in school, but she's about to get an education that will stick with her for decades. Her fellow salesgirls (lifetime professionals) run the gamut from mean and indifferent to caring and helpful. The cosmetics ladies on the first floor share both samples and advice ("only date a man with a Rolex"); and her new roommate, Raquel, an ambitious lawyer, tells Zippy she can lose ten pounds easy if she joins Raquel in eating only every other day. Just when Zippy thinks she's getting a handle on how to be an adult woman in 1985, two surprises threaten both her sense of self and her coveted position at I. Magnin.

Set in the Day-Glo colors of 1980s San Francisco,ĚýShopgirls is an intoxicating novel of self-discovery, outrageous fashion, and family both biological and found.]]> 272 Jessica Anya Blau 0063052350 Tori 5 3.59 2025 Shopgirls
author: Jessica Anya Blau
name: Tori
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/12
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves:
review:
I've been anticipating this book since I read the author's 2021 book "Mary Jane" (which is one of my top 10 lifetime favorites). I was SO nervous because I wasn't sure the author could deliver a book that would met my expectations. I'm happy to report that this book and Zippy stole my heart! After an hour or so I was HOOKED and by the 50% mark I wanted to protect Zippy at all cost! This will absolutely be a top 10 of 2025 for me! Shout out to Libro FM for the the ALC and Netgalley for the ARC! buuuut this cover isn't it...hoping the paperback will look better!
]]> <![CDATA[Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known]]> 200982286 From the New York Times–bestselling author of All Boys Aren’t Blue comes an empowering set of essays about Black and Queer icons from the Harlem Renaissance.

In Flamboyants, George M. Johnson celebrates writers, performers, and activists from 1920s Black America whose sexualities have been obscured throughout history. Through 14 essays, Johnson reveals how American culture has been shaped by icons who are both Black and Queer � and whose stories deserve to be celebrated in their entirety.

Interspersed with personal narrative, powerful poetry, and illustrations by award-winning illustrator Charly Palmer, Flamboyants looks to the past for understanding as to how Black and Queer culture has defined the present and will continue to impact the future. With candid prose and an unflinching lens towards truth and hope, George M. Johnson brings young adult readers an inspiring collection of biographies that will encourage teens today to be unabashed in their layered identities.]]> 144 George M. Johnson 0374391246 Tori 0 to-read 4.24 2024 Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known
author: George M. Johnson
name: Tori
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Rebound 59688701
It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday morning and Abby Reynolds isn’t where she wants to be. She wants to be in her beautiful loft apartment in Manhattan, drinking a coffee with her fiancé.

Instead, she’s heading back to the childhood home in rural Ireland she swore she’d never return to, with some big old secrets. Namely that she’s suddenly found herself unemployed, homeless, and absolutely 100% single.

She’s feeling all out of luck. Until the first person she meets after she touches down is an absurdly hot guy called Luke, who offers her a lift home. Gazing deep into his sparkling emerald-green eyes, Abby knows instantly that he’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off everything. The perfect rebound.

It’s a flawless plan. Until the next day, when Abby realizes who he actually is. Not just a stranger. He is, in fact, Luke Bailey, aka the boy next door. Luke Bailey who—so help her God—she’s pretty sure she once shared baths with, back when they were kids. Not that she can allow herself to imagine him in a bath now, not without blushing from head to foot.

And judging by the smirk on his face, the same Luke Bailey who’s known exactly who she was the whole time� And who, like everyone in the village, still thinks she’s a high-flying New Yorker� who’s getting married next year.

Abby is certain getting under Luke will help her get over her ex. But the truth is stopping her. Can she admit to everyone back home that she’s single and has lost everything? Because, if she wants the boy next door, she may just have to�

The perfect feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh until you cry and fall completely in love. Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, and Emily Henry won’t be able to put this down!]]> 334 Catherine Walsh 1800195664 Tori 0 to-read 3.59 2022 The Rebound
author: Catherine Walsh
name: Tori
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Romance Rivalry 218587800
Irene Park loves romance novels—so much so she’s made a career of them as an online book reviewer with a massive following. But Irene’s real life dating story? Non-existent. So when she starts her freshman year of college, she sets her sights on finding true love using the one thing she really understands…romance book tropes.

If only it were that easy.

Enter Aiden Jeon, Irene’s online book review rival and biggest nemesis. When Aiden challenges her to see who can find love-by-trope first, he becomes the one person standing in her way to getting everything she wants both professionally and personally, too. So when the competition takes an unexpected turn, forcing the two of them to have to partner in the ultimate trope, fake dating, Irene is not prepared for everything she believed about romance, and Aiden, to flip on its head.

As Irene tackles the challenges of college life, struggles to figure out what she really wants for herself, all while trying to win the race for love, Irene realizes the answers may not be found in a romance novel. Happily Ever Afters seem so easy on page. But for Irene to find her ultimate HEA, she’ll have to get her nose out of the book and become the main character of her own story.

Perfect for fans of:
đź“š Enemies to Lovers
đź’ Fake Dating
🏫 College Rom-Coms
đź’¬ Banter for Days
🎥 A+ Pop Culture References
� Books about loving books]]> 368 Susan Lee 1335012877 Tori 0 to-read 3.75 2025 The Romance Rivalry
author: Susan Lee
name: Tori
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The View From Lake Como 220687867 From the beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, a “dazzlingâ€� storyteller (Washington Post), and a “comedy writer with a heart of goldâ€� (NYT), comes a novel about one woman’s quest to build her own life before it’s too late.Ěý

Jess Capodimonte Baratta is not living the life of her dreams. Not even close.
Ěý
In blue-collar Lake Como, New Jersey, family comes first. Recently divorced from Bobby Bilancia, “the perfect husband," Jess moves into her parentsâ€� basement to hide and heal. Jess is the overlooked daughter, who dutifully takes care of her parents, cooks Sunday dinner, and puts herself last. Despite her role as the family handmaiden, Jess is also a talented draftswoman in the marble business run by her confidant, her dapper uncle Louie, who believes she can do anything (once she invests in a better wardrobe). Ěý
Ěý
When the Capodimonte and Baratta families endure an unexpected loss, the shock unearths long-buried secrets that will force Jess to question her loyalty to those she trusted. Fueled by her lost dreams, Jess takes fate into her own hands and escapes to her ancestral home, Carrara, Italy.
Ěý
From the shadows of the majestic marble-capped mountains of Tuscany, to the glittering streets of Milan, and on the shores of enchanting Lake Como (the other one), Jess begins to carve a place in this new/old world. When she meets Angelo Strazza, a passionate artist who works in gold, she discovers her own skills are priceless. But as Jess uncovers the truth about her family history, it will change the course of her life and those she loves the most forever. ĚýIn love and work, in art and soul, Jess will need every tool she has mastered to reinvent her life.

Fed by the author’s cherished Italian roots comes a bighearted, hilarious novel of the the story of one woman’s determination to live a creative life that matters, with enough room left over for love. With a one-way ticket to Italy, Jess is determined to write a new story on her own terms--this time, in stone.]]> 416 Adriana Trigiani 0593183355 Tori 0 to-read 4.31 The View From Lake Como
author: Adriana Trigiani
name: Tori
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Left of Forever (Spunes, OR, #2)]]> 217388096 An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

This time, they'll get it right.

Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. They were made for one another…until they fell apart.

Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds.

When Sam gets accepted into college and the pair help him move in together, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes with him to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous scenery of the California coastline, dreamy destinations, and a great deal of long-yearned-for proximity, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But the two still have to contend with their tumultuous past in order to move forward. And when spoken words fail, sometimes the written word must bridge the gap.

Will they make the most of what’s left of forever? Or will they let each other go for good?

Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.]]> 336 Tarah DeWitt 1250329442 Tori 4 4.36 2025 Left of Forever (Spunes, OR, #2)
author: Tarah DeWitt
name: Tori
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves:
review:
I love this fictional town. I love these characters. I wasn’t prepared for the ice cream scene. That’s it. That’s the review. Shout out to LibroFM for the ALC.
]]> Comedic Timing 217951320
Naina Rao is ready for this to be her year: She’s entered her mid-twenties, landed a steady job, broken up with her intensely passionate older girlfriend Sofia, and committed to hustling her way into a creative career.

But the city doesn’t exactly embrace her with open arms � at least not until she meets David, an aspiring filmmaker and collaborator who makes New York start to feel like home.

But is this a professional connection or a romantic one? And does opening herself up to a relationship with David mean compromising her sexual identity and her aspirations?]]> 176 Upasna Barath Tori 5 3.49 2025 Comedic Timing
author: Upasna Barath
name: Tori
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves:
review:
The author absolutely took me into all of the intense emotions and complicated feelings/experiences that were explored in this novella. I would happily read a full length novel by this author! I can’t remember who told me about the 831 Stories imprint, but I’m so glad they did! My new reading goal is to read them all as they slowly publish more!
]]> <![CDATA[Long Live: The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and Fandom of Taylor Swift]]> 212924097 Covering the Taylor Swift multiverse from all angles with a uniquely fascinating journey through fandom history, new interviews, and behind-the-scenes detail on her career across all eras, this lush package is the ultimate fan guide for legions of Swifties.
Ěý
Long Live is a deep-dive into the cultural phenomenon of Swifties as well as the many facets of the artist herself. From MySpace comments to T-Party invites to Secret Sessions and beyond, it covers the evolution of Taylor as well as the journey that fans have been on with her through two decades of personal milestones—hers and theirs, both good and bad. It’s the book that connects with fans in the way her music does—on a personal level that makes them feel seen and takes them back to unforgettable times and places in their lives.

Readers will take a trip through Taylor’s eras from the start of her groundbreaking career, with stops at each album and its iconic songs, the hidden Easter Eggs, unforgettable concerts and fashion, and the many relationships that have informed the star’s music. The content is peppered with sidebars on How to Speak Swiftie, How to Dress by Era, career stats, and exclusive stories of fan encounters and author and entertainment journalist Nicole Pomarico’s own experiences meeting Taylor Swift and her parents.

With stylish illustrations and photos throughout, this engaging, essential look at the artist’s career and fandom is the complete package for Swifties.]]> 192 Nicole Pomarico 0762489413 Tori 3 4.25 Long Live: The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and Fandom of Taylor Swift
author: Nicole Pomarico
name: Tori
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves:
review:
Although this covers all the currently available eras, it was mainly a deep dive into swiftie culture (aka swiftie internet behavior). So if you’re new to being a swiftie I think this is a great “catch up� book to help you understand the fandom/lore of the fan base.
]]> <![CDATA[Grape Juice: An 831 Stories Romance]]> 227858416 For fans of Under the Tuscan Sun, French Kiss, and The Pairing.

In her life in NYC, Alice feels like she’s withering on the vine. So when her boss suggests she attend wine harvest in rural France, she’s on a plane faster than she can second-guess herself. On her first day of alcohol-addled adult summer camp, she’s paired with Henri—equally disillusioned, albeit in his own very French way—and she realizes just how much can change if she’s willing to get her hands dirty.]]> Eliza Dumais Tori 0 to-read 5.00 Grape Juice: An 831 Stories Romance
author: Eliza Dumais
name: Tori
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Can't Get Enough 218372325 “Kennedy Ryan pours her whole soul into everything she writes, and it makes for books that are heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.”―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry's rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.

She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward.ĚýAnd in the midst of everything, she's facing her toughest challenge caring for an aging parent.

Who has time for romance? From her experience, there's a low ROI on relationships. She hasn't met the man who canĚýkeep up with her anyway. Until...him.

Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer's hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired and appreciated, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.

But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her,ĚýunderstandingĚýher—is it time to let herself have something more?


A deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.� �Entertainment Weekly]]> 448 Kennedy Ryan 1538772809 Tori 0 to-read 4.45 2025 Can't Get Enough
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Tori
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre]]> 52454426
But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten.

In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.

Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.]]> 286 Max Brooks 1984826786 Tori 0 to-read 3.87 2020 Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre
author: Max Brooks
name: Tori
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[That Fine Line (Pride and Pranks, #1)]]> 205173767
I didn’t think that was too much to ask. With my fiancé in California, I was back home for three months to plan my wedding. I had colors to pick, cows to milk, and a wedding dress to squeeze into.

Which was why I didn’t need anybody messing with me.

Especially not the guy who had dedicated his whole life to making mine a joke. The guy who filled my high school locker with frogs and my hot car with cans of tuna. I mean…I always got him back. But not this summer. Things were different now. I was engaged. I had grown up. I would NOT fall victim to Cade’s pranks, teasing, or his manly charms.

If only my dad hadn’t hired the moron to cowboy for him this summer.

Now my childhood enemy is living on our ranch and seems to think we have a score to settle.

And all bets are off.]]> 288 Cindy Steel Tori 0 to-read 3.88 2021 That Fine Line (Pride and Pranks, #1)
author: Cindy Steel
name: Tori
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wives Like Us 61896550
If you think the English countryside is all green wellies, muddy Land Rovers, and grey-haired ladies in tweed, then you’ve never visited The Bottoms.

Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire, and the tony Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female: the Country Princess.

Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to The Old Coach House to teach her husband, Bryan, a lesson.

But things don’t go to plan. Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door—Great Bottom Park—is refusing Tata’s overtures at friendship; Tata’s two best friends, Sophie Thompson and Fernanda Ovington-Williams, are distracted by their own problems; worst of all, Ian has nowhere to store his collection of vintage Gucci loafers.

Will Tata ever return to the comforts of the Manor? Will Sophie’s husband start appreciating her? Will Fernanda ever find a replacement Manny for her friendless son, Luca? Will Selby believe in love again? With the help of a pig farmer-ess moonlighting as a Personal Assistant, a male model moonlighting as a stable hand, a London barrister moonlighting as a gentleman farmer, and a hypochondriac American tech mogul lying in a hospital bed, is there any hope that Ian can restore harmony to The Bottoms?]]> 368 Plum Sykes 0062429086 Tori 0 to-read 3.42 2024 Wives Like Us
author: Plum Sykes
name: Tori
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put―A Biographical Exploration of the Unexpected Joys of a Quiet Life]]> 216724329 In her first book, the popular From the Front Porch podcast host and independent bookstore owner challenges the idea that loud lives are the ones that matter most, reminding us that we don't have to leave the lives we have in order to have the lives of which we've always dreamed.

Can life be an adventure, even when it’s just . . . ordinary?

Annie Jones always assumed adulthood would mean a high-powered career; life in a big, bustling city; and travels to far-flung places she’d longed to see. But her reality turned out differently. As the years passed, Annie was still in the same small town running an independent bookstore —the kind of life Nora Ephron dreamed.

During that time, she hosted friends� goodbye parties and mailed parting gifts; wrote recommendation letters and wished former shop staffers well. She stayed in her small town, despite her love of big cities; stayed in her marriage to the guy she met when she was 18; and she stayed at her bookstore while the world outside shifted steadily toward digital retailers. And she stayed loyal to a faith she sometimes didn’t recognize.

After ten years, Annie realized she might never leave. But instead of regret, she had an epiphany. She awakened to the gifts of a quiet life spent staying put.

In Ordinary Time, Annie challenges the idea that loud lives matter most. Rummaging through her small-town existence, she finds hidden gifts of humor and hope from a life lived quietly. Staying, can itself be a radical act. It takes courage to stay in the places we’ve always called home, Jones argues, as she paints a portrait of possibility far away from thriving metropolises and Monica Gellar-inspired apartments.

We’ve long been encouraged to follow our dreams, to pack up and move to new places and leave old lives—and past selves—behind. While there is beauty in these kinds of adventures, Ordinary Time helps us see ourselves right where we in the middle of messy, mundane lives, maybe not too far from where we grew up. We don’t have to leave to find what we yearn—we can choose to stay, celebrating and honoring our ordinary lives, which might turn out to be bigger and better than we ever imagined.Ěý


]]> 240 Annie B. Jones 006341127X Tori 5 4.27 Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put―A Biographical Exploration of the Unexpected Joys of a Quiet Life
author: Annie B. Jones
name: Tori
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:
I read this book on Indie Bookstore Day and that felt like the perfect way celebrate and consume this it. I’ve followed Annie and her Bookshelf team for years and I absolutely loved every chapter of this book. I found myself physically nodding along with things she said, humming at thoughtful moments, and crying in multiple chapters. It was lovely. Annie is lovely. Her writing is lovely. I will happily re-read this book in the future.
]]> <![CDATA[I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams]]> 220565817 The sensational two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles’s heartfelt, inspiring memoir chronicling her unlikely path to the podium—including the unprecedented challenges, the joy of winning, the crushing pain of defeat, and the love and support of her devoted family and teammates that helps her stay strong.Ěý

It was a rare and stunning after the judges at the 2024 Paris Olympics determined that Jordan had rightfully scored third place for her performance—following a successful challenge by her coach—she earned the bronze medal. Later, Jordan’s euphoria turned to devastation when the Court of Arbitration for Sport stripped her of that medal based on nothing but semantics. Jordan called the ruling, “One of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many.�

In her powerful, eye-opening memoir, Jordan digs deep, sharing the story of her life’s challenges—the racism she encountered as a gifted Black girl in a predominantly white elite sport, the childhood coach who called her fat and led her to develop eating issues, the grueling practices, the injuries, the moments of nearly calling it quits. Through it all, Jordan refused to give up. Through sheer grit—and the love of her family—she kept working and winning. When Simone Biles stepped away from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a case of the “twisties,� Jordan stepped in to play a key role in securing silver for Team USA. And in Paris, Jordan made history as part of the first all-Black podium in all of men's and women’s gymnastics.

Told with refreshing candor and Jordan’s irrepressible spirit, I’m That Girl is a glimpse of life in the psychologically and physically demanding upper echelons of women’s elite gymnastics. Exploring the deep bonds so often forged in pressure cookers, Jordan speaks openly about her relationships with her teammates, including her best friend and “big sister� Simone Biles, and how their support for one another has proved invaluable on and off the mat.

With the highs, lows, twists, and turns characteristic of the sport, and featuring a 16-page color photo insert, I’m That Girl reveals how one extraordinary young woman keeps her balance in a uniquely dizzying life. By way of her unwavering tenacity, Jordan has changed the culture of gymnastics, fighting every day to ensure that the girls she inspires are not pre-judged for their hair, their bodies, or their skin color. Insightful and deeply moving, I’m That Girl is a testament to the power of perseverance and the transformative joy of doing what you love, told by a fierce and unique individual who has been and will always be That Girl�the ultimate hype woman who shows up and gives it her all.]]> 288 Jordan Chiles 0063443406 Tori 5 4.35 I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams
author: Jordan Chiles
name: Tori
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:
This was great! Normally I’m not a fan of memoirs written by people under 25 (or even 30), but if she waited another 10+ years to write this I don’t think we would have had the details and feelings described in such a powerful way. She’s so close to the events and I think that benefited the story telling in this case!
]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 5]]> 59041700 “What a lovely bible,� Mrs. Tribly said.
“Isn’t it just?� I replied, hoping she would not ask me to read a favorite verse aloud.
I do not believe the psalmist wrote,
Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest,
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.]]> 247 Beth Brower 0998063657 Tori 5 4.77 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 5
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:
This series is like a mix of “Pride and Prejudice� meets “Anne of Green Gables� and it is PERFECTION!
]]> <![CDATA[Hit Girls: Britney, Taylor, Beyoncé, and the Women Who Built Pop's Shiniest Decade]]> 216512714
In Hit Girls, Nora Princiotti examines how these artists built the modern music industry by redefining its relationship to genre, technology, and celebrity. She unpacks when Brit wore pigtails and opened the bubblegum floodgates for Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson to run through them, leading to the emergence of Avril, P!nk, and Paramore as a (no-less-poppy) punk antidote to the first wave of pop. Innovations in technology lead to the rise of EDM, as artists like Rihanna experimented with sound while artists like Ke$ha and Katy Perry embraced the “party anthem.� Along the way, Princiotti explores how celebrity evolved alongside the shift in media from tabloids to MySpace to Instagram and how Taylor ultimately created one of the largest, most dedicated fandoms the world has ever seen.

With passion, energy, and a slew of fun facts, Hit Girls shows how this decade of pop became a major cultural signifier continues to have a lasting impact today.]]> 224 Nora Princiotti 0593725085 Tori 0 to-read 4.24 Hit Girls: Britney, Taylor, Beyoncé, and the Women Who Built Pop's Shiniest Decade
author: Nora Princiotti
name: Tori
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Thrashers 217387802 Either you're in or you're out.

Welcome to the Thrashers, the elite friend group at New Helvetia High.

They’re everything everyone wants to be.

Jodi Dillon was never meant to be one of them. Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher are rich, sophisticated, and love attention. Jodi feels out of place, but Zack’s her childhood best friend, so she’s in.

Then Emily Mills, who desperately wanted to be a Thrasher, dies—and the whispers about the Thrashers begin. As Emily’s journal surfaces, detectives close in, and Jodi faces an impossible choice: betray her friends or protect herself.

But as eerie messages and strange occurrences escalate, it becomes clear—Emily isn’t done with them yet.

A twisty thrill-ride of unforgettable drama and suspense that "encapsulates the vulnerability of adolescents playing adult games" (Ali Hazelwood) from USA Today bestselling author Julie Soto, The Thrashers will keep you up at night desperate to read just one more page.

"A tour-de-force YA debut from Julie Soto." - Alexa Donne

"For fans of Karen McManus and Kara Thomas, The Thrashers had me holding my breath, sweaty-palming my e-reader, and dying to flip each page to see what would happen next." - Susan Lee

"Expertly plotted and full of flawed, morally gray characters you still can't help rooting for, The Thrashers is one of the best books I've read this year." - Evelyn Skye]]> 352 Julie Soto 125037717X Tori 5 4.17 2025 The Thrashers
author: Julie Soto
name: Tori
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:
This book was like catnip! I was captivated from the very beginning and HAD to know what would happen as soon as possible! This book felt like a combo of “The OC� meets “Pretty Little Liars� meets �13 Reasons Why�. I loved it! Teens/adults who enjoyed “A Good Girls Guide to Murder� will be a good fit for this title too! Shout out to LibroFM and Macmillan for the ALC!
]]> <![CDATA[The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, #1)]]> 209753199 The first in a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally � such is the grim comedy of fate � the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

Romance tropes
Enemies to lovers
High interaction slow burn
Hypercompetent idiots
He falls first and harder
Evisceration as a love language]]> 416 Brigitte Knightley 0356524736 Tori 0 to-read 4.08 2025 The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed, #1)
author: Brigitte Knightley
name: Tori
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Listeners 56988057 #1 New York Times bestselling novelist Maggie Stiefvater dazzles in this mesmerizing portrait of an irresistible heroine, an unlikely romance, and a hotel—and a world—in peril.

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 Tori 0 to-read 3.93 2025 The Listeners
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Tori
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 4]]> 56553921
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.]]> 208 Beth Brower Tori 5 4.74 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 4
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.74
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:
My love for Emma M Lion and her crew of men grows with every book I read! The dinner and emotional recovery scene with Pierce, Islington, and Young Hawkes cemented my love for them into legendary status!
]]> Get Real, Chloe Torres 217455579 When Chloe Torres plans the perfect summer to reunite her estranged BFFs—a cross-country road trip to see their favorite boy band!—there’s only one difficulty� getting them to actually go along for the ride.

Chloe Torres� birthday has always marked the end of summer—but as she turns eighteen and prepares to leave for her freshman year of art school, it feels like the end of more than that. It’s the end of her adolescence, which means it’s time to leave the past behind� but can she really let go of the two estranged best friends she left there?

NOPE. Chloe decides to take one more shot at healing the friend breakup she’s always regretted: planning the bucket-list trip neither girl can say no to. She’s taken care of everything: the car, the hotels, and concert tickets to see their favorite boy band’s reunion show in Las Vegas—stage seats, so close they can fangirl right in front of the boys� faces. But first, her ex-BFFs have to say yes.

And to say yes, they’d all have to be talking� which they haven’t done since Ramona kissed Chloe, and everything imploded.

But with some clever finagling (and some undignified begging) Chloe gets them all on board. Of course, being in a car together for two weeks brings back old feelings� a lot of old feelings� and soon enough, Chloe wants Sienna, Ramona wants Chloe, and everything is on fireeeee.

This sizzling summer adventure from YA star Crystal Maldonado is a hilarious and heartfelt romcom with a little something for everyone: fat positivity, sapphic romance, a blazing love triangle, ADHD representation, a diversity of Latine identities, a once-in-a-lifetime roadtrip—and the perfect it’s-finally-happening kiss.]]> 240 Crystal Maldonado 0823452379 Tori 0 to-read 3.95 Get Real, Chloe Torres
author: Crystal Maldonado
name: Tori
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth)]]> 213111930
There’s a madman dog beside me, and the hounds of memory ahead of us . . . It’s love and beasts and wild mistakes, and regret, but never to change things.

What happens when the Zusak family opens their home to three big, wild, street-hardened dogs—Reuben, more wolf than hound; Archer, blond, beautiful, destructive; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm?

The answer can only be chaos: There are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property damages, injuries, hospital visits, wellness checks, pure comedy, shocking tragedy, and carnage that must be read to be believed.

There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love—and the joy and recognition of family.

Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth) is a tender, motley, and exquisitely written memoir about the human need for both connection and disorder, a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty—but also the visceral truth of the natural world—straight to our doors and into our lives and change us forever.]]> 240 Markus Zusak 0063426072 Tori 5 4.01 2024 Three Wild Dogs (and the Truth)
author: Markus Zusak
name: Tori
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:
Welp, this one had me sobbing during my dog walks while I listened to it! Did I agree with all the choices made? No. Does that matter? No. What matters was the way in which he perfectly describes loving a pet so deeply regardless of the mayhem they create. We are so lucky to share part of our life with creatures who love us so endlessly throughout all of their life. This one is for the wild dogs that have loved me and shaped me. I am a better human for having loved Maggie, Trace, Wynn, and Hiccup (and all my cats and horse…Spirit, Moses, Madeline, Nimbus, and Tonks).
]]> <![CDATA[Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets]]> 210041401 From name-checking Romeo and Juliet in "You Belong with Me" to The Great Gatsby allusions in "Happiness", Taylor Swift's lyrics are packed with literary connections.Make sure you're catching them allĚýwith this expert guide to the novels, poems, and plays that influenced her songwriting.Let a literature professor and a musical theater star guide you through the Swift canon—from Arthurian legend to Austen to Edward Albee. Learn what "New Romantics" has to do with the old Romantics, which Gothic novel inspired "Tolerate It," how to spot Taylor's many Great Gatsby references, and more! With full-color illustrations guiding you through the literary eras of Dr. Swift (yes, she has an honorary Ph.D.), it’s a perfect gift for the Swiftie in your life.ĚýPacked with fun facts, entertaining analysis, and recommended reading that fans will love, Taylor Swift by the Book will turn anyone from a Taylor Swift lover into a Taylor Swift scholar.]]> 256 Rachel Feder 1683694740 Tori 4 3.85 2024 Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets
author: Rachel Feder
name: Tori
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:
If this is all true connections then Taylor might as well be a Lit professor, but I have a sneaking suspicion a lot of this is guess work, which was still fun to read about! Although what becomes very clear is most of the references are related to dead white cis male authors. Hoping and wishing that Taylor’s actually reading life is filled with more inclusive authors (BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ stories). Additionally, I’m FLOORED that Dorothy Parker and Flannery O'Connor are not mentioned ONCE. I feel like both of those authors would be so fun for Taylor to play with in her lyrics.
]]> Sunshine and Spice 203608494
Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops� baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.

Enter, Dev Mukherjee.

Dev knows everything his mother wants…including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?

But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.]]> 336 Aurora Palit 0593640187 Tori 4 3.71 2024 Sunshine and Spice
author: Aurora Palit
name: Tori
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:
Great audio narrators, witty banger, and awesome representation!
]]> I See You've Called in Dead 217204419 “Razor-sharp, darkly comedic, and emotionally piercing. With the satirical bite of Richard Russo’s Straight Man, the introspection of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, and the reinvention of Andrew Sean Greer's Less, Kenney’s vivid prose transforms the mundane into unexpected hilarity.�
�Booklist (starred review)

An Indie Next & LibraryReads Pick for April

The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story.

Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting� man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living.

As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Tim, a worldly and wise former art dealer, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live.

Thurber Prize-winner and New York Times bestselling author John Kenney tells a funny, touching story about life and death, about the search for meaning, about finding and never letting go of the preciousness of life.]]> 304 John Kenney Tori 0 to-read 4.12 2025 I See You've Called in Dead
author: John Kenney
name: Tori
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dead Man's List (Romantic Suspense #31; San Diego, #3)]]> 214537803 Homicide Detective Kit McKittrick's latest case exposes San Diego’s seedy underbelly in this nerve-shattering tale of romantic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose.

On a long-anticipated second date with police psychologist Dr. Sam Reeves—right as things are getting steamy—Kit stumbles across the mutilated body of a local San Diego politician. The politician is loved by many of his constituents but is hated and reviled by many more. That the suspect list is long is no surprise to anyone, but exactly who ends up on it stuns Kit and her team.

As the SDPD reveal the victim’s sinister dealings, Kit and Sam are forced to navigate the lawless world of the city’s most rich and powerful citizens to find answers. But time is rapidly running out, with their sources of information dropping like flies as the killer methodically eliminates loose ends—and anyone else who stands in the way.]]> 465 Karen Rose 0593817176 Tori 4 4.18 2025 Dead Man's List (Romantic Suspense #31; San Diego, #3)
author: Karen Rose
name: Tori
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves:
review:
Nothing life changing, but a great palate cleanser!
]]> Set Piece 220715452 A chance encounter leaves a breakout TV star and no-nonsense bartender wanting more, but life gets in the way. They find each other again five years later, while working on a movie set—but is there room in their lives for this second chance at romance?

Even one year ago, no one would have recognized Jack Felgate at a bar. But after his steamy breakout TV role, he's surprised to be swarmed by fans during a night out with friends. When the practical bartender CJ intervenes to fend off his admirers, he's grateful—and more than a little eager to stick around for an after-hours drink–turned–tryst.

Five years later, Jack shows up to set for his starring role in (yet another?!) adaptation of The Great Gatsby only to find CJ is the film’s production designer. But neither of them is the same person they were back CJ is a single mom with a four-year-old, and Jack is a bona fide celebrity managing ceaseless demands on his time and attention.

Their chemistry hasn’t dimmed since they saw each other last, but is there room in their lives for anything more than one very memorable night together?

831 Stories is a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and celebrates the genre’s joyful, enthusiastic fans.]]> 224 Lana Schwartz Tori 0 to-read 3.70 Set Piece
author: Lana Schwartz
name: Tori
average rating: 3.70
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 3]]> 55138117 "It has been a day ordained by the fates, for how else could one explain the wholly cursed chain of events?" The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London Neighbourhood of St. Crispian's. But Emma's plan for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian's. Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House. Readers have compared The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion to Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, L. M. Montgomery, and Jean Webster.]]> 229 Beth Brower Tori 5 4.65 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 3
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.65
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
Y’all these Emma M Lion books are like catnip! I can’t get enough of them!
]]> <![CDATA[The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom]]> 214151420 From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing.

Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.

As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.

Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.�

For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.� No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.]]> 320 Shari Franke 1668065398 Tori 5 4.39 2025 The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
author: Shari Franke
name: Tori
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
This book is a great example of how two things can be true at once…as in there can be churches and people within those churches who manipulate and wreck the true concept of their faith and therefore harm so many people. AND other churches and people within those churches who lovingly live out their faith without harming others. It’s tough to remember that both exist, when right now we are so frequently hearing from the side that is doing so much harm.
]]> <![CDATA[Say You'll Remember Me (Say You'll Remember Me, #1)]]> 216437557 disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong�

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 Tori 4 4.04 2025 Say You'll Remember Me (Say You'll Remember Me, #1)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Tori
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
I don’t know what Abby Jimenez, puts in her books, but I’m hooked within the first page every time! This was definitely her saddest book yet (IMO). Also it was insta love and I’m not a huge fan of that trope, but I liked that trope waaaaay more than normal because Abby is so good!
]]> Just Our Luck 215361843 A lottery ticket + donuts = love in this steamy new fake dating romance from beloved author Denise Williams.

Who needs love? Not Sybil Sweet. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is embracing her role as the directionless, floundering member of her family. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she’s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.

Kiran Anderson abandoned his dreams of becoming a doctor to take over running his family’s bakery, and after two years of fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted and broke. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out the next morning, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.

Lucky for Kiran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to get Sybil’s family off of her back, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them.]]> 400 Denise Williams 0593641434 Tori 5 3.45 2025 Just Our Luck
author: Denise Williams
name: Tori
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
If you love romance and haven’t read a book by Denise Williams yet…you are missing out! All of her books are so fun! Also this one had me craving a donut every time I was reading it!
]]> Four Weekends and a Funeral 201751633
When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends . . .

But Adam doesn’t want Alison anywhere near him. Forced to spend long hours with the grump, and his monosyllabic demeanor, Alison decides she must put her people-pleasing abilities to the test. She will make him like her. And after awkward family affairs and packing up dilemmas, the two form a tenuous friendship . . . if “friendship� means incredible chemistry and tension between them. Can Alison come clean and finally embrace the life and love she's always wanted? Or will her little white lie get in the way of her new, unexpected romance?]]> 368 Ellie Palmer Tori 0 to-read 3.69 2024 Four Weekends and a Funeral
author: Ellie Palmer
name: Tori
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Beast of Ten 36685029
THE PYRE - His storied stronghold deep in the Forrest of Naeethe, its glory forgotten, its ancient purposes abandoned

AND I, EMBER - Sent by the Lights to stop him from becoming the one thing that all nations fear the most.]]> 544 Beth Brower 099806369X Tori 0 to-read 4.29 The Beast of Ten
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2]]> 48677941
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
]]> 162 Beth Brower Tori 5 4.59 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
I slowly read this all today while drifting around the house reading in different chairs and drinking yummy tea…which is how this series begs to be read!
]]> When the Moon Hits Your Eye 211004190
It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.]]> 326 John Scalzi 0765389096 Tori 0 to-read 3.80 2025 When the Moon Hits Your Eye
author: John Scalzi
name: Tori
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Broken Country 214151202 “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.�

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.]]> 320 Clare Leslie Hall 166807818X Tori 5 4.36 2025 Broken Country
author: Clare Leslie Hall
name: Tori
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
I first heard about this book from the Currently Reading Murderful episode in 2024, but wanted to wait until spring time to read it because they mentioned it gave off spring time "All Creatures Great and Small" vibes meets the mystery vibes of "Where The Crawdad's Sing". They were right...now is the prefect time to read this book! I totally get why this has been hyped up by everyone and their mother...it's that good! I'm sure we are all desperate to get a hold of the author's 2 other books that haven't been released in the US...yet! Shout out to NetGalley for the ARC!
]]> Crush 213870131 When a husband asks his reluctant wife to consider what might be missing from their marriage, what follows surprises them both—sex, heartbreak and heart rekindling, and a rediscovered sense of all that is possible

She’s happy and settled and productive and content in her full life—a child, a career, an admirable marriage, deep friendships, happy parents, and a spouse she still loves. But when her husband urges her to address what the narrow labels of “husbandâ€� and “wifeâ€� force them to edit out of their lives, the very best kind of hell breaks loose.Ěý

Using the author’s personal experiences as a jumping-off point, Crush is about the danger and liberation of chasing desire, the havoc it can wreak, and most of all the clear sense of self one finds when the storm passes. Destined to become a classic novel of marriage, and tackling the big questions being asked about partnership in postpandemic relationships, Crush is a sharp, funny, seductive, and revelatory novel about holding on to everything it’s possible to love—friends, children, parents, passion, lovers, husbands, all of the world’s good books, and most of all one’s own deep sense of purpose.]]> 288 Ada Calhoun 0593832027 Tori 0 2.98 2025 Crush
author: Ada Calhoun
name: Tori
average rating: 2.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
I loved this author's non-fiction book "Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give", I really struggled with this semi-autobiographical literary fiction book. I read a different review that said something like "there were more quotes from dead white authors than dialogue", which I think is a fair thing to point out. I think the idea of this book was great, but execution wasn't stellar. I do think it could be interesting to read both this book and the author's non fiction book as a book pairing for a book club discussion.
]]> <![CDATA[Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer]]> 219484513 Actress and content creator Dylan Mulvaney’s honest account of her journey through girlhood

When Dylan Mulvaney came out as a woman online, she was a viral sensation almost overnight, emerging as a trailblazing voice on social media. Dylan’s personal coming-out story blossomed into a platform for advocacy and empowerment for trans people all over the world. Through her “Days of Girlhood� series, she connected with followers by exploring what it means to be a girl, from experimenting with makeup to story times to spilling the tea about laser hair removal, while never shying away from discussing the transphobia she faced online. Nevertheless, she was determined to be a beacon of positivity.

But shortly after she celebrated day 365 of being a girl, it all came screeching to a halt when an innocuous post sparked a media firestorm and right-wing backlash she couldn’t have expected. Despite the vitriolic press and relentless paparazzi, Dylan was determined to remain loud and proud.

In Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, Dylan pulls back the curtain of her “It Girl� lifestyle with a witty and intimate reflection of her life pre- and post-transition. She covers everything from her first big break in theater to the first time her dad recognized her as a girl to how she handled scandals, cancellations, and . . . tucking. It’s both laugh-out-loud funny and powerfully honest—and is a love letter to everyone who stands up for queer joy.]]> 266 Dylan Mulvaney 141977039X Tori 4 4.04 2025 Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer
author: Dylan Mulvaney
name: Tori
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
I didn't know a whole lot about Dylan before this book (beyond how other people reacted in 2023). This was funny, heartfelt, and informative!
]]> <![CDATA[Tangled Up in You (Meant to Be, #4)]]> 197577021
Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they've both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.]]> 320 Christina Lauren 1368092837 Tori 3 3.88 2024 Tangled Up in You (Meant to Be, #4)
author: Christina Lauren
name: Tori
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
I had no idea how they would take the "Tangled" story and turn it into a modern YA novel...annnd it was okay...a good "kindle to bed" book.
]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

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

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

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 198 John Green 0525556575 Tori 5 4.46 2025 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
author: John Green
name: Tori
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
I will wait as long as necessary for another John Green Non-Fic title to be published. This was, no surprise, fantastic! Shout out to Libro FM for the ALC!
]]> Say a Little Prayer 214268970 A wry, heartfelt tale of a teen who's taking her church camp by storm—one deadly sin at a time.

Riley quietly left church a year ago when she realized there was no place for a bi girl in her congregation. But it wasn’t until the pastor shunned her older sister for getting an abortion that she really wanted to burn it all down.

It’s just her luck, then, that she’s sent to the principal’s office for slapping a girl talking smack about her sister—and in order to avoid suspension, she has to spend spring break at church camp. The only saving grace is that she’ll be there with her best friend, Julia. Even if Julia’s dad is the pastor. And he’s in charge of camp. But Riley won’t let a technicality like “repenting� get in the way of her true mission. Instead of spending the week embracing the seven heavenly virtues, she decides to commit all seven deadly sins. If she can show the other campers that sometimes being a little bad is for the greater good, she could start a righteous revolution! What could possibly go wrong? Aside from falling for the pastor’s daughter . . .]]> 302 Jenna Voris 0593692748 Tori 5 4.06 2025 Say a Little Prayer
author: Jenna Voris
name: Tori
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
I think this healed something in me? This was so good. So much food for thought. Queer teen is forced to attend her old church's spring break camp...but she's not here to repent...she's there to get revenge...and maybe fall in love! I loved this as an adult and I would have loved this as a teen! So funny and meaningful! Would make a great book club book in my opinion. Shout out to Libro FM for the ALC!
]]> I Who Have Never Known Men 60811826 Deep underground, forty women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only a vague recollection of their lives before.


As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl—the fortieth prisoner—sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.


Jacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, in 1929, and fled to Casablanca with her family during WWII. Informed by her background as a psychoanalyst and her youth in exile, I Who Have Never Known Men is a haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic novel of female friendship and intimacy, and the lengths people will go to maintain their humanity in the face of devastation. Back in print for the first time since 1997, Harpman’s modern classic is an important addition to the growing canon of feminist speculative literature.]]> 184 Jacqueline Harpman 1945492600 Tori 0 to-read 4.10 1995 I Who Have Never Known Men
author: Jacqueline Harpman
name: Tori
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1]]> 52085140
The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.]]> 125 Beth Brower 0998063614 Tori 4 4.23 2019 The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1
author: Beth Brower
name: Tori
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves:
review:
This felt like the nicest breath of fresh air!
]]> <![CDATA[When She Was Good (Cyrus Haven, #2)]]> 52767515
Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven teams up with Sacha Hopewell, the police officer who found Evie, to try to find out what danger she fears and how to protect her from it, but it seems that the danger comes from some very powerful and influential people.]]> 352 Michael Robotham 1982103639 Tori 4 4.18 2020 When She Was Good (Cyrus Haven, #2)
author: Michael Robotham
name: Tori
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves:
review:
I read book 1 and 2 back to back and that felt like the right move...but I don't feel super compelled to continue with this series, but to quote my high school fav...Never Say Never...
]]> <![CDATA[Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism]]> 223436601 An explosive memoir charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.

From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.

Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg’s reaction when he learned of Facebook’s role in Trump’s election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace, all while Sheryl Sandberg urges her and others to “lean in.�

Careless People is a deeply personal account of why and how things have gone so horribly wrong in the past decade—told in a sharp, candid, and utterly disarming voice. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of Facebook: how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.]]> 382 Sarah Wynn-Williams 1250391237 Tori 0 to-read 4.24 2025 Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
author: Sarah Wynn-Williams
name: Tori
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Perfect Rom-Com 216052747 She's written dozens of smash hit novels as a ghostwriter. Too bad no one knows it.

Aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers conference bursting with optimism and ready to sell her manuscript with long-shot dreams of raising awareness for The Bridge, her grandmother's financially-struggling organization where she teaches ESL full-time. But after a disastrous pitching session, she stumbles into correcting another author's work in a last-ditch attempt to make a good impression with the agent. And she, as it turns out, is spot on.

No one is more surprised than Bryony when the agent offers her the opportunity to be a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, popular rom-com novelist. Bryony agrees on one she'll write books for this vain, demanding woman just as long as Jack Sterling, literary agent of the legendary Foundry Literary Agency, works to sell her own book too.

What nobody predicted, however, was that Bryony's books would turn Amelia Benedict into the Amelia Benedict, household name and bestselling author with millions of copies sold around the world.

And just like that, the Foundry Agency can't let her go.

But on a personal note, Jack is realizing he can't either.]]> 304 Melissa Ferguson 0840716885 Tori 0 to-read 3.73 2025 The Perfect Rom-Com
author: Melissa Ferguson
name: Tori
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Girl, Bad Girl (Cyrus Haven, #1)]]> 42202019 A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Half-starved and filthy, she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Maybe she is twelve, maybe fifteen. She doesn’t appear in any missing persons file, and her DNA can’t be matched to an identity.

Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he’s ever met—fascinating and dangerous in equal measure. Evie knows when someone is lying, and no one around her is telling the truth.

Meanwhile, Cyrus is called in to investigate the shocking murder of a high school figure-skating champion, Jodie Sheehan, who dies on a lonely footpath close to her home. Pretty and popular, Jodie is portrayed by everyone as the ultimate girl-next-door, but as Cyrus peels back the layers, a secret life emerges—one that Evie Cormac, the girl with no past, knows something about. A man haunted by his own tragic history, Cyrus is caught between the two cases—one girl who needs saving and another who needs justice. What price will he pay for the truth?

]]> 353 Michael Robotham 1982103604 Tori 4 4.10 2019 Good Girl, Bad Girl (Cyrus Haven, #1)
author: Michael Robotham
name: Tori
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves:
review:
Romance's have not been working for me via audio lately so I'm trying to switch it up with some mysteries/thrillers. I'm happy to report that this one worked for me! I didn't think I would continue with the series, but then got to the end of the book annnnd YES I will be continuing the series based on that ending!
]]> The Heartbreak Hotel 213015262 A bed-and-breakfast for the brokenhearted might hold the key to another chance at love in this achingly hopeful debut romance.

Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she’s dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she’s ever called home is not an option.

Her plan: ask her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house’s many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She’s shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.

But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry find themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple this fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home…or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.]]> Ellen O'Clover Tori 0 to-read 4.42 2025 The Heartbreak Hotel
author: Ellen O'Clover
name: Tori
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)]]> 221179254 This beautiful DELUXE EDITION hardcover featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled art is only available for a limited first print run and while supplies last. This is a stunning special edition you will want to add to your collection.

YOUR NEXT ROMANTASY OBSESSION!

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.

Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, Briony Rosewood knows that the world as she knows it is changed forever. The dark forces of Bomard have won and her people, the Eversuns, face imminent servitude, imprisonment or death. Her brother, fated to be heir twice over and unite the warring kingdoms, is dead.

Stripped of her Mind Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidders in an auction � and as the heir-apparent’s sister, she fetches the highest price.

After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven a high ranking Bomardsun � and her long-time and ill-fated infatuation. Scion of a family known for their cruel control of Heart Magic, the Hearsts are ruthlessly ambitious, and Briony knows they will use her however they can to further their own interests.

Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help � and hope � may yet arise in the most unlikely of places…]]> 464 Julie Soto 1538771225 Tori 0 to-read 4.43 2025 Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)
author: Julie Soto
name: Tori
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Life's Short, Talk Fast: Fifteen Writers on Why We Can't Stop Watching Gilmore Girls]]> 205478842 208 Ann Hood 1324079452 Tori 5 3.69 Life's Short, Talk Fast: Fifteen Writers on Why We Can't Stop Watching Gilmore Girls
author: Ann Hood
name: Tori
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
I read an essay before bed each night and it was so heartwarming. I’ve watched Gilmore Girls since it first aired on TV, I purchased all the DVDs as they slowly released with my tween/teen money, and I’ve rewatched it a million times. It’s my forever favorite show. Reading essays about how the show has impacted people’s lives, relationships, and outlook on life was everything. I would have happily read another 20 essays!
]]> <![CDATA[First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)]]> 213243908 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 420 B.K. Borison 0593641191 Tori 4 4.01 2025 First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Tori
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
I like this one significantly more than her previous books. The audio narration was perfection! Any book that uses the word "trollop" (aka in my world a Gilmore Girls reference) is SURE to be a good book. Shout out to Libro FM for the ALC!
]]> <![CDATA[Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation]]> 200298052 260 Jim O’Heir 0063293501 Tori 3 3.69 2024 Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation
author: Jim O’Heir
name: Tori
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
Loved all the reminiscing over Parks and Rec, but something just didn't sit right with me for a good chunk of the book. Not sure why, but if you are a fan of the show then you should definitely pick it up!
]]> <![CDATA[Birdie & Harlow: Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (…Until I Did)]]> 75289875 272 Taylor Wolfe 0063293811 Tori 5 4.49 Birdie & Harlow: Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (…Until I Did)
author: Taylor Wolfe
name: Tori
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/16
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
Did I take both of my dogs on a big long walk so I could finish this book while sobbing my eyes out in nature while watching them live their best lives? Yes. Yes I did.
]]> Promise Me Sunshine 214269328 Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again� list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.]]> 416 Cara Bastone 0593595734 Tori 5 4.18 2025 Promise Me Sunshine
author: Cara Bastone
name: Tori
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
People will pick this up and think it's a cute romcom...which yes it is, but honestly it's mainly a book about grief and it's BEAUTIFUL! Cara Bastone has hit another homerun with book! If you like your romance books with a dose of heavier topics this is perfect...because of that I think this would be a good book for someone who wants to try the romance genre out for the first time! Shout out to netgalley for the ARC!
]]> The Next Chapter 218695935 When a famous former child actress meets a tender masc West Village bookseller, sparks fly and complications ensue in this queerĚýhomage to Notting Hill by the author of Just as You Are.

Katrina Kelly is a former child star with five blockbuster movies under her belt and a face that's instantly recognizable to most of America. Unfortunately, her career ended with her teens. Now she's twenty-four, running out of money, and spends most of her nights alone Googling things like 'how do I know if I'm bi or gay?' She's desperate to rebrand herself as a Serious Adult Actress and restart her career—at any cost.

Jude Thacker, a butch bookseller at The Next Chapter, doesn't want to admit she might be stuck. After all, she's running the queer feminist bookstore of her dreams with a staff of chosen family. Sure, she hasn't even tried to go on a first date in two years. And she may have a tiny problem with panic attacks. But as long as her life stays small and tidy, she's fine.

When Kat and Jude meet in the bookstore, Kat realizes that coming out as queer is the perfect way to transform her image. She and Jude can date for a few weeks, cause a media firestorm, and then Kat will move on. But what's meant as a temporary publicity stunt quickly turns into real feelings for both women. As the media scrutiny intensifies, each must decide what's real, what's not, and if true love is worth losing everything they believe is keeping them safe.]]> 336 Camille Kellogg 0593730534 Tori 0 to-read 3.86 2025 The Next Chapter
author: Camille Kellogg
name: Tori
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

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


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Tori 0 to-read 3.66 2025 This Book Will Bury Me
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Tori
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Leeva at Last 61281750 A tale about a precocious girl who transforms her community in surprising ways.

What are people for?

That’s the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom.

Fame! says Leeva’s mom, the mayor of Nutsmore.

Money! says her dad, the town treasurer.

With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-averse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town's librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer—setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever.]]> 320 Sara Pennypacker 0063114429 Tori 0 to-read 4.09 2023 Leeva at Last
author: Sara Pennypacker
name: Tori
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The First Cut is the Sweetest 223371119 Mindy McGinnis Tori 0 to-read 0.0 2026 The First Cut is the Sweetest
author: Mindy McGinnis
name: Tori
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> How Girls Are Made 223501764
Fallon is a fixer.ĚýFrom planning prom to organizing her college applications, she’s got it all figured outâ€� except for when her younger sister comes to her with very basic questions about sex. Shocked that she knows so little—and her fellow classmates even less—Fallon decides some practical education is in order. And Fallon isn’t above practicing a little civil disobedience by creating a secret, underground, off-campus group.

Shelby is a fighter.ĚýHaving her nose broken is nothing new in her semi professional careerâ€� but this time it’s her boyfriend that threw the punch. Now her phone is blowing up with texts from a new guy, who tells her she’s perfect, she’s special, she’s everything he’s ever wantedâ€� except for a few small details. Shelby’s happy to adjust for him, because isn’t that what a healthy relationship is about?

Jobie is a failure.ĚýShe doesn’t have enough followers and her posts never go viral, no matter how hard she crushes challenges and applies exactly the right filter. But a friendly DM from a good girl just like her points her in the direction of a whole new audience of admirers. Guys who just want to talk. Guys who give her the attention she’s always wanted.Ěý

The lives of all three girls intersect in Fallon’s secret class, rumors of which haveĚýparents up in arms. Fallon needs to keep herself anonymous, Shelby needs to keep her new boyfriend happy, and Jobie needs to keep her followersâ€� who keep asking for more. Each girl finds herselfĚýtrapped in an inescapable situation—that will leave one of them dead.Ěý]]> Mindy McGinnis Tori 0 to-read 4.22 2025 How Girls Are Made
author: Mindy McGinnis
name: Tori
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunlight (Haven River Ranch, #2)]]> 205963763 From USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry comes a sweeping Western romance about undeniable attraction, unforeseen circumstances, and seemingly unbeatable odds.

My first day in Montana, I got into a tug-of-war over a grocery store shopping cart. The most handsome man I’d ever seen broke up the scuffle before he asked me on a date. I was seconds away from accepting but then he told me his name.

As an owner of the Haven River Ranch, Jax Haven wasn’t my boss. But he wasn’t not my boss either.

Obviously, my only option was to turn him down, scurry away, then pretend like he was a stranger on my first day of work. And obviously, I could never, ever admit that he was my secret crush.

For as hard as I work at my job, I work twice as hard to pretend Jax doesn’t exist. I don’t let myself think about his dazzling eyes or charming smile. I refuse to acknowledge how good he looks in a pair of faded Wrangler jeans. And as tempting as he is in a cowboy hat, Jax is a distraction I cannot afford.

Everything was going according to plan until the annual holiday party. Until I drank one too many flutes of champagne and let him sweep me off my feet. After a night in his bed, there was no more ignoring Jax Haven. Not when I’m pregnant with his baby.]]> 300 Devney Perry Tori 4 4.12 2024 Sunlight (Haven River Ranch, #2)
author: Devney Perry
name: Tori
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves:
review:
I don't know what drug Devney Perry puts in her books, but I fly through all of them!
]]> The Influencers 216522650 A social media influencer's empire is burned to the ground—literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous.

"Mother May I" Iverson has spent the past twenty years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?

April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over IP; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest…well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious "friend of the family," and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.

A campy and escapist exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and class, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are, now, all grown up—and looking for retribution.]]> 448 Anna-Marie McLemore 059372917X Tori 0 to-read 3.31 The Influencers
author: Anna-Marie McLemore
name: Tori
average rating: 3.31
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Take Less. Do More.: Surprising Life Lessons in Generosity, Gratitude, and Curiosity from an Ultralight Backpacker]]> 203647586 In this personal journey, ultra-light backpacker and sought-after speaker Glen Van Peski shares the life lessons he has learned through years of lightening his pack and helping others.

Adventures provide the richness and texture to a life well lived. So remain open. Keep saying yes to life's opportunities.

Glen Van Peski helped revolutionize backpacking by creating ultralight equipment, which allows people to take less so they can do more in the wilderness. During decades of championing ultralight backpacking, Glen became aware that “take less, do more� is more than just a hiking slogan. As he reduced his pack weight, he realized that the lessons learned applied to all areas of life. Now he wants to share the lessons he learned to help others live full and vibrant lives—lives characterized by purpose, meaning, and joy.

In this book, you will discover transformative life lessons, which may go against the grain of popular thought but have been proven to change lives for the better. You'll learn

Often the best strategy for achieving goals comes from subtracting rather than adding. When your first instinct is generosity, the long-term dividends will be greater than if you strive to gain your own advantage. Revising the stories you tell yourself about situations will reframe your life and increase gratitude. By investing creatively in relationships, you will generate more joy in your life. Making friends with failure will cause you to grow and improve.

take less. do more. It's a revolutionary idea that will transform your life and free your soul to find your purpose—and maybe a little bit of adventure too.]]> 273 Glen Van Peski 1637632908 Tori 0 to-read 4.17 Take Less. Do More.: Surprising Life Lessons in Generosity, Gratitude, and Curiosity from an Ultralight Backpacker
author: Glen Van Peski
name: Tori
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> When Javi Dumped Mari 219520699 The USA Today bestsellingĚýauthor of The Worst Best Man is back with a fun and flirty rom-com aboutĚýa pactĚýbetween friends thatĚýgoes awry when one of themĚýunexpectedlyĚýannounces they're getting married.

On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier BáezĚýandĚýMarisolĚýCampos swore never to date someone the other doesn’t approve of. Now, ten years later,ĚýJavi has a problem. Mari, the woman he's secretlyĚýpined forĚýsince sophomore year, is planning to marry—and Javi didn’t even get the chance to vet theĚýPedro Pascal knockoff.

Mari, a successful entertainment lawyer inĚýLos Angeles,Ěýis no longer seeking Javi'sĚýdating advice or waiting for him to declare his love for her. Instead, she's made a different pact—with herself. And to succeed, she'll need to build a future with someone else.

With his life and theater career finally on track, Javi’s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari’s changed the script and moved on without him. Which means he has eight weeks to convince her this marriage is a flop. And if Javi has to ruffle some feathers to help Mari avert a disaster, well, he’s up for the challenge. After all, isn't that what best friends are for?]]> 448 Mia Sosa Tori 0 to-read 3.91 2025 When Javi Dumped Mari
author: Mia Sosa
name: Tori
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Under the Same Stars 200982339
In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom's Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too—but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.

In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.

In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are slogging through the last few months of senior year when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.

Age Range: 12-18]]> 480 Libba Bray 0374388946 Tori 4 4.13 2025 Under the Same Stars
author: Libba Bray
name: Tori
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:
I'm not someone who is ever interested in reading Historical Fiction...UNLESS Libba Bray is the author. She has an outrageous talent at weaving together the best historical fiction stories that always connect/reflect on tough stuff happening in current times. I loved all the times lines (WWII, Berlin Wall punk rock scene, and 2020 COVID 19). Thanks for Libro FM for the ALC!
]]> The North Line 195367887
Even at the ragged edge of civilization, some lines should not be crossed.

Everyone believes Adam to be something he’s not. Sometimes that’s because he’s told them a story. Sometimes he’s told himself one. But when Adam joins an Alaskan fishing crew that’s promising quick money, the dangerous work and harsh lifestyle strip away all fabrications and force a dark-hearted exploration of who he really is.

On the unforgiving Bering Sea, Adam finds the adventure and authenticity of a fisherman’s life revelatory. The labor required to seize bounty from the ocean invigorates him, and the often crude comradery accompanies a welcome, hard-earned wisdom. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence stalks the waves, Adam is thrust into a struggle for survival at the edge of the world, where evolutionary and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone’s control.

In his riveting debut novel, Matt Riordan pairs personal experiences with a master storyteller’s eye in a piercing examination of the quest for identity in the face of tempests within and without.]]> 313 Matt Riordan 1368100074 Tori 3 3.66 2024 The North Line
author: Matt Riordan
name: Tori
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
This held my attention while reading, but I wasn't always hype to pick it up.
]]> Beauty Queens 9464733 When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.]]> 396 Libba Bray 0439895979 Tori 0 to-read 3.62 2011 Beauty Queens
author: Libba Bray
name: Tori
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Fall Risk 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 81 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 Tori 4 4.10 2025 The Fall Risk
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Tori
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves:
review:
Loved it! Every time I read one of Abby Jimenez novellas I wish it was a full length novel because I always want more time with the characters!
]]> <![CDATA[Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)]]> 211164792 Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?]]> 384 Sarah Adams 0593723694 Tori 5 4.04 2025 Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)
author: Sarah Adams
name: Tori
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
Sarah Adams does it again! Her "When in Rome" series is one of my all time fav romance series and this installment only made me love it more! I will say I really struggle to enjoy pretty much any teacher romance books as my years of teaching gave me my biggest mental health struggles, but this one was so good that I didn't bother me at all!
]]> <![CDATA[The Happiest Dog on the Block: Canine Enrichment Activities to Keep Your Pet Young and Healthy]]> 203578762 A fun, friendly resource for pup parents looking to boost their dog’s playtime and health

TikTok is full of creative ways to stuff a Kong. But that’s just the tip of the tail-wagging iceberg when it comes to keeping your furry friend entertained and feeling their best, all while having a blast together! From DIY puzzle toys to backyard adventures, The Happiest Dog on the Block is packed with easy activities designed to keep dogs exercised, engaged, and entertained for a happier and healthier life by their owner’s side. Taylor and her spunky canine companions Bindi and Rosie prove that you don’t need a PhD in dog training or a fortune in fancy toys to:

- Banish boredom
- Promote puppy zen
- Keep those canine minds sharp
- Ease home-alone anxiety
- Sneak in some stress-free exercise

No matter if the dog is the size of a teacup or a gentle giant, whether they’re a puppy tornado or a seasoned couch potato, this book includes the perfect games, challenges, and treats for every pup in five diverse enrichment categories. Dog lovers can get ready to see an immediate change in their dog’s behavior, stronger bonds with their four-legged companions, and their vets� nods of approval!]]> 192 Taylor Finton 1250347238 Tori 4 4.68 2024 The Happiest Dog on the Block: Canine Enrichment Activities to Keep Your Pet Young and Healthy
author: Taylor Finton
name: Tori
average rating: 4.68
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
My yearly random dog training/enrichment book has been read! We do a good amount of this already, but I still found some new to me things that we will be doing with the dogs to keep them engaged and excited for life.
]]> Back After This 198563641 From the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo, a podcast producer agrees to host a new series about modern dating—but will the show jeopardize her chance at finding real love?

Cecily Foster loves to make podcasts. She fiercely protects her colleagues, dearly adores her friends, and never misses dinner with her sister. But after a disastrous relationship with a colleague who stole her heart and her ideas, she’s put romantic love on hold.

When the boss who’s disappointed her again and again finally offers her the chance to host her own show, she wants to be thrilled. But there’s a catch—actually, two catches. First, the show will be about Cecily’s dating life. And second, she has to follow the guidance of influencer and newly minted relationship coach Eliza Cassidy, whose relentlessly upbeat attitude seems ready-made for social media, not real life.

Cecily would rather do anything other than put her singledom on display (ugh) or take advice from the internet (UGH). But when her boss hints that doing the show is the only way to protect a friend’s job, she realizes she has no choice.

To make matters more complicated, once she’s committed to twenty blind dates of Eliza’s choosing, Cecily finds herself unable to stop thinking about Will, a photographer she helped to rescue a very big and very lovable lost dog. Even though there are sparks between the two, Will’s own path is uncertain, and Eliza’s skeptical comments about Cecily’s decision-making aren’t helping. On the one hand, Will seems great. But on the other hand . . . don’t they all?

As Cecily struggles to balance the life she truly desires and the one Eliza wants to create for her, she finds herself at a crossroads. Can Cecily sort through all the advice and find a way to do what she loves without losing herself in the process?]]> 320 Linda Holmes 059359925X Tori 5 3.74 2025 Back After This
author: Linda Holmes
name: Tori
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
LOVED IT! As someone who's a big podcast listener I found the exploration of that career very interesting. A different reviewer mentioned how Linda Holmes is just as amazing as Emily Henry, but without the big mainstream success and I couldn't agree more! If you love Henry's books you absolutely need to read Holmes books too! You will be in for such a treat! Shout out to Libro FM and Netgalley for the free audio and digital arcs of this book!
]]> <![CDATA[Not If You Break Up with Me First]]> 199797752
Childhood friends Eve and Andrew are destined to be together� everyone says so, especially their friends and classmates who are all suddenly crush-obsessed. So when Eve and Andrew’s first eighth grade school dance rolls around and Eve, feeling the pressure, awkwardly asks Andrew to go with her, everyone assumes they are Officially Dating and Practically in Love. Overwhelmed, Eve and Andrew just…go with it.

And it’s weird. Neither of them wants this dating thing to mess up their friendship, and they don’t really see each other that way. But they also don’t want to be the one to call things off, the one to make things super awkward. So they both—separately—pledge to be the worst boyfriend or girlfriend ever, leaving it to the other person to break up with them. It would be genius…if the other person weren’t doing the exact same thing.]]> 288 G. F. Miller 1665950013 Tori 5 3.86 2024 Not If You Break Up with Me First
author: G. F. Miller
name: Tori
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
Y'all this was precious! The perfect Middle Grade book to read as my "kindle to bed" book! I feel like this author got the middle grade voice DOWN! Truly so accurate (or at least for a good amount of middle schoolers I interact with).
]]> <![CDATA[Murder in the Dressing Room (A Misty Divine Mystery, #1)]]> 211399745 A poisoned chocolate. A stolen dress. An elusive catburglar. Drag’s not just dramatic, it’s deadly.

By day, Joe is a hotel accountant, invisibly sitting behind their desk and playing by the rules. By night, donned in sequins, they take to the stage as Misty Divine, a star of the London drag scene.

But when Misty’s drag mother, Lady Lady, is found dead in her dressing room beside a poisoned box of chocolates, Misty and her fellow performers become the prime suspects.

Heartbroken by the loss, and frustrated by the clear biases of the police, Misty must solve the crime before the culprit strikes again. Among the drop-dead gorgeous lurks a cutthroat killer, and Misty Divine won't rest until she finds out who it is.]]> 368 Holly Stars 0593816714 Tori 0 to-read 3.62 2025 Murder in the Dressing Room (A Misty Divine Mystery, #1)
author: Holly Stars
name: Tori
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Overdue 222376487 Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?

Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship� and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.

Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.]]> 416 Stephanie Perkins 1250313465 Tori 0 to-read 3.66 2025 Overdue
author: Stephanie Perkins
name: Tori
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Audre & Bash Are Just Friends 218422214 INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELER!

Scorching-hot summer. Scorching-hot chemistry. Two teens can’t forget they’reĚýjust friendsĚýin this sweet, funny, electrifying romance fromĚýNew York TimesĚýbestselling author Tia Williams. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon.
Ěý
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
Ěý
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
Ěý
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy—and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Ěý
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book—ie, the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board.
Ěý
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.� His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge—her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
Ěý
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
Ěý
Fun Audre Mercy-Moore first appeared in theĚýNew York TimesĚýbestsellerĚýSeven Days in JuneĚýand now stars in her own story!
Ěý]]> 379 Tia Williams 031648069X Tori 0 to-read 4.32 2025 Audre & Bash Are Just Friends
author: Tia Williams
name: Tori
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> When Love Gives You Lemons 199288865
Ever since he was a kid, Fielder Lemon’s large, opinionated Italian-American family has lived next to Ricky DeLuca and his large, opinionated Italian-American family. For almost as long, Fielder has known that he wants to marry Ricky one day. And he thought Ricky felt the same way—until Ricky breaks up with Fielder the day after his high school graduation, saying he needs to figure out who he is on his own.

One year later, Fielder is asked to be one of the best men in his cousin's destination wedding on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, but there's a twist: his cousin is marrying Ricky’s sister. Fielder hasn’t talked to or seen Ricky once during the last entire, terrible year, but he hasn’t given up on his first love quite yet—and isn't a wedding in an Italian lemon grove the perfect setting to rekindle their relationship? Except Ricky might have already moved on.

Now, Fielder has less than a week to do the impossible and win back Ricky’s heart while also trying not to ruin his cousin’s wedding. But if there's one thing Fielder knows, it's that when life gives you lemons, take a bite!]]> Steven Salvatore Tori 0 to-read 4.35 2025 When Love Gives You Lemons
author: Steven Salvatore
name: Tori
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> One Death at a Time 216522751 “Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.”�#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin

A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.

When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress and professional thorn in the side of authority, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once, so now they think she’s making a habit of it). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name and help keep her sober, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone.

As their investigation ranges from the Hollywood Hills to the world of burlesque to the country clubs of Palm Springs, this unconventional team realizes their shared love of sarcasm and poor life choices are proving to be a powerful combination. Will secrets from their past trip them up, or will their team of showgirls, cat burglars, and Hollywood agents help them stay one step ahead? Are dead piranhas, false noses, and a giant martini glass important clues or simply your typical day in Los Angeles? And will they manage to solve the crime before they kill each other, or worse, fall off the wagon? Trying to keep it simple and take it easy is one thing—trying to find a murderer before they kill again is a whole other program.]]> 400 Abbi Waxman 0593816676 Tori 0 to-read 3.73 2025 One Death at a Time
author: Abbi Waxman
name: Tori
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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