en-US Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:52:07 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 219520778 A publishing event ten years in the making鈥�a searing, exquisite new novel by the best-selling and award-winning author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists鈥�the story of four women and their loves, longings, and desires.

Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until 鈥� betrayed and brokenhearted 鈥� she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka鈥檚 bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka鈥檚 housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America 鈥� but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve.

In Dream Count, Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved? A trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world, Dream Count pulses with emotional urgency and poignant, unflinching observations on the human heart, in language that soars with beauty and power. It confirms Adichie鈥檚 status as one of the most exciting and dynamic writers on the literary landscape.]]> 416 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 0593802721 Megan 0 currently-reading 3.92 2025
author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
name: Megan
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 62562896 A debut novel about a young bisexual woman who is pulled between a new sense of community and loyalty to a friendship she's outgrown

Savannah Sav Henry is almost the person she wants to be, or at least she's getting closer. It's the second semester of her sophomore year. She's finally come out as bisexual, is making friends with the other queers in her dorm, and has just about recovered from her disastrous first queer "situationship." She is cautiously optimistic that her life is about to begin.

But when she learns that Izzie, her best friend from childhood, has gotten engaged, Sav faces a crisis of confidence. Things with Izzie haven't been the same since what happened between Sav and Izzie's older brother when they were sixteen. Now, with the wedding around the corner, Sav is forced to reckon with trauma she thought she could put behind her.

On top of it all, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class--sweet, funny Wes, with their long eyelashes and green backpack. There's something different here--with Wes and with her new friends (who delight in teasing her about this face-burning crush); it feels, terrifyingly, like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.

With a singularly funny, heartfelt voice, Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what finding your people can feel like--for better or worse.]]> 336 Haley Jakobson 0593473000 Megan 2 3.95 2023
author: Haley Jakobson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
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]]> 213870083 A funny, fiercely intelligent, and moving collection exploring marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition鈥攊ncluding a story that revisits the main character from Curtis Sittenfeld鈥檚 iconic novel Prep鈥攆rom the New York Times bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy

In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she鈥檚 as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned.

In 鈥淭he Patron Saints of Middle Age,鈥� a woman visits two friends she hasn鈥檛 seen since her divorce. In 鈥淎 for Alone,鈥� a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can鈥檛 spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in 鈥淟ost but Not Forgotten,鈥� Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school.

Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld鈥檚 stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.]]> 320 Curtis Sittenfeld 0593446739 Megan 3 3.92 2025
author: Curtis Sittenfeld
name: Megan
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/15
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]]> 59721793 A magnetic tale of betrayal, art, and ambition, set in the world of professional ballet, New York City during the AIDS crisis, and present-day Los Angeles

Carlisle Martin dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer just like her mother, Isabel, a former Balanchine ballerina. Since they live in Ohio, she only gets to see her father Robert for a few precious weeks a year when she visits Greenwich Village, where he lives in an enchanting apartment on Bank Street with his partner, James.

Brilliant but troubled, James gives Carlisle an education in all that he holds dear in life--literature, music, and most of all, dance. Seduced by the heady pull of mentorship and the sophistication of their lives, Carlisle's aspiration to become a dancer herself blooms, born of her desire to be asked to stay at Bank Street, to be included in Robert and James' world even as AIDS brings devastation to their community. Instead, a passionate love affair creates a rift between them, with devastating consequences that reverberate for decades to come.

Nineteen years later, Carlisle receives a phone call which unravels the fateful events of her life, causing her to see with new eyes how her younger self has informed the woman she's become. They're Going to Love You is a gripping and gorgeously written novel of heartbreaking intensity. With psychological precision and a masterfully revealed secret at its heart, it asks what it takes to be an artist in America, and the price of forgiveness, of ambition, and of love.]]> 288 Meg Howrey 038554877X Megan 3 4.06 2022
author: Meg Howrey
name: Megan
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> 53304649 Three scalding stories from the bestselling author of American Wife.

Sittenfeld鈥檚 wryly hilarious and insightful new collection, Help Yourself, illuminates human experience and gracefully upends our assumptions about class and race, envy and disappointment, gender dynamics and celebrity.

Suburban friends fall out after a racist encounter at a birthday party is caught on video and posted on Facebook; an illustrious Manhattan film crew are victims of their own snobbery when they underestimate a pre-school teacher from the Mid-West; and a group of young writers fight about love and narrative style as they compete for a prestigious bursary.

Connecting each of these three stories is Sittenfeld鈥檚 truthful yet merciless eye, as her characters stagger from awkwardness, to humiliation and, if they're lucky, to reconciliation. Full of tenderness and compassion, this dazzling collection celebrates our humanity in all its pettiness and glory.]]> 96 Curtis Sittenfeld 0857527479 Megan 0 to-read 3.81 2020
author: Curtis Sittenfeld
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 15014
When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most. Crucial Conversations gives you the tools you need to step up to life's most difficult and important conversations, say what's on your mind, and achieve the positive resolutions you want. You'll learn how to:

Prepare for high-impact situations with a six-minute mastery technique
Make it safe to talk about almost anything
Be persuasive, not abrasive
Keep listening when others blow up or clam up
Turn crucial conversations into the action and results you want]]> 240 Kerry Patterson 0071401946 Megan 3 4.04 2002
author: Kerry Patterson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/30
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]]> 60301229
Drs. John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman are the world鈥檚 leading relationship scientists. For the past forty years, they have been studying love. They鈥檝e gathered data on over three thousand couples, looking at everything from their body language to the way they converse to their stress hormone levels. Their goal: to identify the building blocks of love.

The Love Prescription distills their life鈥檚 work into a bite-size, seven-day action plan with easy, immediately actionable steps. There will be no grand gestures and no big, hard conversations. There鈥檚 nothing to buy or do to prepare. Anyone can do this, from any starting point. There is a formula for a good relationship, and this book will show you how a few small changes can fundamentally transform your relationship for the better.]]> 208 John M. Gottman Megan 3 4.45
author: John M. Gottman
name: Megan
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/16
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 60097417 What could be worse than your ex-boyfriend marrying your childhood best friend? Getting accused of her murder鈥�

From the author of My Sweet Girl comes a dangerously addictive new thriller about a lavish Sri Lankan wedding celebration that not everyone will survive.

When Amaya is invited to Kaavi鈥檚 over-the-top wedding in Sri Lanka, she is surprised and a little hurt to hear from her former best friend after so many years of radio silence. But when Amaya learns that the groom is her very own ex-boyfriend, she is consumed by a single thought: She must stop the wedding from happening, no matter the cost.

But as the weeklong wedding celebrations begin and rumors about Amaya鈥檚 past begin to swirl, she can鈥檛 help but feel like she also has a target on her back. When Kaavi goes missing and is presumed dead, all evidence points to Amaya.

However, nothing is as it seems as Jayatissa expertly unravels that each wedding guest has their own dark secret and agenda, and Amaya may not be the only one with a plan to keep the bride from getting her happily ever after鈥]> 384 Amanda Jayatissa 0593335120 Megan 3 3.50 2022
author: Amanda Jayatissa
name: Megan
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/24
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
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]]> 59345249
Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends鈥擶ill, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily鈥攄uring their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah鈥檚 world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April鈥檚 death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide鈥� including a murder.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend鈥檚 murder.

]]> 423 Ruth Ware 1982155264 Megan 3 3.81 2022
author: Ruth Ware
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/22
date added: 2025/03/27
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]]> 57693172
Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she鈥檚 worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?

In a debut novel that has already been optioned for a limited series by actress Emma Stone and sold to a dozen countries around the world, Stacy Willingham has created an unforgettable character in a spellbinding thriller that will appeal equally to fans of Gillian Flynn and Karin Slaughter.]]> 357 Stacy Willingham 1250803829 Megan 3 3.96 2022
author: Stacy Willingham
name: Megan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/08
date added: 2025/03/27
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]]> 139400713 惭臋肠锄别苍苍颈办! Kavego Akbara to opowie艣膰 o tym, jak niestrudzenie przez ca艂e 偶ycie pr贸bujemy odnale藕膰 sens 鈥� w wierze, sztuce, w nas samych i w innych ludziach. W tej historii osierocony syn ira艅skich imigrant贸w, od niedawna niepij膮cy, wiedziony g艂osami artyst贸w, poet贸w i w艂adc贸w, podejmuje poszukiwania, kt贸re prowadz膮 go do 艣miertelnie chorej malarki, do偶ywaj膮cej swych dni w Muzeum Brookly艅skim.

Cyrus Shams jest m艂odym m臋偶czyzn膮, zmagaj膮cym si臋 z baga偶em przemocy i straty: wskutek bezsensownego wypadku zestrzelono nad Teheranem samolot z jego matk膮 na pok艂adzie; z kolei 偶ycie ojca w Ameryce okre艣la艂a praca na farmie drobiu na 艢rodkowym Zachodzie. Cyrus jest alkoholikiem, narkomanem i poet膮, kt贸rego obsesja na punkcie m臋czennik贸w popycha go do zg艂臋bienia tajemnic w艂asnej przesz艂o艣ci 鈥� kluczem do rodzinnego sekretu jest wujek, kt贸ry przed laty galopowa艂 po ira艅skich polach bitwy, przebrany za Anio艂a 艢mierci, by dodawa膰 otuchy i nie艣膰 pocieszenie umieraj膮cym, oraz pewien obraz z brookly艅skiej galerii sztuki.

Ta elektryzuj膮ca, zabawna, ca艂kowicie oryginalna i g艂臋boka powie艣膰 zapowiada pojawienie si臋 nowego g艂osu na literackiej scenie.]]> 331 Kaveh Akbar 0593537610 Megan 0 to-read 4.22 2024
author: Kaveh Akbar
name: Megan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 41881472 242 Morgan Housel 0857197681 Megan 3 4.27 2020
author: Morgan Housel
name: Megan
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 35961720
Curtis Sittenfeld has established a reputation as a sharp chronicler of the modern age who humanizes her subjects even as she skewers them. Now, with this first collection of short fiction, her 鈥渁stonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers鈥� heads鈥� (The Washington Post) is showcased like never before. Throughout the ten stories in You Think It, I鈥檒l Say It, Sittenfeld upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided.

With moving insight and uncanny precision, Curtis Sittenfeld pinpoints the questionable decisions, missed connections, and sometimes extraordinary coincidences that make up a life. Indeed, she writes what we鈥檙e all thinking鈥攊f only we could express it with the wit of a master satirist, the storytelling gifts of an old-fashioned raconteur, and the vision of an American original.]]> 256 Curtis Sittenfeld 1473552621 Megan 0 to-read 3.63 2017
author: Curtis Sittenfeld
name: Megan
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> 61340225 鈥淎 love affair so richly and attentively imagined it carries the grace and gravity of memory itself.鈥� 鈥昄eslie Jamison It鈥檚 hard to remember now that I was once that girl, lying in the sand in my red swimsuit and swimming late into the day. Sharkbait , he called me.

It鈥檚 in the water where she first sees him: a local man almost twenty years her senior. Adrift in the summer after finishing college, a young woman is on holiday with her mother in an isolated Australian coastal town. Finding herself pulled to Jude, the man in the water, she begins losing herself in the simple, seductive rhythms of his everyday life. As their relationship deepens, life at Sailors Beach offers her the stability she has been craving as the daughter of two drifters鈥昦 loving but impulsive mother and an itinerant father. But the arrival of Maeve, a friend from Jude鈥檚 past, threatens to rock their fragile, newfound intimacy. And when she witnesses something she doesn鈥檛 fully understand, she finds herself questioning everything鈥昦bout Jude, about herself, about the life she has and the one she wants. A magnetic and unforgettable story of desire and its complexities, and a powerful reckoning with memory, loss, and longing, Madelaine Lucas鈥檚 debut novel, Thirst for Salt , reveals with stunning, sensual immediacy the way the past can hold us in its thrall, shaping who we are and what we love.]]> 272 Madelaine Lucas 1953534651 Megan 0 to-read 3.82 2023
author: Madelaine Lucas
name: Megan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> 14891 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.]]> 496 Betty Smith 0061120073 Megan 0 to-read 4.29 1943
author: Betty Smith
name: Megan
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1943
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
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]]> 199534613
鈥淸An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.鈥� 鈥擭ick Hornby, New York Times Book Review

A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman鈥檚 attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world鈥攆rom the PEN/Faulkner finalist and critically acclaimed author of The Knockout Queen.

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she鈥檇 have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can鈥檛 imagine how she鈥檒l ever make a living. She鈥檚 still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor鈥攁nd while the affair is brief, it isn鈥檛 brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone鈥檚 advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naivet茅 and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion鈥攆ast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she鈥檒l start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx鈥檚 advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she鈥檚 turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo鈥檚 problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo鈥檚 Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who鈥檚 struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It鈥檚 a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

鈥淎 wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.鈥� 鈥擳he Associated Press]]> 304 Rufi Thorpe 0063356589 Megan 3 3.87 2024
author: Rufi Thorpe
name: Megan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
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]]> 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

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

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

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach鈥檚 The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined鈥攁nd the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Megan 2 4.11 2024
author: Alison Espach
name: Megan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
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]]> 10252302 听
Blue Nights opens on July 26, 2010, as Didion thinks back to Quintana鈥檚 wedding in New York seven years before. Today would be her wedding anniversary. This fact triggers vivid snapshots of Quintana鈥檚 childhood鈥攊n Malibu, in Brentwood, at school in Holmby Hills. Reflecting on her daughter but also on her role as a parent, Didion asks the candid questions any parent might about how she feels she failed either because cues were not taken or perhaps displaced. 鈥淗ow could I have missed what was clearly there to be seen?鈥� Finally, perhaps we all remain unknown to each other. Seamlessly woven in are incidents Didion sees as underscoring her own age, something she finds hard to acknowledge, much less accept.
听
Blue Nights鈥攖he long, light evening hours that signal the summer solstice, 鈥渢he opposite of the dying of the brightness, but also its warning鈥濃�攍ike The Year of Magical Thinking before it, is an iconic book of incisive and electric honesty, haunting and profoundly moving.]]> 208 Joan Didion 0307267679 Megan 3 3.92 2011
author: Joan Didion
name: Megan
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
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]]> 216038747 In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America鈥檚 finest writers.

In the spring of 2020, Lara鈥檚 three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.]]> 320 Ann Patchett 0063327538 Megan 0 to-read 3.84 2023
author: Ann Patchett
name: Megan
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> 55481231
As Martha Beck says in her book, 鈥淚ntegrity is the cure for psychological suffering. Period.鈥�

In The Way of Integrity , Beck presents a four-stage process that anyone can use to find integrity, and with it, a sense of purpose, emotional healing, and a life free of mental suffering. Much of what plagues us鈥攑eople pleasing, staying in stale relationships, negative habits鈥攁ll point to what happens when we are out of touch with what truly makes us feel whole.

Inspired by The Divine Comedy , Beck uses Dante鈥檚 classic hero鈥檚 journey as a framework to break down the process of attaining personal integrity into small, manageable steps. She shows how to read our internal signals that lead us towards our true path, and to recognize what we actually yearn for versus what our culture sells us.

With techniques tested on hundreds of her clients, Beck brings her expertise as a social scientist, life coach and human being to help readers to uncover what integrity looks like in their own lives. She takes us on a spiritual adventure that not only will change the direction of our lives, but also bring us to a place of genuine happiness.]]> 327 Martha N. Beck 1984881485 Megan 0 to-read 4.15 2021
author: Martha N. Beck
name: Megan
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208107364 A wry and riveting debut novel about family, mental illness, and a hard-won path between two sisters

It is said that when one person in a family is unstable, the whole family is destabilized. Meet the Shreds. Olivia is the sister in the spotlight, but when her stunning confidence morphs into something erratic and unpredictable, she becomes a hurricane leaving people wrecked in her wake. Put simply, she has no brakes.

Younger sister Amy, cautious and studious to the core, survives Ollie鈥檚 bullying and outcast status throughout her school years. She dreams of winning a Nobel Prize and unlocking the mysteries of the mind. Amy believes in facts, proof, and the empirical world. Except none of that can explain what鈥檚 happening to Ollie, whose physical beauty and charisma mask the bipolar disorder that will shatter Amy鈥檚 carefully constructed world.

As Amy comes of age and seeks to find her place鈥攆irst in academics, then New York publishing, and through a series of troubled relationships鈥攅very step brings collisions with Ollie, who slips in and out of the Shred family without warning. For all that upends and unsettles these sisters, an inextricable bond always draws them back.

Spanning two decades, Shred Sisters is an intimate and bittersweet story exploring the fierce complexities of sisterhood, mental health, loss and love. If anything is true it鈥檚 what Amy learns on her road to self-acceptance: No one will love you or hurt you more than a sister.]]> 272 Betsy Lerner 080216370X Megan 3 3.76
author: Betsy Lerner
name: Megan
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
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]]> 38819868
My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker - and more difficult to get out of the carpet - than water...]]> 226 Oyinkan Braithwaite 0385544235 Megan 3 3.64 2018
author: Oyinkan Braithwaite
name: Megan
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 52741293 Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher's policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city's notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings.

Shuggie's mother Agnes walks a wayward path: she is Shuggie's guiding light but a burden for him and his siblings. She dreams of a house with its own front door while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue, ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her grey life. Married to a philandering taxi-driver husband, Agnes keeps her pride by looking good--her beehive, make-up, and pearly-white false teeth offer a glamourous image of a Glaswegian Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion's share of each week's benefits--all the family has to live on--on cans of extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs.

Agnes's older children find their own ways to get a safe distance from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to care for her as she swings between alcoholic binges and sobriety. Shuggie is meanwhile struggling to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to be, but everyone has realized that he is "no right," a boy with a secret that all but him can see. Agnes is supportive of her son, but her addiction has the power to eclipse everyone close to her--even her beloved Shuggie.

A heartbreaking story of addiction, sexuality, and love, Shuggie Bain is an epic portrayal of a working-class family that is rarely seen in fiction. Recalling the work of Edouard Louis, Alan Hollinghurst, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, it is a blistering debut by a brilliant novelist who has a powerful and important story to tell.]]> 430 Douglas Stuart 0802148042 Megan 0 to-read 4.29 2020
author: Douglas Stuart
name: Megan
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> 29044 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 Megan 0 to-read 4.17 1992
author: Donna Tartt
name: Megan
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/30
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]]> 55777544 鈥淲ere we gangsters? No. But did we know how to start a fire?鈥�

In 1980, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway, brutalized, and held for ransom. He is returned to his wife and kids less than a week later, only slightly the worse, and the family moves on with their lives, resuming their prized places in the saga of the American dream, comforted in the realization that though their money may have been what endangered them, it is also what assured them their safety.

But now, nearly forty years later, it鈥檚 clear that perhaps nobody ever got over anything, after all. Carl has spent the ensuing years secretly seeking closure to the matter of his kidnapping, while his wife, Ruth, has spent her potential protecting her husband鈥檚 emotional health. Their three grown children aren鈥檛 doing much better: Nathan鈥檚 chronic fear won鈥檛 allow him to advance at his law firm; Beamer, a Hollywood screenwriter, will consume anything鈥攕ubstance, foodstuff, women鈥攊n order to numb his own perpetual terror; and Jenny has spent her life so bent on proving that she鈥檚 not a product of her family鈥檚 pathology that she has come to define it. As they hover at the delicate precipice of a different kind of survival, they learn that the family fortune has dwindled to just about nothing, and they must face desperate questions about how much their wealth has played a part in both their lives鈥� successes and failures.

Long Island Compromise spans the entirety of one family鈥檚 history, winding through decades and generations, all the way to the outrageous present, and confronting the mainstays of American Jewish life: tradition, the pursuit of success, the terror of history, fear of the future, old wives鈥� tales, evil eyes, ambition, achievement, boredom, dybbuks, inheritance, pyramid schemes, right-wing capitalists, beta-blockers, psychics, and the mostly unspoken love and shared experience that unite a family forever.]]> 464 Taffy Brodesser-Akner 0593133498 Megan 0 to-read 3.72 2024
author: Taffy Brodesser-Akner
name: Megan
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/30
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]]> 208931300 An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family鈥攂ut especially love鈥攆rom the global phenomenon Sally Rooney.

Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common.

Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties鈥攕uccessful, competent, and apparently unassailable. But in the wake of their father鈥檚 death, he鈥檚 medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two very different women鈥攈is enduring first love, Sylvia, and Naomi, a college student for whom life is one long joke.

Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward, a loner, the antithesis of his glib elder brother. Now, in the early weeks of his bereavement, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman emerging from her own turbulent past, and their lives become rapidly and intensely intertwined.

For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude鈥攁 period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.]]> 454 Sally Rooney 0374602638 Megan 0 to-read 3.87 2024
author: Sally Rooney
name: Megan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/30
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]]> 197798168
A semifamous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to New York. Twenty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey.

Miranda July鈥檚 second novel confirms the brilliance of her unique approach to fiction. With July鈥檚 wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman鈥檚 quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic, and domestic life of a forty-five-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectation while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly, profoundly alive.]]> 336 Miranda July 0593190262 Megan 4 3.52 2024
author: Miranda July
name: Megan
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
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]]> 21412400 No One Belongs Here More Than You, a spectacular debut novel that is so heartbreaking, so dirty, so tender, so funny 鈥� so Miranda July 鈥� readers will be blown away.

Here is Cheryl, a tightly-wound, vulnerable woman who lives alone, with a perpetual lump in her throat. She is haunted by a baby boy she met when she was six, who sometimes recurs as other people's babies. Cheryl is also obsessed with Phillip, a philandering board member at the women's self-defense non-profit where she works. She believes they've been making love for many lifetimes, though they have yet to consummate in this one.

When Cheryl's bosses ask if their twenty-one-year-old daughter Clee can move into her house for a little while, Cheryl's eccentrically-ordered world explodes. And yet it is Clee 鈥� the selfish, cruel blond bombshell 鈥� who bullies Cheryl into reality and, unexpectedly, provides her the love of a lifetime.

Tender, gripping, slyly hilarious, infused with raging sexual fantasies and fierce maternal love, Miranda July's first novel confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling, disorienting, and unforgettable.]]> 288 Miranda July 1439172560 Megan 0 to-read 3.67 2015
author: Miranda July
name: Megan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
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]]> 214152211 One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they鈥檙e unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo.

Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn鈥檛 told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn鈥檛 told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall.

When a shocking blow scatters their fragile trio, Georgette tries to distance herself from reminders of her parents. Years later, Lillian鈥檚 son comes searching for his birth family, so Georgette must return to her roots, unearth her family鈥檚 history, and decide whether she can open up to love for them鈥攐r herself鈥攚hile there鈥檚 still time.

Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life novel that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love.]]> 288 Sarah Damoff 1668061449 Megan 0 to-read 4.42 2025
author: Sarah Damoff
name: Megan
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/28
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]]> 213243915 The #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is... complicated. So when her real dad鈥攁 man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago鈥攕uddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family.]]> 450 Jojo Moyes 1984879324 Megan 0 to-read 3.87 2025
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Megan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/28
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]]> 213243949 A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job鈥攐r quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn鈥檛 even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail鈥檚 ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max鈥檚 past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life,听Three Days in June听is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize鈥搘inning writer at the height of her powers

]]> 165 Anne Tyler 0593803485 Megan 0 to-read 3.61 2025
author: Anne Tyler
name: Megan
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/28
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]]> 213618132 The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick

When ten-year-old Ebby Freeman heard the gunshot, time stopped. And when she saw her brother, Baz, lying on the floor surrounded by the shattered pieces of a centuries-old jar, life as Ebby knew it shattered as well.

The crime was never solved鈥攁nd because the Freemans were one of the only Black families in a particularly well-to-do enclave of New England鈥攖he case has had an enduring, voyeuristic pull for the public. The last thing the Freemans want is another media frenzy splashing their family across the papers, but when Ebby's high profile romance falls apart without any explanation, that's exactly what they get.

So Ebby flees to France, only for her past to follow her there. And as she tries to process what's happened, she begins to think about the other loss her family suffered on that day eighteen years ago鈥攖he stoneware jar that had been in their family for generations, brought North by an enslaved ancestor. But little does she know that the handcrafted piece of pottery held more than just her family's history鈥攊t might also hold the key to unlocking her own future.

In this sweeping, evocative novel, Charmaine Wilkerson brings to life a multi-generational epic that examines how the past informs our present.]]> 368 Charmaine Wilkerson 0593358368 Megan 0 to-read 4.05 2025
author: Charmaine Wilkerson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/28
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]]> 215362032 In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters鈥檚 keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.

In Stag Dance, the titular novel, a group of restless lumberjacks working in an illegal winter logging outfit plan a dance that some of them will volunteer to attend as women. When the broadest, strongest, plainest of the axmen announces his intention to dance as a woman, he finds himself caught in a strange rivalry with a pretty young jack, provoking a cascade of obsession, jealousy, and betrayal that will culminate on the big night in an astonishing vision of gender and transition.

Three startling stories surround Stag Dance: 鈥淚nfect Your Friends and Loved Ones鈥� imagines a gender apocalypse brought about by an unstable ex-girlfriend. In 鈥淭he Chaser,鈥� a secret romance between roommates at a Quaker boarding school brings out intrigue and cruelty. In the last story, 鈥淭he Masker,鈥� a party weekend on the Las Vegas strip turns dark when a young crossdresser must choose between two guides: a handsome mystery man who objectifies her in thrilling ways, or a cynical veteran trans woman offering unglamorous sisterhood.

Acidly funny and breathtaking in its scope, with the inventive audacity of George Saunders or Jennifer Egan, Stag Dance provokes, unsettles, and delights.]]> 304 Torrey Peters 0593595645 Megan 0 to-read 4.05 2025
author: Torrey Peters
name: Megan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
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]]> 15819674 Return to Love, Healing the Soul of America), a world-renowned teacher, and one of the most important inspirational thinkers of our time. In The Law of Divine Compensation, she reveals the spiritual principles that help us overcome financial stress and unleash the divine power of abundance. A guru to anyone interested in spirituality, Williamson's words ring with power and truth as she assures us that, with faith in God's promise of prosperity for all, we need never fear the future.]]> 208 Marianne Williamson 0062205439 Megan 3 4.02 2014
author: Marianne Williamson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/11
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]]> 41021501
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family鈥攅specially her teenage son鈥攁s the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others鈥攁nd themselves鈥攎ight be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion鈥攁nd doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.]]> 510 Jodi Picoult 034554496X Megan 3 4.38 2016
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Megan
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
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]]> 54814676
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother鈥檚 particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother鈥檚 tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band 鈥� and meeting the man who would become her husband 鈥� her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.

It was her mother鈥檚 diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious, lyrical and honest, Michelle Zauner鈥檚 voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.]]> 243 Michelle Zauner 0525657746 Megan 0 to-read 4.25 2021
author: Michelle Zauner
name: Megan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 61767292
Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.

Nate鈥檚 focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team鈥攊ncluding Anastasia, who clearly can鈥檛 stand him.

But when Anastasia鈥檚 skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn鈥檛 worried . . . because she could never like a hockey player, right?]]> 447 Hannah Grace Megan 0 to-read 3.75 2022
author: Hannah Grace
name: Megan
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 157062582
When Detective Stark, Molly鈥檚 old foe, investigates the author鈥檚 unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author鈥檚 secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel鈥檚 beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the high-profile death threatens the hotel鈥檚 pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer鈥檚 identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there鈥檚 one thing she knows for sure, it鈥檚 that secrets don鈥檛 stay buried forever.]]> 293 Nita Prose 0593356187 Megan 0 to-read 3.75 2023
author: Nita Prose
name: Megan
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/02
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]]> 60194162 "Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver 0063251922 Megan 0 to-read 4.46 2022
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Megan
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/02
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]]> 212432167 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Two writers with a complicated history end up working on the same TV show... Can they write themselves a new ending? A sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings and give you a book hangover from brilliant new voice Yulin Kuang.

Helen Zhang hasn鈥檛 seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.

Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She鈥檚 even scored a coveted spot in the writers鈥� room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer鈥檚 block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except鈥�

Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he鈥檚 well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn鈥檛 have taken the job on Helen鈥檚 show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can鈥檛 pass up.

Grant鈥檚 exactly as Helen remembers him鈥攃harming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she鈥檚 never been. And Helen鈥檚 exactly as Grant remembers too鈥攂rilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen鈥檚 parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he鈥檚 in the picture at all.

When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet鈥� the key to making peace with their past鈥攁nd themselves鈥攎ight just lie in holding on to each other in the present.]]> 384 Yulin Kuang 0063310686 Megan 0 to-read 3.51 2024
author: Yulin Kuang
name: Megan
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/02
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]]> 235869
Written by two prominent nutritionists, Intuitive Eating focuses on nurturing your body rather than starving it, encourages natural weight loss, and helps you find the weight you were meant to be.

Learn:
*How to reject diet mentality forever
*How our three Eating Personalities define our eating difficulties
*How to feel your feelings without using food
*How to honor hunger and feel fullness
*How to follow the ten principles of Intuitive Eating, step-by-step
*How to achieve a new and safe relationship with food and, ultimately, your body

With much more compassionate, thoughtful advice on satisfying, healthy living, this newly revised edition also includes a chapter on how the Intuitive Eating philosophy can be a safe and effective model on the path to recovery from an eating disorder.]]> 284 Evelyn Tribole 0312321236 Megan 0 to-read 4.21 1995
author: Evelyn Tribole
name: Megan
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201294595 Part memoir, part explosive window into the mind of a catfisher, a thrilling personal account of three women coming face-to-face with an internet predator and teaming up to expose them

In 2011 three successful and highly educated women fell head over heels for the brilliant and charming Ethan Schuman. Unbeknownst to the others, each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, staying up late into the evenings to deepen their connections with this fascinating man. His detailed excuses about broken webcams and complicated international calling plans seemed believable, as did last-minute trip cancellations. After all, why would he lie? Ethan wasn't after money鈥攈e never convinced his marks to shell out thousands of dollars for some imagined crisis. Rather, he ensnared these women in a web of intense emotional intimacy.

After the trio independently began to question inconsistencies in their new flame's stories, they managed to find one another and uncover a greater deception than they could have ever imagined. As Anna Akbari and the women untangled their catfish鈥檚 web, they found other victims and realized that without a proper crime, there was no legal reason for 鈥淓than鈥� to ever stop.

There is No Ethan catalogues Akbari's experience as both victim and observer. By looking at the bigger picture鈥攁 world where technology mediates our relationships; where words and images are easily manipulated; and where truth, reality, and identity have become slippery terms鈥擜kbari provides an explanation for why these stories matter.]]> 304 Anna Akbari 1538742195 Megan 3 3.57 2024
author: Anna Akbari
name: Megan
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
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]]> 25489025
Celebrated by critics around the world, The Vegetarian is a darkly allegorical, Kafka-esque tale of power, obsession, and one woman鈥檚 struggle to break free from the violence both without and within her.]]> 188 Han Kang 0553448188 Megan 0 to-read 3.61 2007
author: Han Kang
name: Megan
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212806663 鈥淎 wise, tremendously moving exploration of what it means to seek companionship and understanding, in books and in life.鈥濃�擧ua Hsu, author of Stay True

鈥淎 must for the obsessive reader.鈥濃�擡lif Batuman, author of Either/Or and The Idiot

Books can seduce you. They can, Sarah Chihaya believes, annihilate, reveal, and provoke you. And anyone incurably obsessed with books understands this kind of unsettling literary encounter. Sarah calls books that have this effect 鈥淟ife Ruiners鈥�.

Her Life Ruiner, Toni Morrison鈥檚 The Bluest Eye, became a talisman for her in high school when its electrifying treatment of race exposed Sarah鈥檚 deepest feelings about being Japanese American in a predominantly white suburb of Cleveland. But Sarah had always lived through her books, seeking escape, self-definition, and rules for living. She built her life around reading, wrote criticism, and taught literature at an Ivy League University. Then she was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, and the world became an unreadable blank page. In the aftermath, she was faced with a question. Could we ever truly rewrite the stories that govern our lives?

Bibliophobia is an alternately searing and darkly humorous story of breakdown and survival told through books. Delving into texts such as Anne of Green Gables, Possession, A Tale for the Time Being, The Last Samurai, Chihaya interrogates her cultural identity, her relationship with depression, and the intoxicating, sometimes painful, ways books push back on those who love them.]]> 240 Sarah Chihaya 059359472X Megan 0 to-read 3.74 2025
author: Sarah Chihaya
name: Megan
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> 216543239
Sarah Morgan is one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Washington, DC. With a perfect case record and having made named partner before the age of thirty-five, her life is going exactly as she planned.

However, the same cannot be said for her husband, Adam, a failed author, who鈥檚 grown to resent his wife鈥檚 meteoric success as he feels it鈥檚 come at the expense of their relationship.

For almost two years, Adam has kept his affair with Kelly Summers a secret, but everything changes when her body is discovered at the couple鈥檚 lake house and Adam is arrested on suspicion of murder.

Sarah now finds herself facing her most challenging case yet when she vows to defend her husband鈥攁 man accused of murdering his mistress.

While Adam is certainly guilty of sleeping with Kelly, the question remains: Is he guilty of killing her too?]]> 352 Jeneva Rose Megan 0 to-read 4.08 2020
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Megan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201626940 From听New York Times听bestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven expos茅 of the real Kennedy Curse鈥攖he family鈥檚 generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem鈥攁nd the women who have paid the price for our obsession with Camelot

The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and鈥攁bove all else鈥攊ntegrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation鈥檚 wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal鈥攆rom sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter鈥攖he family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact.

Now, in Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys鈥� hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty鈥檚 story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren鈥檛 nearly as well known but should be.

Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys鈥� orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not.]]> 400 Maureen Callahan 0316276170 Megan 0 to-read 4.04 2024
author: Maureen Callahan
name: Megan
average rating: 4.04
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]]> 199344846
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black鈥攂lack clothes, black mask鈥攔ushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it鈥檚 you. Here you are.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.

Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature鈥檚 capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art鈥攁nd finding the strength to stand up again.]]> 209 Salman Rushdie 0593730240 Megan 0 to-read 3.99 2024
author: Salman Rushdie
name: Megan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 203708995 400 Griffin Dunne 0593652827 Megan 0 to-read 4.01 2024
author: Griffin Dunne
name: Megan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 195790788
Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia Levings learned that being a good Christian meant following a list of additional life principles鈥攁 series of secret, special rules to obey. Being a godly and submissive wife in Christian Patriarchy included strict discipline, isolation, and an alternative lifestyle that appeared wholesome to outsiders. Women were to be silent, 鈥渒eepers of the home.鈥�

Tia knew that to their neighbors her family was strange, but she also couldn't risk exposing their secret lifestyle to police, doctors, teachers, or anyone outside of their church. Christians were called in scripture to be 鈥渋n the world, not of it.鈥� So, she hid in plain sight as years of abuse and pain followed. When Tia realized she was the only one who could protect her children from becoming the next generation of patriarchal men and submissive women, she began to resist and question how they lived. But in the patriarchy, a woman with opinions is in danger, and eventually, Tia faced an urgent and extreme stay and face dire consequences, or flee with her children.

Told in a beautiful, honest, and sometimes harrowing voice, A Well-Trained Wife is an unforgettable and timely memoir about a woman's race to save herself and her family and details the ways that extreme views can manifest in a marriage.]]> 304 Tia Levings 1250288282 Megan 0 to-read 4.31 2024
author: Tia Levings
name: Megan
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 182095845 272 Amy Lin 195850632X Megan 0 to-read 4.24 2024
author: Amy Lin
name: Megan
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 200100950

When Stephanie Kiser moves to New York City after college to pursue a career in writing, she quickly learns that her entry-level salary won't cover the high cost of living鈥昻ever mind her crushing student loan debt. But there is one in-demand job that pays more than enough to allow Stephanie to stay in the city: nannying for the 1%. Desperate to escape the poverty of her own childhood, Stephanie falls into a job that hijacks her life for the next seven years: a glorified personal assistant to toddlers on Manhattan's Upper East Side.


At first, nannying seems like the perfect solution鈥晅he high pay covers Stephanie's bills, and she's surprised by how attached she becomes to the kids she cares for, even as she gasps over Prada baby onesies and preschools that cost more than her college tuition. But the grueling twelve-hour days leave her little time to see her friends, date, or pursue any creative projects that might lead to a more prestigious career. The allure of the seemingly-glamorous job begins to dull as Stephanie comes to understand more about what really happens behind the closed doors of million-dollar Park Avenue apartments鈥昦nd that money doesn't guarantee happiness. Soon she will have to decide whether to stay with the children she's grown to love, or if there's something better out there just beyond her reach.


Wanted: Toddler's Personal Assistant is alternately poignant and funny, a portrait of a generation of Americans struggling to find work they love balanced against the headwinds of global uncertainty and an economy stacked against anyone trying to work their way up from the bottom. It's a provocative story of class, caregiving, friendship, and family鈥昦nd a juicy, voyeuristic peek behind the curtain of obscene wealth and the privilege and opportunity that comes with it. In this unputdownable memoir, Stephanie chronicles her journey from newbie nanny to beloved caregiver鈥攁nd the painful decision to eventually say goodbye to the children she has grown to love.]]> 336 Stephanie Kiser 1728298164 Megan 0 to-read 3.62 2024
author: Stephanie Kiser
name: Megan
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
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]]> 203578896 The first unauthorized look at the inner workings鈥昦nd ultimate breakdown鈥昽f the Disney Channel machine

For many kids growing up in the 2000s, there was no cultural touchstone more powerful than Disney Channel, the most-watched cable channel in prime time at its peak. Today it might best be known for introducing the world to talents like Hilary Duff, Raven-Symon茅, Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya.

It wasn't always destined for greatness: When Disney Channel launched in 1983, it was a forgotten stepchild within the Walt Disney Company, forever in the shadow of Disney鈥檚 more profitable movies and theme parks. But after letting the stars of their Mickey Mouse Club revival鈥昦mong them Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling鈥晄lip through their fingers, Disney Channel reinvented itself as a powerhouse tween network. In the new millennium it churned out billions of dollars in original content and triple-threat stars whose careers were almost entirely controlled by the corporation. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the pie鈥昦nd there were constant clashes between the studio, network, labels, and creatives as Disney Channel became a pressure cooker of perfection for its stars.

From private feuds and on-set disasters, to fanfare that swept the nation and the realities of child stardom, culture journalist Ashley Spencer offers the inside story of the heyday of TV鈥檚 House of Mouse, featuring hundreds of exclusive new interviews with former Disney executives, creatives, and celebrities to explore the highs, lows, and everything in between.]]> 336 Ashley Spencer 1250283450 Megan 0 to-read 4.01 2024
author: Ashley Spencer
name: Megan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 142402923 The secret to productivity isn鈥檛 discipline. It鈥檚 joy.

We think that productivity is all about hard work. That the road to success is lined with endless frustration and toil. But what if there鈥檚 another way?

Dr Ali Abdaal 鈥� the world's most-followed productivity expert 鈥� has uncovered an easier and happier path to success. Drawing on decades of psychological research, he has found that the secret to productivity and success isn't grind 鈥� it's feeling good. If you can make your work feel good, then productivity takes care of itself.

In this revolutionary book, Ali reveals how the science of feel-good productivity can transform your life. He introduces the three hidden 'energisers' that underpin enjoyable productivity, the three 'blockers' we must overcome to beat procrastination, and the three 'sustainers' that prevent burnout and help us achieve lasting fulfillment. He recounts the inspiring stories of founders, Olympians, and Nobel-winning scientists who embody the principles of Feel-Good Productivity. And he introduces the simple, actionable changes that you can use to achieve more and live better, starting today.

Armed with Ali鈥檚 insights, you won鈥檛 just accomplish more. You鈥檒l feel happier and more fulfilled along the way.]]> 304 Ali Abdaal 1250865034 Megan 0 to-read 3.94 2023
author: Ali Abdaal
name: Megan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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]]> 207006355 What do you want, when no one is watching?
What do you want, when the lights are off?
What do you want, when you are anonymous?

When we talk about sex, we talk about womanhood and motherhood, infidelity and exploitation, consent and respect, fairness and egalitarianism, love and hate, pleasure and pain. And yet for many reasons 鈥� some complicated, some not 鈥� so many of us don't talk about it. Our deepest, most intimate fears and fantasies remain locked away inside of us, until someone comes along with the key. Here's the key. In this generation-defining book, Gillian Anderson collects and introduces the anonymous letters of hundreds of women from around the world (along with her own anonymous letter). Want reveals how women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous.]]> 372 Gillian Anderson 1419777297 Megan 0 to-read 3.43 2024
author: Gillian Anderson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.43
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]]> 158649729 The fascinating history of women鈥檚 health as it鈥檚 never been told before.

For as long as medicine has been a practice, women's bodies have been treated like objects to be practiced on: examined and ignored, idealized and sexualized, shamed, subjugated, mutilated, and dismissed. The history of women鈥檚 healthcare is a story in which women themselves have too often been voiceless鈥攁 narrative instead written from the perspective of men who styled themselves as authorities on the female of the species, yet uninformed by women鈥檚 own voices, thoughts, fears, pain and experiences. The result is a cultural and societal legacy that continues to shape the (mis)treatment and care of women.

While the modern age has seen significant advancements in the medical field, the notion that female bodies are flawed inversions of the male ideal lingers on鈥攁s do the pervasive societal stigmas and lingering ignorance that shape women鈥檚 health and relationships with their own bodies.

Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen peels back the curtain on the collective medical history of women to reintroduce us to our whole bodies鈥攈ow they work, the actual doctors and patients whose perspectives and experiences laid the foundation for today鈥檚 medical thought, and the many oversights that still remain unaddressed. With a physician鈥檚 knowledge and empathy, Dr. Comen follows the road map of the eleven organ systems to share unique and untold stories, drawing upon medical texts and journals, interviews with expert physicians, as well as her own experience treating thousands of women.

Empowering women to better understand ourselves and advocate for care that prioritizes healthy and joyful lives鈥攆or us and generations to come鈥�All in Her Head is written with humor, wisdom, and deep scientific and cultural insight. Eye-opening, sometimes enraging, yet always captivating, this shared memoir of women鈥檚 medical history is an essential contribution to a holistic understanding and much-needed reclaiming of women鈥檚 history and bodies.]]> 368 Elizabeth Comen 0063293013 Megan 0 to-read 4.36 2024
author: Elizabeth Comen
name: Megan
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 219580039 INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From clinical psychologist and expert in narcissistic relationships Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a guide to protecting and healing yourself from the daily harms of narcissism

AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER

It鈥檚 not always easy to tell when you鈥檙e dealing with a narcissist. One day they draw you in with their confidence and charisma, the next they gaslight you, wreck your self-confidence, and leave you wondering, What could I have done differently?

As Dr. Ramani Durvasula reveals in It's Not You, the answer is: absolutely nothing. Just as a tiger can鈥檛 change its stripes, a narcissist won鈥檛 stop manipulating and invalidating you. To heal in the aftermath of their abuse and protect yourself from future harm, you first have to accept that you are not to blame.

Deeply compassionate and revelatory, It鈥檚 Not You examines how narcissists hijack our wellbeing and offers a healing path forward. Drawing on more than 20 years of studying, teaching, and helping clients navigate the landscape of narcissism, Dr. Durvasula unpacks the oft-misunderstood personality, showing how to identify the telltale signs that you may be dealing with a narcissist and protect yourself from their toxic influence. Along the way, you鈥檒l learn how to become gaslight resistant, chip away at the trauma bonds that keep us stuck in these cycles, grieve the losses, create realistic boundaries, learn the fine art of discernment, and recover your sense of self after years of invalidation.

Healing and thriving after or even during a narcissistic relationship can be challenging, but it is possible. It's Not You shows that the first step is to stop trying to change the narcissistic person, stop blaming yourself, and start giving yourself permission to foster your autonomy and sense of self outside of this relationship.]]> Ramani Durvasula Megan 0 to-read 4.52 2024
author: Ramani Durvasula
name: Megan
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 200987323 In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues鈥� private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job鈥攁 laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you鈥檒l be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don鈥檛 seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text colour to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department鈥檚 private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss鈥檚 favour, convince HR she鈥檚 Supershops material and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker鈥檚 private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble鈥攅specially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she鈥檚 ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.

Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.]]> 338 Natalie Sue 0063320363 Megan 0 to-read 3.74 2024
author: Natalie Sue
name: Megan
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
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]]> 176443453
It鈥檚 been a year since his ex-boyfriend dumped him and moved from Auckland to Buenos Aires, and Valdin is doing fine. He has a good flat with his sister Greta, a good career where his colleagues only occasionally remind him that he is the sole M膩ori person in the office, and a good friend who he only sleeps with when he鈥檚 sad. But when work sends him to Argentina and he鈥檚 thrown back in his former lover鈥檚 orbit, Valdin is forced to confront the feelings he鈥檚 been trying to ignore鈥攁nd the future he wants.

Greta is not letting her painfully unrequited crush (or her possibly pointless master鈥檚 thesis, or her pathetic academic salary...) get her down. She would love to focus on the charming fellow grad student she meets at a party and her friendships with a circle of similarly floundering twenty-somethings, but her chaotic family life won鈥檛 stop her mother is keeping secrets, her nephew is having a gay crisis, and her brother has suddenly flown to South America without a word.

Sharp, hilarious, and with an undeniable emotional momentum that builds to an exuberant conclusion, Greta & Valdin careens us through the siblings鈥� misadventures and the messy dramas of their sprawling, eccentric Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. An acclaimed bestseller in New Zealand, Greta & Valdin is fresh, joyful, and alive with the possibility of love in its many mystifying forms.]]> 352 Rebecca K. Reilly 1668028042 Megan 0 to-read 3.89 2021
author: Rebecca K. Reilly
name: Megan
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> 220572240 An alternative cover edition can be found here

A dark comedy about second acts, creative appropriation, and the racial identity鈥搃ndustrial complex

Jane has high hopes her life is about to turn around. After years of living precariously, she; her painter husband, Lenny; and their two kids have landed a stint as house sitters in a friend鈥檚 luxurious home in the hills above Los Angeles, a gig that coincides magically with Jane鈥檚 sabbatical. If she can just finish her latest novel, Nusu Nusu, the centuries-spanning epic Lenny refers to as her 鈥渕ulatto War and Peace,鈥� she鈥檒l have tenure and some semblance of stability and success within her grasp.

But things don鈥檛 work out quite as hoped. In search of a plan B, like countless writers before her, Jane turns her desperate gaze to Hollywood. After she meets with a hot young producer to create 鈥渄iverse content鈥� for a streaming network, he seems excited to work with a 鈥渞eal writer.鈥� She can create what he envisions as the greatest biracial comedy to ever hit the small screen. Things finally seem to be going right for Jane鈥攗ntil they go terribly wrong.]]> 288 Danzy Senna 0593544374 Megan 0 to-read 3.49 2024
author: Danzy Senna
name: Megan
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 199793431
Gary Geist, a terrified young man set to inherit two farms, is desperate to marry Kismet Poe, an impulsive, lapsed Goth who can't read her future but seems to resolve his.

Hugo, a gentle red-haired, home-schooled giant, is also in love with Kismet. He鈥檚 determined to steal her and is eager to be a home wrecker.

Kismet's mother, Crystal, hauls sugar beets for Gary's family, and on her nightly runs, tunes into the darkness of late-night radio, sees visions of guardian angels, and worries for the future, her daughter鈥檚 and her own.

Human time, deep time, Red River time, the half-life of herbicides and pesticides, and the elegance of time represented in fracking core samples from unimaginable depths, is set against the speed of climate change, the depletion of natural resources, and the sudden economic meltdown of 2008-2009. How much does a dress cost? A used car? A package of cinnamon rolls? Can you see the shape of your soul in the everchanging clouds? Your personal salvation in the giant expanse of sky? These are the questions the people of the Red River Valley of the North wrestle with every day.

The Mighty Red is a novel of tender humor, disturbance, and hallucinatory mourning. It is about on-the-job pains and immeasurable satisfactions, a turbulent landscape, and eating the native weeds growing in your backyard. It is about ordinary people who dream, grow up, fall in love, struggle, endure tragedy, carry bitter secrets; men and women both complicated and contradictory, flawed and decent, lonely and hopeful. It is about a starkly beautiful prairie community whose members must cope with devastating consequences as powerful forces upend them. As with every book this great modern master writes, The Mighty Red is about our tattered bond with the earth, and about love in all of its absurdity and splendor.

A new novel by Louise Erdrich is a major literary event; gorgeous and heartrending, The Mighty Red is a triumph.]]> 384 Louise Erdrich 0063277050 Megan 0 to-read 3.78 2024
author: Louise Erdrich
name: Megan
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 199344873
She鈥檚 unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, an impending separation from her spikey teenaged daughter, and a seductive resurgence of the past, all of which threaten to draw her back into the patterns that had previously kept her on a razor鈥檚 edge.

Same As It Ever Was traverses the rocky terrain of real life, 鈥攅xploring new avenues of maternal ambivalence, intergenerational friendship, and the happenstantial cause-and-effect that governs us all. Delving even deeper into the nature of relationships鈥攈ow they grow, change, and sometimes end鈥擫ombardo proves herself a true and definitive cartographer of the human heart and asserts herself among the finest novelists of her generation.]]> 498 Claire Lombardo 0385549555 Megan 0 to-read 3.82 2024
author: Claire Lombardo
name: Megan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 210943364
The first of the book鈥檚 three intertwining essays is set in Dakar, Senegal. Despite being raised as a strict Afrocentrist, Coates had never set foot on the African continent until now. He roams the 鈥渟teampunk鈥� city of 鈥渙ld traditions and new machinery,鈥� but everywhere he goes he feels as if he鈥檚 in two places at once: a modern city in Senegal and a mythic kingdom in his mind. Finally he travels to the slave castles off the coast and has his own reckoning with the legacy of the Afrocentric dream.

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

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

Written at a dramatic moment in American and global life, this work from one of the country鈥檚 most important writers is about the urgent need to untangle ourselves from the destructive nationalist myths that shape our world鈥攁nd our own souls鈥攁nd embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths.]]> 232 Ta-Nehisi Coates 0593230388 Megan 0 to-read 4.51 2024
author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
name: Megan
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 150245732
It鈥檚 not always easy to tell when you鈥檙e dealing with a narcissist. One day they draw you in with their confidence and charisma, the next they gaslight you, wreck your self-confidence, and leave you wondering, What could I have done differently?

As Dr. Ramani Durvasula reveals in It's Not You , the answer absolutely nothing. Just as a tiger can鈥檛 change its stripes, a narcissist won鈥檛 stop manipulating and invalidating you. To heal in the aftermath of their abuse and protect yourself from future harm, you first have to accept that you are not to blame.听

Deeply compassionate and revelatory, It鈥檚 Not You examines how narcissists hijack our wellbeing and offers a healing path forward. Drawing on more than 20 years of studying, teaching, and helping clients navigate the landscape of narcissism, Dr. Durvasula unpacks the oft-misunderstood personality, showing how to identify the telltale signs that you may be dealing with a narcissist and protect yourself from their toxic influence. Along the way, you鈥檒l learn how to become gaslight resistant, chip away at the trauma bonds that keep us stuck in these cycles, grieve the losses, create realistic boundaries, learn the fine art of discernment, and recover your sense of self after years of invalidation.

Healing and thriving after or even during a narcissistic relationship can be challenging, but it is possible. It's Not You shows that the first step is to stop trying to change the narcissistic person, stop blaming yourself, and start giving yourself permission to foster your autonomy and sense of self outside of this relationship.]]> 362 Ramani Durvasula 0593492633 Megan 0 to-read 4.54 2024
author: Ramani Durvasula
name: Megan
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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]]> 845977 A Course in Miracles and her insights on the application of love in the search for inner peace.

Williamson reveals how we each can become a miracle worker by accepting God and by the expression of love in our daily lives. Whether psychic pain is in the area of relationships, career, or health, she shows us how love is a potent force, the key to inner peace, and how by practicing love we can make our own lives more fulfilling while creating a more peaceful and loving world for our children.]]> 300 Marianne Williamson 0060927488 Megan 5 4.25 1992
author: Marianne Williamson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/04
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]]> 63221207 New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman鈥檚 struggle to recapture her identity.

When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she鈥檇 gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened?

In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Cahalan tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family鈥檚 inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn鈥檛 happen.]]> 300 Susannah Cahalan 1451621396 Megan 0 to-read 4.19 2012
author: Susannah Cahalan
name: Megan
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
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review:

]]> 29868604
My Own Words offers Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. Throughout her life Justice Ginsburg has been (and continues to be) a prolific writer and public speaker. This book鈥檚 sampling is selected by Justice Ginsburg and her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. Justice Ginsburg has written an introduction to the book, and Hartnett and Williams introduce each chapter, giving biographical context and quotes gleaned from hundreds of interviews they have conducted. This is a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of America鈥檚 most influential women.]]> 400 Ruth Bader Ginsburg 150114524X Megan 0 to-read 4.02 2016
author: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 83324

This work is marked by Kierkegaard's Socratic awareness of the reader, both as the center of awakened understanding and as the initiator of action. Written to be read aloud, the book conveys a keenness of thought and an insightful, poetic imagination that make such an attentive approach richly rewarding. Works of Love not only serves as an excellent place to begin exploring the writings of Kierkegaard, but also rewards many rereadings.]]> 584 S酶ren Kierkegaard 0691059160 Megan 0 to-read 4.38 1847
author: S酶ren Kierkegaard
name: Megan
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1847
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> 38746485
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her鈥攆rom her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world鈥檚 most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it鈥攊n her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations鈥攁nd whose story inspires us to do the same.]]> 426 Michelle Obama 1524763136 Megan 0 to-read 4.42 2018
author: Michelle Obama
name: Megan
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 26827675 The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching thirty-year-plus association with the Church of Scientology.

Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this tough-talking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost.

That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former King of Queens star opens up about that experience for the first time, revealing the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices.

Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an actress and advancing Scientology's causes grew increasingly intertwined. As an adult, she found the success she'd worked so hard for, and with it a prominent place in the hierarchy of celebrity Scientologists alongside people such as Tom Cruise, Scientology's most high-profile adherent. Remini spent time directly with Cruise and was included among the guests at his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.

But when she began to raise questions about some of the church's actions, she found herself a target. In the end, she was declared by the church to be a threat to their organization and therefore a "Suppressive Person," and as a result, all of her fellow parishioners鈥攊ncluding members of her own family鈥攚ere told to disconnect from her. Forever.

Bold, brash, and bravely confessional, Troublemaker chronicles Leah Remini's remarkable journey toward emotional and spiritual freedom, both for herself and for her family. This is a memoir designed to reveal the hard-won truths of a life lived honestly鈥攆rom an author unafraid of the consequences.]]> 256 Leah Remini 110188696X Megan 3 4.02 2015
author: Leah Remini
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves:
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]]> 77810 The Days of Abandonment shocked and captivated its Italian public when first published. It is the gripping story of a woman's descent into devastating emptiness after being abandoned by her husband with two young children to care for. When she finds herself literally trapped within the four walls of their high-rise apartment, she is forced to confront her ghosts, the potential loss of her own identity, and the possibility that life may never return to normal.]]> 188 Elena Ferrante 1933372001 Megan 0 to-read 3.92 2002
author: Elena Ferrante
name: Megan
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203931803 A powerful memoir that reckons with mental health as well as the insidious ways men impact the lives of women.

In early 2021, popular artist Anna Marie Tendler checked herself into a psychiatric hospital following a year of crippling anxiety, depression and self-harm. Over two weeks, she underwent myriad psychological tests, participated in numerous therapy sessions, connected with fellow patients and experienced profound breakthroughs, such as when a doctor noted, 鈥淭here is a you inside that feels invisible to those looking at you from the outside.鈥�

In Men Have Called Her Crazy, Tendler recounts her hospital experience as well as pivotal moments in her life that preceded and followed. As the title suggests, many of these moments are impacted by men: unrequited love in high school; the twenty-eight-year-old she lost her virginity to when she was sixteen; the frustrations and absurdities of dating in her mid-thirties; and her decision to freeze her eggs as all her friends were starting families.

This stunning literary self-portrait examines the unreasonable expectations and pressures women face in the 21st century. Yet overwhelming and despairing as that can feel, Tendler ultimately offers a message hope. Early in her stay in the hospital, she says, 鈥淢y wish for myself is that one day I鈥檒l reach a place where I can face hardship without trying to destroy myself.鈥� By the end of the book, she fulfills that wish.]]> 304 Anna Marie Tendler 1668032341 Megan 0 to-read 3.42 2024
author: Anna Marie Tendler
name: Megan
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> 41577600 An introvert spends a year trying to live like an extrovert with hilarious results and advice for readers along the way.

What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she鈥檇 normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. With the help of various extrovert mentors, Pan sets up a series of personal challenges (talk to strangers, perform stand-up comedy, host a dinner party, travel alone, make friends on the road, and much worse) to explore whether living like an extrovert can teach her lessons that might improve the quality of her life. Chronicling the author鈥檚 hilarious and painful year of misadventures, this book explores what happens when one introvert fights her natural tendencies, takes the plunge, and tries (and sometimes fails) to be a little bit braver.]]> 368 Jessica Pan 0857526154 Megan 0 to-read 3.86 2019
author: Jessica Pan
name: Megan
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: to-read
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]]> 44600621 Ali Wong's heartfelt and hilarious letters to her daughters (the two she put to work while they were still in utero), covering everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession, and how she trapped their dad.

In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so heavily that she became a popular Halloween costume. Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, Asian culture, working women, and why you never see new mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads.

The sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom she's learned from a life in comedy and reveals stories from her life off stage, including the brutal singles life in New York (i.e. the inevitable confrontation with erectile dysfunction), reconnecting with her roots (and drinking snake blood) in Vietnam, tales of being a wild child growing up in San Francisco, and parenting war stories. Though addressed to her daughters, Ali Wong's letters are absurdly funny, surprisingly moving, and enlightening (and disgusting) for all.]]> 240 Ali Wong 052550883X Megan 3 3.83 2019
author: Ali Wong
name: Megan
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
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]]> 201245798 A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend鈥檚 wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating in this fresh romantic comedy from Laura Hankin.

Natalie and Rob couldn鈥檛 have less in common. Nat鈥檚 a messy artist, and Rob鈥檚 a rigid academic. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends鈥攚ho just got engaged. Still, unexpected chemistry has Natalie cautiously optimistic about being maid of honor to Rob鈥檚 best man.

Until, minutes before the ceremony, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her new novel, which has them both reeling: Nat from imposter syndrome, and Rob over the reason he needed to write it.

When the reception ends, these two opposites hope they鈥檒l never meet again. But, as they slip from their twenties into their thirties, they鈥檙e forced together whenever their fast-track best friends celebrate another milestone. Through housewarmings and christenings, life-changing triumphs and failures, Natalie and Rob grapple with their own choices鈥攁nd how your harshest critic can become your perfectly imperfect match.

After all, even the truest love stories sometimes need a bit of rewriting.]]> 400 Laura Hankin 0593438213 Megan 3 3.65 2024
author: Laura Hankin
name: Megan
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
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]]> 50997029
Now, Dr. LePera is ready to share her much-requested protocol with the world. In How to Do the Work, she offers both a manifesto for SelfHealing as well as an essential guide to creating a more vibrant, authentic, and joyful life. Drawing on the latest research from a diversity of scientific fields and healing modalities, Dr. LePera helps us recognize how adverse experiences and trauma in childhood live with us, resulting in whole body dysfunction鈥攁ctivating harmful stress responses that keep us stuck engaging in patterns of codependency, emotional immaturity, and trauma bonds. Unless addressed, these self-sabotaging behaviors can quickly become cyclical, leaving people feeling unhappy, unfulfilled, and unwell.听]]> 320 Nicole LePera 0063012103 Megan 0 to-read 4.11 2021
author: Nicole LePera
name: Megan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62919850
A fake dating arrangement turns to real love in this deliciously delightful queer rom-com from the author of the sweetly satisfying Chef鈥檚 Kiss .

When Luna O鈥橲hea is unceremoniously fired from her frustrating office job, she tries to count her she鈥檚 a proud trans woman who has plenty of friends, a wonderful roommate, and a good life in New York City. But blessings don鈥檛 pay the bills.

Enter Jean-Pierre, a laissez-faire trans man and the heir to a huge culinary empire鈥攚hich he鈥檒l only inherit if he can jump through all the hoops his celebrity chef grandfather has placed in his path. First he needs a girlfriend, a role that Luna is happy to play鈥or the right price. She鈥檚 got rent to pay, after all! Second they both need to learn how to cook a series of elaborate, world-renowned family recipes to prove that Jean-Pierre is a worthy heir. Admittedly, Luna doesn鈥檛 even know how to crack an egg, but she鈥檚 not going to let that鈥攐r any pesky feelings for Jean-Pierre鈥攕top her.

Another swoon-worthy and heartwarming queer love story from a charming new voice in romance.]]> 336 T.J. Alexander 198218910X Megan 0 to-read 4.03 2023
author: T.J. Alexander
name: Megan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
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]]> 59417433 This is not your typical love story.

It鈥檚 a story of almosts and could-have-beens.
Of friendship that teeters on the edge of something more.
Of passion so intoxicating, it burns.

Jamie and B are two hearts caught in the tangle of bad timing and unspoken words. Their connection defies labels鈥攖oo deep for friendship, too tangled for love. Over a decade of moments, choices, and missed opportunities, they find themselves drawn together like a moth to a flame, even when the world鈥攁nd their own mistakes鈥攌eep pulling them apart.

Is it obsession? Destiny? Or just self-destruction with a pretty face?

Sometimes, love isn鈥檛 about finding the right person鈥攊t鈥檚 about the moment when everything aligns.
But what if that moment never comes?

This special edition features:
* A Love Letter to Whiskey (the full, heart-wrenching story)
* Love, Whiskey (Jamie鈥檚 side, plus an extended epilogue)
* Bonus content, including behind-the-scenes stories, fun facts, and letters from the author and audiobook narrator]]> 608 Kandi Steiner Megan 0 to-read 4.23
author: Kandi Steiner
name: Megan
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208503280 She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She鈥檚 seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman鈥晅he latest in a string of deaths across the coast鈥昪onfounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can鈥檛 shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn鈥檛 get to the truth, she鈥檒l be the killer鈥檚 next victim...

A dark story about obsession and the things we鈥檒l do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest鈥]> 368 Freida McFadden 1728296226 Megan 0 to-read 3.95 2024
author: Freida McFadden
name: Megan
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210246753 368 Tony Blair 0593799798 Megan 0 to-read 3.88
author: Tony Blair
name: Megan
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205309541
This heartening book from Upworthy, the kindest place on the internet, offers respite to everyone navigating an increasingly turbulent world, both online and off. Filled with personal stories handpicked from millions of the brand鈥檚 impassioned followers, it reinforces the notion that humanity is fundamentally good.

Rippling with emotion, humor, and honesty, the tales collected here are mined from the community鈥檚 comment section in response to such questions as: What鈥檚 the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you? Who鈥檚 the teacher who changed your life? When did the 鈥渓ittle things鈥� make a difference? Who was there for you when you needed it most? Each chapter is anchored by intimate long-form stories punctuated with lighthearted anecdotes and whimsical line drawings. Together, they provide a stirring testament to the complexity and resilience of the human spirit.

An inspiring counterbalance to today鈥檚 daunting news cycle, this timely book is a go-to resource for comfort and joy.]]> 320 Gabriel Reilich 1426223463 Megan 0 to-read 4.20
author: Gabriel Reilich
name: Megan
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200982381 From Printz Honor winning author Lily Anderson comes a young adult horror that follows Arden and her three best friends as their graduation party at an abandoned mansion turns into a bloody fight for survival.

Red Solo cups? Check. Snacks? Check. Abandoned mansion full of countless horrors that won鈥檛 let you leave? Check.

The Deinhart Manor has been a looming shadow over town for as long as anyone can remember, and it's been abandoned for even longer. When the final Deinhart descendent passes, the huge gothic manor is up for sale for the first time ever. Which means Arden can steal the keys from her mom鈥檚 real estate office...

It鈥檚 time for a graduation party that no one will ever forget. Arden and her best friends each have different reasons for wanting to throw the party to end all parties. But when the manor doors bar everyone inside and the walls begin to bleed, all anyone wants to do is make it out alive.]]> 304 Lily Anderson 1250909473 Megan 0 to-read 3.18 2024
author: Lily Anderson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199797582
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There鈥檚 just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather鈥檚 will, Liam won鈥檛 see a penny until he鈥檚 been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he鈥檚 in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he鈥檚 afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents 鈥� his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam鈥檚 fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.]]> 352 Christina Lauren 1668017725 Megan 3 4.07 2024
author: Christina Lauren
name: Megan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves:
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]]> 209455865
鈥淎I has the potential to help us create a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy, and joyful world. Digital Dharma shows you a path.鈥濃�擲am Altman, CEO of OpenAI

In a world captivated yet bewildered by artificial intelligence, spiritual icon Deepak Chopra, MD, illuminates AI鈥檚 untapped potential to unravel the enigma of consciousness, positioning AI not as a threat but as a catalyst for personal and collective growth. In Digital Dharma, Chopra navigates the balance between technology and expanded awareness, explaining that while AI cannot duplicate human intelligence, it can vastly enhance personal and spiritual growth.

Chopra shows readers how the most popular, freely available chatbots can serve as guides through every level of human potential鈥攕urvival and safety, emotional connection, self-worth, abundance, creativity, wisdom, and the infinite possibilities of cosmic consciousness. AI chatbots offer information, advice, and exploratory avenues of untapped potential about any aspect of human awareness.

In practical terms, making AI your ally and guide depends on the art of the prompt, the questions a user poses to a chatbot. As Chopra shows in detail, by asking the right questions, you can bring AI into your inner world, which is where personal growth happens. Chopra provides a personal assessment for you to better understand yourself and exercises to help you expand your awareness in any part of your life.

Digital Dharma masterfully helps readers to harness AI, not merely as a technological tool but as a partner in crafting a future where human potential solves the urgent problems facing the planet and each of us as individuals. Deepak Chopra invites us to transcend our limitations and explore a relationship with AI that elevates collective consciousness and personal evolution at the same time.]]> 240 Deepak Chopra 0593797523 Megan 0 to-read 3.69
author: Deepak Chopra
name: Megan
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 46815
Why would a talented young girl go through the looking glass and step into a netherworld where up is down and food is greed, where death is honor and flesh is weak? Why enter into a love affair with hunger, drugs, sex and death? Marya Hornbacher sustained both anorexia and bulimia through five lengthy hospitalizations, endless therapy, the loss of family, friends, jobs and, ultimately, any sense of what it meant to be "normal."

In this vivid, emotionally wrenching memoir, she re-creates the experience and illuminates the tangle of personal, family and cultural causes that underlie eating disorders. Hornbacher's story gathers intensity with each passing year. By the time she is in college and working for a news service in Washington, DC, she is in the grip of a such a horrifying bout with anorexia that it will forever put to rest the romance of wasting away. Down to 52 pounds and counting, Hornbacher's body becomes a the death instinct with the drive to live, mind and body locked in mortal combat.

Wasted is the story of one woman's travels to the darker side of reality, and her decision to find her way back -- on her own terms. A landmark book from a 23-year-old writer of virtuoso prose, Wasted takes us inside the experience of anorexia and bulimia in a way that no one else has ever done.]]> 298 Marya Hornbacher 0060858796 Megan 0 to-read 4.02 1998
author: Marya Hornbacher
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209192695 From the bestselling author of Norwegian Wood and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World comes a love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, and a parable for our peculiar times.

We begin with a nameless young couple: a boy and a girl, teenagers in love. One day, she disappears . . . and her absence haunts him for the rest of his life.

Thus begins a search for this lost love that takes the man into middle age and on a journey between the real world and an other world鈥攁 mysterious, perhaps imaginary, walled town where unicorns roam, where a Gatekeeper determines who can enter and who must remain behind, and where shadows become untethered from their selves. Listening to his own dreams and premonitions, the man leaves his life in Tokyo behind and ventures to a small mountain town, where he becomes the head librarian, only to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding the gentleman who had the job before him. As the seasons pass and the man grows more uncertain about the porous boundaries between these two worlds, he meets a strange young boy who helps him to see what he鈥檚 been missing all along.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a singular and towering achievement by one of modern literature鈥檚 most important writers.]]> 449 Haruki Murakami 0593801970 Megan 0 to-read 3.72 2023
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Megan
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 284066
In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat. Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo. As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria.

Gripping, prophetic, suffused with comedy and menace, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a tour de force equal in scope to the masterpieces of Mishima and Pynchon.]]> 607 Haruki Murakami Megan 0 to-read 4.14 1994
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Megan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199531809 听 听 听 听 听]]> 352 Roxane Gay 0063384809 Megan 0 to-read 4.03 2014
author: Roxane Gay
name: Megan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 127482608
It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie's starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardised by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks and illicit intrigue.

A fresh and intimate portrait of desire, consumption and reckless abandon, Come and Get It is a tension-filled story about money, indiscretion, and bad behavior.]]> 400 Kiley Reid 0593328205 Megan 2 3.32 2024
author: Kiley Reid
name: Megan
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/30
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 53642699 250 Brianna Wiest Megan 0 to-read 4.08 2020
author: Brianna Wiest
name: Megan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 11297
A magnificent blending of the music, the mood, and the ethos that was the sixties with the story of one college student's romantic coming of age, Norwegian Wood brilliantly recaptures a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.]]> 296 Haruki Murakami 0375704027 Megan 0 to-read 4.01 1987
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Megan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207677115
The Loverlys sit by the hospital bed of their young son who is in a coma after falling from his bedroom window in the middle of the night; his mother, Whitney, will not speak to anyone. Back home, their friends and neighbors are left in shock, each confronting their own role in the events that led up to what happened that terrible night: the warm, altruistic Parks who are the Loverlys' best friends; the young, ambitious Goldsmiths who are struggling to start a family of their own; and the quiet, elderly Portuguese couple who care for their adult son with a developmental disability, and who pass the long days on the front porch, watching their neighbors go about their busy lives.

The story spins out over the course of one week, in the alternating voices of the women in each family as they are forced to face the secrets within the walls of their own homes, and the uncomfortable truths that connect them all to one another. Set against the heartwrenching drama of what will happen to Xavier, who hangs between death and life, or a life changed forever, THE WHISPERS is a novel about what happens when we put our needs ahead of our children's. Exploring the quiet sacrifices of motherhood, the intuitions that we silence, the complexities of our closest friendships, and the danger of envy, this is a novel about the reverberations of life's most difficult decisions.]]> 336 Ashley Audrain 198488171X Megan 0 to-read 3.69 2023
author: Ashley Audrain
name: Megan
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205181201 A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie鈥攚hen his reality shatters.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined鈥攐ne that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.]]> 368 Blake Crouch 0593875737 Megan 0 to-read 4.07 2016
author: Blake Crouch
name: Megan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 176443093
Patric Gagne realized she made others uncomfortable before she started kindergarten. Something about her caused people to react in a way she didn鈥檛 understand. She suspected it was because she didn鈥檛 feel things the way other kids did. Emotions like fear, guilt, and empathy eluded her. For the most part, she felt nothing. And she didn鈥檛 like the way that 鈥渘othing鈥� felt.

She did her best to pretend she was like everyone else, but the constant pressure to conform to a society she knew rejected anyone like her was unbearable. So Patric stole. She lied. She was occasionally violent. She became an expert lock-picker and home-invader. All with the goal of replacing the nothingness with...something.

In college, Patric finally confirmed what she鈥檇 long suspected. She was a sociopath. But even though it was the very first personality disorder identified鈥攚ell over 200 years ago鈥攕ociopathy had been neglected by mental health professionals for decades. She was told there was no treatment, no hope for a normal life. She found herself haunted by sociopaths in pop culture, madmen and evil villains who are considered monsters. Her future looked grim.

But when Patric reconnects with an old flame, she gets a glimpse of a future beyond her diagnosis. If she鈥檚 capable of love, it must mean that she isn鈥檛 a monster. With the help of her sweetheart (and some curious characters she meets along the way) she embarks on a mission to prove that the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren鈥檛 all monsters either.

This is the inspiring story of her journey to change her fate and how she managed to build a life full of love and hope.]]> 368 Patric Gagne 166800318X Megan 0 to-read 3.74 2024
author: Patric Gagne
name: Megan
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/08
shelves: to-read
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]]> 53121662 A scholar of American Christianity presents a seventy-five-year history of evangelicalism that identifies the forces that have turned Donald Trump into a hero of the Religious Right.

How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate鈥檚 staunchest supporters? These are among the questions acclaimed historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez asks in Jesus and John Wayne, which delves beyond facile headlines to explain how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the 鈥渕oral majority鈥� backed Donald Trump for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Donald Trump in fact represents the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals鈥� most deeply held values.

Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism, or in the words of one modern chaplain, with 鈥渁 spiritual badass.鈥� As Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the role of culture in modern American evangelicalism. Many of today鈥檚 evangelicals may not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they鈥檝e read John Eldredge鈥檚 Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex鈥攁nd they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical popular culture is teeming with muscular heroes鈥攎ythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of 鈥淐hristian America.鈥� Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done.

Trump, in other words, is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicals鈥� hearts and minds, nor is he the first strongman to promise evangelicals protection and power. Indeed, the values and viewpoints at the heart of white evangelicalism today鈥攑atriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community鈥攁re likely to persist long after Trump leaves office.

A much-needed reexamination, Jesus and John Wayne explains why evangelicals have rallied behind the least-Christian president in American history and how they have transformed their faith in the process, with enduring consequences for all of us.]]> 356 Kristin Kobes Du Mez 1631495739 Megan 0 to-read 4.27 2020
author: Kristin Kobes Du Mez
name: Megan
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 127305890
On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering鈥攚ith a jolt of fear鈥攖hat she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie鈥檚 world.

So begins the story of Billie and Cassie's friendship--both in recent weeks, and since they met twenty-three years ago, in their small Hudson Valley hometown the summer before seventh grade. Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, including a traumatic, unspeakable incident in high school, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind--including Billie, who is single and childless, and no longer fits into her world. Hurt and rejected by Cassie鈥檚 new priorities, Billie will do anything to restore their friendship, even as she hides the truth about what really happened the night the baby was taken.

Told in alternating perspectives in Lovering鈥檚 signature suspenseful style, Bye Baby confronts the myriad ways friendships change and evolve over time, the lingering echoes of childhood trauma, and the impact of women鈥檚 choices on their lifelong relationships.]]> 352 Carola Lovering 125028936X Megan 3 3.70 2024
author: Carola Lovering
name: Megan
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/04
date added: 2024/04/04
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]]> 123184854
It鈥檚 1943 when Vivian, a small-town Indiana girl, lends her home front support to the war effort. As a translator in the nearby Italian POW camp, she鈥檚 invaluable. As a celebrated singer for the USO, she lifts men鈥檚 spirits and falls in love with a soldier. But behind this all-American love story is a shocking secret鈥攐ne vital to keep buried if Vivian is to achieve the fame and fortune she covets.

For Elise and Vivian, what鈥檚 hidden鈥攁nd what鈥檚 exposed鈥攖hreatens to unravel their lives. The heart-wrenching choices they must make will change them both forever.]]> 345 Emily Bleeker 1662509898 Megan 0 to-read 3.96 2023
author: Emily Bleeker
name: Megan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 193388017
鈥淎 deep meditation that searches through Martin鈥檚 past looking for answers about why he is the way he is, while also examining the role suicide has played in our culture for centuries, how it has evolved, and how philosophers have examined it.鈥� 鈥� Esquire

鈥淎 rock for people who鈥檝e been troubled by suicidal ideation, or have someone in their lives who is.鈥� 鈥� The New York Times

鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to write a book about suicide, you have to be willing to say the true things, the scary things, the humiliating things. Because everybody who is being honest with themselves knows at least a little bit about the subject. If you lie or if you fudge, the reader will know.鈥�

The last time Clancy Martin tried to kill himself was in his basement with a dog leash. It was one of over ten attempts throughout the course of his life. But he didn鈥檛 die, and like many who consider taking their own lives, he hid the attempt from his wife, family, coworkers, and students, slipping back into his daily life with a hoarse voice, a raw neck, and series of vague explanations.

In How Not to Kill Yourself, Martin chronicles his multiple suicide attempts in an intimate depiction of the mindset of someone obsessed with self-destruction. He argues that, for the vast majority of suicides, an attempt does not just come out of the blue, nor is it merely a violent reaction to a particular crisis or failure, but is the culmination of a host of long-standing issues. He also looks at the thinking of a number of great writers who have attempted suicide and detailed their experiences (such as David Foster Wallace, Yiyun Li, Akutagawa, Nelly Arcan, and others), at what the history of philosophy has to say both for and against suicide, and at the experiences of those who have reached out to him across the years to share their own struggles.

The result combines memoir with critical inquiry to powerfully give voice to what for many has long been incomprehensible, while showing those presently grappling with suicidal thoughts that they are not alone, and that the desire to kill oneself鈥攍ike other self-destructive desires鈥攊s almost always temporary and avoidable.]]> 464 Clancy Martin 0593466926 Megan 0 to-read 4.07 2023
author: Clancy Martin
name: Megan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62628727 A comedy writer thinks she鈥檚 sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on all her assumptions. Romantic Comedy is a hilarious, observant and deeply tender novel from New York Times鈥揵estselling author Curtis Sittenfeld.

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for "The Night Owls," the late-night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she鈥檚 long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.

But when Sally鈥檚 friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actor who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show鈥攁nd in society at large鈥攚ho鈥檝e gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the "Danny Horst Rule," poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week鈥檚 show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder whether there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn鈥檛 a romantic comedy; it鈥檚 real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her...right?

With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.]]> 309 Curtis Sittenfeld 0399590943 Megan 3 3.60 2023
author: Curtis Sittenfeld
name: Megan
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/03/26
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]]> 27877139
Now Annie wants Paul to write his greatest work 鈥� just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an ax. And if they don't work, she can get really nasty.]]> 368 Stephen King 1501143107 Megan 0 to-read 4.20 1987
author: Stephen King
name: Megan
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1987
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: to-read
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]]> 199798092
In Melissa Broder鈥檚 astonishingly profound new novel, a woman arrives alone at a Best Western seeking respite from an emptiness that plagues her. She has fled to the California high desert to escape a cloud of sorrow鈥攆or both her father in the ICU and a husband whose illness is worsening. What the motel provides, however, is not peace but a path discovered on a nearby hike.

Out along the sun-scorched trail, the narrator encounters a towering cactus whose size and shape mean it should not exist in California. Yet the cactus is there, with a gash through its side that beckons like a familiar door. So she enters it. What awaits her inside this mystical succulent sets her on a journey at once desolate and rich, hilarious, and poignant.

Death Valley is Melissa Broder at her most imaginative, most universal, and finest, and is 鈥渁 journey unlike any you鈥檝e read before鈥� (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Friday Black ).]]> 256 Melissa Broder 1668024861 Megan 0 to-read 3.40 2023
author: Melissa Broder
name: Megan
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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