Paper's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:00:29 -0700 60 Paper's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Close to Home (DI Adam Fawley, #1)]]> 35458732 They know who did it. Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not yet. But they know.

When eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanishes from her family’s Oxford home during a costume party, Detective Inspector Adam Fawley knows that nine times out of ten, the offender is someone close to home. And Daisy’s family is certainly strange—her mother is obsessed with keeping up appearances, while her father is cold and defensive under questioning. And then there’s Daisy’s little brother, so withdrawn and uncommunicative . . .

DI Fawley works against the clock to find any trace of the little girl, but it’s as if she disappeared into thin air—no one saw anything; no one knows anything. But everyone has an opinion, and everyone, it seems, has a secret to conceal.]]> 289 Cara Hunter 0143131052 Paper 0 to-read 3.87 2017 Close to Home (DI Adam Fawley, #1)
author: Cara Hunter
name: Paper
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Making a Killing (DI Adam Fawley, #7)]]> 200230098 From the New York Times bestselling author of the TikTok sensation Murder in the Family and the popular DI Adam Fawley series comes a brand-new gripping thriller in which a true-crime TV show turns up the heat on a controversial case from Fawley’s past�

When Nick Vincent, producer of true-crime show Infamous, hears about an explosive new angle on a high-profile case—the 2016 murder of an eight-year-old girl in Oxford—he leaps at the chance to send a researcher to verify the claims.

Two months later, a dog walker discovers a woman’s body, bound and buried in a shallow grave in the woods. Forensic evidence links the corpse to the disappearance of that same child.

DCI Adam Fawley, the original investigating officer, is called in to run the enquiry. And he remembers the case well—he arrested the child’s mother for murder. A murder he now knows she didn’t commit.

The investigation raises more questions than answers. What connects the two crimes? Where has the dead girl been all these years? How did she manage to disappear? For Adam Fawley, this is personal...]]> 368 Cara Hunter 0063271095 Paper 0 to-read 3.99 2025 Making a Killing (DI Adam Fawley, #7)
author: Cara Hunter
name: Paper
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Stranger in the Family (Maeve Kerrigan, #11)]]> 195256775
Every mother's worst nightmare . . .

When nine-year-old Rosalie Marshall vanished from her bed one summer night, her disappearance tore her family apart.

Now, sixteen years later, her mother Helena is found dead, her husband by her side. It looks like a straightforward murder-suicide but DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent soon discover nothing about this case is straightforward.

The Marshalls have been keeping secrets, and they aren't alone. Josh has been holding something back too � something that could change everything for Maeve.

But one person is prepared to kill to hide the truth.

Until Maeve finds out what happened to Rosalie, no one will be safe . . .]]> 384 Jane Casey 0008405026 Paper 4 atmospheric, crime 4.10 2024 A Stranger in the Family (Maeve Kerrigan, #11)
author: Jane Casey
name: Paper
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: atmospheric, crime
review:

]]> The Secret Room 209283946
For DS Maeve Kerrigan the case is a welcome distraction from her worries about DI Josh Derwent, who is struggling with a difficult situation � but then disaster strikes. The only person who can help Josh now is Maeve. It's no longer will-they-won’t-they � this is a matter of life and death.]]> 405 Jane Casey 0008702276 Paper 0 to-read 4.63 2025 The Secret Room
author: Jane Casey
name: Paper
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Whistling 61432236 FEEL SHIVERS DOWN YOUR SPINE WITH THIS CHILLING AND GRIPPING GHOST STORY SET ON A FAR-FLUNG SCOTTISH ISLAND . . .

'Wonderfully atmospheric, genuinely eerie' GUARDIAN
'Gripping, chilling and very, very satisfying' DAILY MAIL
'A ghost story that kept me guessing' SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN
'Perfect for a cold winter's night' DAILY MIRROR
'It will chill you to the bone' ANITA FRANK
'If you're looking for a chilling tale as we head towards Halloween, you've found it' HEAT
_______

When Elspeth arrives on a remote Scottish island to become nanny to a young child, she hopes to bond with her.

Until she learns that, for reasons no one will explain, Mary has not spoken for months.

And the girl's silence is not the only mystery.

Hypnotic lullabies drift down empty corridors.
Strange dolls appear in abandoned rooms.
And as the nights draw in, darker questions arise . . .

What happened to Mary's late twin, William? Why did their previous nanny disappear so suddenly?

And is the whistling Elspeth hears at night just the storm outside?

Or is something else out there. . .?

READERS ARE CHILLED BY THE WHISTLING

'I was sucked in from page one and read it in one fell swoop' 5* READER REVIEW

'A wicked twist . . . brilliant, scary, clever. Horror writing at its best' 5* READER REVIEW

'A great story with moments of heart-grabbing terror, beautifully written' 5* READER REVIEW]]> 384 Rebecca Netley 1405950242 Paper 0 to-read 3.53 2021 The Whistling
author: Rebecca Netley
name: Paper
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Nestlings 65212029 Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings, which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary's Baby and the urban horror of 'Salem's Lot, set in an exclusive New York City residential building.

Ana and Reid need a break. The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and struggling―with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana’s deep unease and paranoia, but he can't explain the needle-like bite marks on their baby.]]> 293 Nat Cassidy 1250265258 Paper 0 to-read 3.81 2023 Nestlings
author: Nat Cassidy
name: Paper
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Lord of the Rings 33 One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.]]> 1216 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618640150 Paper 4 4.52 1954 The Lord of the Rings
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Paper
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1954
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Client 142761 A US State Senator is dead. Only Mark Sway knows where the body is hidden.

And he's eleven years old.

The FBI want him to tell them where it is, regardless of the risk to the boy and his family.

The killer wants to silence him permanently.

Reggie Love has only been practising law for five years, but she agrees to represent Mark pro bono, knowing she's his best hope for survival. Against the twin threats of the cold-hearted American state and the schemes of a cold-blooded killer, Reggie must fight the case of her life.

Or it might be the last case of her life.]]> 458 John Grisham 0099179415 Paper 0 to-read 3.70 1993 The Client
author: John Grisham
name: Paper
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beneath the Surface (Inspector Tom Reynolds, #2)]]> 30247702 Did I know it would come to this? That I was playing Russian Roulette? I would give anything to turn back time and to be with my girls. There is no shot at redemption. I am going to die. The gun is in my eye-line as the second bullet is fired. That's the one that kills me.

Late at night, two powerful men meet in a secret location to discuss a long nurtured plan about to come to fruition. One is desperate to know there is nothing standing in their way - the other assures him everything is taken care of. Hours later, a high-ranking government official called Ryan Finnegan is brutally slain in the most secure building in Ireland - Leinster House, the seat of parliament. Inspector Tom Reynolds and his team are called in to uncover the truth behind the murder.

At first, all the evidence hints at a politically motivated crime, until a surprise discovery takes the investigation in a dramatically different direction. Suddenly the motive for murder has got a lot more personal. . . but who benefits the most from Ryan's death?

]]> 342 Jo Spain Paper 0 to-read 3.91 2016 Beneath the Surface (Inspector Tom Reynolds, #2)
author: Jo Spain
name: Paper
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King]]> 213216969 A thought-provoking exploration of the Black musicians who inspired Elvis Presley’s music, primarily through the lens of four overlooked Little Junior Parker, Big Mama Thornton, Arthur “Big Boy� Crudup, and Calvin Newborn

After Baz Luhrmann’s movie, Elvis, hit theaters in the summer of 2022, audiences and critics alike couldn't help but question the Black origins of Elvis Presley’s music and style, reigniting a debate that has been circling for decades. In Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King�, author Preston Lauterbach answers these questions definitively, based on new research and extensive, previously unpublished interviews with the artists who blazed the way and the people who knew them.

Within these pages, Lauterbach examines the lives, music, legacies, and interactions with Elvis Presley of the four innovative Black artists who created a style that would come to be known as Rock ’n� Roll: Little Junior Parker, Big Mama Thornton, Arthur “Big Boy� Crudup, and most revealingly, the mostly-unknown eccentric Beale Street guitarist Calvin Newborn, whose portrayal will be a revelation to even the most seasoned Elvis Presley and rock devotees. Lauterbach makes a convincing case that Newborn is the key to understanding where Presley’s music and performance style came from. And Lauterbach has the receipts, the dates, the interviews, and the confirmation of Presley’s presence and key club engagements, and the recording sessions. Along the way, he delves into the injustices of copyright theft and media segregation that resulted in Black artists living in poverty as white performers, managers, and producers reaped the lucrative rewards.

In the wake of continuing conversations about American music and appropriation, Before Elvis is indispensable.]]> 280 Preston Lauterbach 0306833107 Paper 0 to-read 4.38 Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King
author: Preston Lauterbach
name: Paper
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Eyrie 17788580
Tim Winton is Australia's most decorated and beloved literary novelist. Short-listed twice for the Booker Prize and the winner of a record four Miles Franklin Awards for Best Australian Novel, he has a gift for language virtually unrivaled among English-language novelists. His work is both tough and tender, primordial and new - always revealing the raw, instinctual drives that lure us together and rend us apart.

In Eyrie, Winton crafts the story of Tom Keely, a man struggling to accomplish good in an utterly fallen world. Once an ambitious, altruistic environmentalist, Keely now finds himself broke, embroiled in scandal, and struggling to piece together some semblance of a life. From the heights of his urban high-rise apartment, he surveys the wreckage of his life and the world he's tumbled out of love with. Just before he descends completely into pills and sorrow, a woman from his past and her preternatural child appear, perched on the edge of disaster, desperate for help.

When you're fighting to keep your head above water, how can you save someone else from drowning? As Keely slips into a nightmarish world of con artists, drug dealers, petty violence, and extortion, Winton confronts the cost of benevolence and creates a landscape of uncertainty. Eyrie is a thrilling and vertigo-inducing morality tale, at once brutal and lyrical, from one of our finest storytellers.]]> 424 Tim Winton 1926428536 Paper 0 to-read 3.58 2013 Eyrie
author: Tim Winton
name: Paper
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Survivors 53305127 Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets...

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...]]> 384 Jane Harper 1760981052 Paper 0 to-read 3.70 2020 The Survivors
author: Jane Harper
name: Paper
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)]]> 944073
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

]]> 515 Joe Abercrombie 0575079797 Paper 0 to-read 4.21 2006 The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Paper
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dirty Snow 44153
Hans Koning has described Dirty Snow as "one of the very few novels to come out of German-occupied France that gets it exactly right." In a study of the criminal mind that is comparable to Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me, Simenon maps a no man's land of the spirit in which human nature is driven to destruction—and redemption, perhaps, as well—by forces beyond its control.]]> 244 Georges Simenon 1590170431 Paper 0 to-read 3.96 1948 Dirty Snow
author: Georges Simenon
name: Paper
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Desirable Arrangement 220626979 Scotland, 1977.

Kim McLaren never imagined that returning to her family’s beloved farm would mean fighting to keep it.

Rowandene has been passed down the McLaren family for generations. But after her father is deemed unfit to work, it’s up to Kim to take the reins.

Now she’s under pressure to sell from the estate’s new owner, Daniel Nichol, her old childhood friend.

Vet Daniel has no interest in farming and was expecting his newly purchased estate to be vacant of tenants. But Kim won’t let go of her family legacy � or Daniel’s betrayal � that easily.

As Kim deals with the problems of single-handedly running the farm while her father recovers, Daniel begins to soften and comes to her aid, helping to deliver a healthy calf after a traumatic labour.

Then tragedy strikes the estate, and both Kim and Daniel begin to realise there is more to unite them than divide them.

But with so much at stake, can Kim afford to risk her heart?]]> 260 Gwen Kirkwood 183526865X Paper 0 to-read 4.27 2024 A Desirable Arrangement
author: Gwen Kirkwood
name: Paper
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Stranger You Know (Maeve Kerrigan, #4)]]> 18404155
Then the evidence starts to point to a shocking DCI Josh Derwent, Maeve's partner on the police force. Maeve refuses to believe he could be involved, but how well does she really know him? Secrets Derwent has long kept locked away are coming back to haunt him, and the more Maeve learns about her partner's past, the more difficult it is to dismiss him as a suspect. After all, this is hardly the first time Derwent's been accused of murder.

Jane Casey returns with her most outstanding novel yet in The Stranger You Know, a taut thriller and an intimate portrayal of complicated, all-too-human characters.]]> 384 Jane Casey 1250048834 Paper 5 4.15 The Stranger You Know (Maeve Kerrigan, #4)
author: Jane Casey
name: Paper
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: favorites, crime, character-crushes, page-turner, mystery-and-suspense, enemies-to-lovers
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Marked (This World or Any Other, #2)]]> 31085403
Dramione, sequel to "Clean".]]> 645 olivieblake Paper 3 fanfic, enemies-to-lovers 3.91 Marked (This World or Any Other, #2)
author: olivieblake
name: Paper
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: fanfic, enemies-to-lovers
review:

]]> Breath Mints / Battle Scars 55315959

Fanfiction for Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling.
Rating: Explicit
Relationship: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Words: 148, 908

Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Post-War, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, Smut, Eventual Smut, Romance, Drama, Angst, Recreational Drug Use, Explicit Language, Love/Hate, Coping, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Damaged Draco, Damaged Hermione, Mental Health Issues, Recovery, Violence, Blood and Injury, Physical Abuse, Bigotry & Prejudice, POV Hermione Granger, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Consensual Non-Consent, Character Death]]> 631 Onyx_and_Elm Paper 5 fanfic, enemies-to-lovers 4.26 Breath Mints / Battle Scars
author: Onyx_and_Elm
name: Paper
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: fanfic, enemies-to-lovers
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Run & Hide: A Dark Halloween Romance]]> 218650901 I spent my whole life thinking it was just a game, but this Halloween, I begin to realize it might have always been more than child’s play...Every year, my forever autumn community puts on a massive Halloween ball at the old, haunted manor central to our small town. And as always, I end up on the planning committee, working to make it the best yet. However, this year, the sponsor drops out, and under pressure, I’m left begging my estranged stepbrother for the funds. It goes exactly how I think it will�

Until it doesn’t.

After a decade of absence, he’s suddenly everywhere I look, immersing his malevolent self into all aspects of my life and reminding me of our stilted, complicated past. He’s like a leech I can’t get rid of, and the longer he stays, the more he wants to play. But even though I say I hate him�

I think I might be lying.

And to make matters all worse, I come to believe there’s something sinister lurking in the shadows around me. Now, not only am I trying to battle forbidden feelings, I’m also left to determine what the hell is happening around this spooky town, and why I’m suddenly the target of whoever—or whatever—is haunting this place.

Oh, and the Halloween ball?

I just want to survive it.

**Run and A Dark Halloween Romance is a standalone with an HEA and no cheating. It includes dark themes that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.]]> 210 Annie Wild Paper 3 published dark romance since my favourite AO3 writers are on hiatus and ya girl has been STARVING lol. Unfortunately, nothing measures up so far, but I remain hopeful that this reading journey will reach greener pastures.

Labelled as A Dark Halloween Romance with erotic themes of forbidden love, this book seemed to qualify as a decent October read. The writing was good, the smut was fairly steamy—nothing to clutch your pearls over if you frequent this genre. However, the story in and of itself� Here’s the breakdown.

CHARACTERS

Shiloh (FMC)

A sweet little basic small town bore. I don’t hate her; I would have liked her in real life to be honest but as a character on the page—whose inner monologue we followed through numerous chapters—I found her to be dull and immature.
When it comes to this genre I’m here for the dude and the vibes, yes, but her disingenuity regarding her own desires, along with the author's tendency to have her throw tantrums randomly to create tension, was not to my taste, so I found Shiloh's chapters tedious. She lacked emotional maturity due to apparent insecurity, which the author simply states rather than helping us understand why it fueled her complicated emotions toward Dominic.

Dominic (MMC)

“I’ve always been this way, I see something delicate, and I want to break it. Watch the shards crumble at my feet, a new kind of beauty in their splintered remains.�

I guess Dom would be a hit or miss, depending on whom you choose as your muse when picturing male characters in romances ]]> 3.98 Run & Hide: A Dark Halloween Romance
author: Annie Wild
name: Paper
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: to-read, atmospheric, chick-lit, erotica, trashy-guilty-pleasures, dark-thriller-romance, enemies-to-lovers
review:
I’ve been dipping my toes into published dark romance since my favourite AO3 writers are on hiatus and ya girl has been STARVING lol. Unfortunately, nothing measures up so far, but I remain hopeful that this reading journey will reach greener pastures.

Labelled as A Dark Halloween Romance with erotic themes of forbidden love, this book seemed to qualify as a decent October read. The writing was good, the smut was fairly steamy—nothing to clutch your pearls over if you frequent this genre. However, the story in and of itself� Here’s the breakdown.

CHARACTERS

Shiloh (FMC)

A sweet little basic small town bore. I don’t hate her; I would have liked her in real life to be honest but as a character on the page—whose inner monologue we followed through numerous chapters—I found her to be dull and immature.
When it comes to this genre I’m here for the dude and the vibes, yes, but her disingenuity regarding her own desires, along with the author's tendency to have her throw tantrums randomly to create tension, was not to my taste, so I found Shiloh's chapters tedious. She lacked emotional maturity due to apparent insecurity, which the author simply states rather than helping us understand why it fueled her complicated emotions toward Dominic.

Dominic (MMC)

“I’ve always been this way, I see something delicate, and I want to break it. Watch the shards crumble at my feet, a new kind of beauty in their splintered remains.�

I guess Dom would be a hit or miss, depending on whom you choose as your muse when picturing male characters in romances
]]> <![CDATA[Prep School Confidential (Prep School Confidential, #1)]]> 13411546
Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.]]> 310 Kara Taylor 1250017599 Paper 0 to-read 3.93 2013 Prep School Confidential (Prep School Confidential, #1)
author: Kara Taylor
name: Paper
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Green Mile 11566
There are more wonders in heaven and hell than anyone at Cold Mountain can imagine and one of those wonders might just have stepped in amongst them.]]> 592 Stephen King 0451933028 Paper 0 to-read 4.48 1996 The Green Mile
author: Stephen King
name: Paper
average rating: 4.48
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion]]> 6664404 Live like you work in fashion.

A must-read for anybody interested in fashion. From aspiring designers, stylists, editors, and photographers to fashion obsessives who want behindthe- scenes secrets about industry stars and tips on how to live a creative life.



Book Details:

Format: Paperback Publication Date: 10/5/2009 Pages: 288 Reading Level: Age 12 and Up ]]> 288 Teen Vogue 1595142614 Paper 5 4.17 2009 The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion
author: Teen Vogue
name: Paper
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: non-fiction, idols-icons-inspirations, owned
review:

]]> Dark Angel 26860526 0 V.C. Andrews 0007809042 Paper 0 owned 4.23 1986 Dark Angel
author: V.C. Andrews
name: Paper
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: owned
review:

]]> Jane Eyre 10210 Alternate editions can be found here and here.

A gothic masterpiece of tempestuous passions and dark secrets, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is edited with an introduction and notes by Stevie Davis in Penguin Classics.

Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.]]> 532 Charlotte Brontë 0142437204 Paper 5 4.14 1847 Jane Eyre
author: Charlotte Brontë
name: Paper
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1847
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: classics, gothic, paranormal, atmospheric
review:

]]> Fallen Heir (The Royals, #4) 33807229
Easton Royal has it all: looks, money, intelligence. His goal in life is to have as much fun as possible. He never thinks about the consequences because he doesn’t have to.

Until Hartley Wright appears, shaking up his easy life. She’s the one girl who’s said no, despite being attracted to him. Easton can’t figure her out and that makes her all the more irresistible.

Hartley doesn’t want him. She says he needs to grow up.

She might be right.

Rivals. Rules. Regrets. For the first time in Easton’s life, wearing a Royal crown isn’t enough. He’s about to learn that the higher you start, the harder you fall.]]> 339 Erin Watt Paper 5 3.77 2017 Fallen Heir (The Royals, #4)
author: Erin Watt
name: Paper
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: character-crushes, chick-lit, trashy-guilty-pleasures, romance, contemporary
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)]]> 28678119 This a previously published edition of ASIN B01DT9ZWNI.

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you�

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone.

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.]]> 370 Erin Watt Paper 4
Quite surprised at myself for rating this book four stars but to hell with it ! I'm entitled to enjoy a trashy novel every now and then. It's been awhile since I've felt some good old gut-wrenching guilty pleasure and this book delivered.

However, that's all it delivered. Nothing more nothing less. This was no well written piece of commendable literature but a full blown soap opera on paper. Yes it is cheesy, juvenile and jam-packed with clichés but it has just the right amount of chaos and grappling twists to make sure you're hooked, blindsided and left wanting more despite how ridiculous it all is.

Fair warning, this book did not shy away from sexualizing and romanticizing misogynistic assholes and if you're looking for an all-powerful feminist heroine with a backbone of steel and great comebacks then I suggest you promptly skip this story. But if you are the kind to be capable of stomaching and secretly rooting for the Khal Drogo type then this would be right up your alley !

Besides the quick and poorly written rags to riches storyline I found every other element of the novel and it's characters to be realistic and believable because I've witnessed it myself firsthand. The power play, manipulation, seduction and loss of self-control. I could not relate to the protagonist because of our differences in character and ways of dealing with certain situations but she certainly did not lack depth and complexity in her own right and when her heart broke....mine shattered too. I love and deeply care for her despite her flawed judgments and I can't wait to read the sequel !

PS: I kept picturing Jenny from Gossip Girl when it came to Ella was that just me ? lol]]> 3.92 2016 Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)
author: Erin Watt
name: Paper
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: chick-lit, erotica, contemporary, romance, trashy-guilty-pleasures
review:
What....the everlasting fuck....was that ?!

Quite surprised at myself for rating this book four stars but to hell with it ! I'm entitled to enjoy a trashy novel every now and then. It's been awhile since I've felt some good old gut-wrenching guilty pleasure and this book delivered.

However, that's all it delivered. Nothing more nothing less. This was no well written piece of commendable literature but a full blown soap opera on paper. Yes it is cheesy, juvenile and jam-packed with clichés but it has just the right amount of chaos and grappling twists to make sure you're hooked, blindsided and left wanting more despite how ridiculous it all is.

Fair warning, this book did not shy away from sexualizing and romanticizing misogynistic assholes and if you're looking for an all-powerful feminist heroine with a backbone of steel and great comebacks then I suggest you promptly skip this story. But if you are the kind to be capable of stomaching and secretly rooting for the Khal Drogo type then this would be right up your alley !

Besides the quick and poorly written rags to riches storyline I found every other element of the novel and it's characters to be realistic and believable because I've witnessed it myself firsthand. The power play, manipulation, seduction and loss of self-control. I could not relate to the protagonist because of our differences in character and ways of dealing with certain situations but she certainly did not lack depth and complexity in her own right and when her heart broke....mine shattered too. I love and deeply care for her despite her flawed judgments and I can't wait to read the sequel !

PS: I kept picturing Jenny from Gossip Girl when it came to Ella was that just me ? lol
]]> <![CDATA[The Horror (House on Cherry Street, #2)]]> 1545401 144 W.R. Philbrick 0590255142 Paper 5 3.98 1995 The Horror (House on Cherry Street, #2)
author: W.R. Philbrick
name: Paper
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, horror, nostalgic-reads
review:

]]> Madol Doova 13572653 137 Martin Wickramasinghe Paper 5 4.21 1947 Madol Doova
author: Martin Wickramasinghe
name: Paper
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1947
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, classics, nostalgic-reads
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Magic Faraway Tree (The Faraway Tree, #2)]]> 74998 177 Enid Blyton 074974801X Paper 4 4.28 1943 The Magic Faraway Tree (The Faraway Tree, #2)
author: Enid Blyton
name: Paper
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1943
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, classics, nostalgic-reads, fantasy, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Folk of the Faraway Tree (The Faraway Tree, #3)]]> 473623
Los clásicos inolvidables de Enid Blyton. Visitar El árbol muy muy lejano se parece a un sueño. Aunque para Connie, que nunca ha creído en la magia, está resultando una verdadera pesadilla. Es tan obstinada que ha subido al País de los Prodigios ella sola. ¡Y ahora se ha perdido! ¿Acompañamos a Joe, Bethy Frannie a buscarla?

ENGLISH

The third book in the magical Faraway Tree series by one of the world's most popular children's authors, Enid Blyton.

The mischievous Connie comes to enjoy a few days with Joe, Beth and Frannie while her mother is sick. Connie refuses to believe in the Faraway Tree or the magical folk who live in it, even when the Angry Pixie throws ink at her! Join the children and their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree.

Will it be the Land of Secrets, the Land of Enchantments, or the Land of Know-Alls? Discover the magic!]]> 185 Enid Blyton 0749732105 Paper 5 4.33 1946 The Folk of the Faraway Tree (The Faraway Tree, #3)
author: Enid Blyton
name: Paper
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1946
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: classics, children-s-books, adventure, fantasy, fairytales-and-retellings
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)]]> 6 734 J.K. Rowling 0439139597 Paper 5 4.56 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Paper
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, fantasy, nostalgic-reads, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)]]> 2
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]> 912 J.K. Rowling Paper 5 4.50 2003 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Paper
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, nostalgic-reads, fantasy, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling Paper 5 4.61 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Paper
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: favorites, children-s-books, fantasy, nostalgic-reads, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 3 309 J.K. Rowling 0439554934 Paper 5 4.47 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Paper
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, fantasy, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X Paper 5 4.57 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Paper
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: favorites, children-s-books, fantasy, nostalgic-reads, page-turner, magic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)]]> 15507958 Discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?]]> 369 Jojo Moyes Paper 3 4.24 2012 Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Paper
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: chick-lit, contemporary, romance
review:

]]> Wuthering Heights 6184 Another cover edition for this ISBN

One of the most passionate and heartfelt novels ever written, Wuthering Heights tells of the relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, the orphan boy her father adopted and brought to Wuthering Heights when they were children.

While Catherine forms a deep attachment to Heathcliff, her brother Hindley despises him as a rival. Heathcliff becomes torn between love for Catherine and the rage and humiliation he suffers. Finally he can stand it no longer and, in the violence of a summer storm, leaves the Heights for three years. During his absence Catherine has married, but her tormented heart belongs eternally to Heathcliff who is now prepared to exact his tyrannical revenge.

With its freedom from social convention and its unparalleled emotional intensity, Wuthering Heights is a highly original and deeply tragic work.]]> 279 Emily Brontë 0140620125 Paper 5 3.76 1847 Wuthering Heights
author: Emily Brontë
name: Paper
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1847
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: favorites, classics, romance, character-crushes, gothic, atmospheric
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dancing the Dream: Poems and Reflections]]> 292004 149 Michael Jackson 0385422776 Paper 5 4.68 1992 Dancing the Dream: Poems and Reflections
author: Michael Jackson
name: Paper
average rating: 4.68
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: autobiographies-and-biographies, non-fiction, idols-icons-inspirations, poetry
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009]]> 6603053
This major biography includes the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson's his legal and commercial battles, his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli's impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.]]> 768 J. Randy Taraborrelli 0446564745 Paper 4 4.16 1992 Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009
author: J. Randy Taraborrelli
name: Paper
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: autobiographies-and-biographies, idols-icons-inspirations, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court]]> 18505827
Brittney Griner, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, is a once-in-a-generation player, possessing a combination of size and athleticism never before seen in women's basketball. But the sport's "most transformative figure" (Sports Illustrated) is equally famous for making headlines off the court, for speaking out on issues of gender, sexuality, body image, and self-esteem.

At six foot eight with an eighty-eight-inch wingspan and a size 17 men's shoe, the Phoenix Mercury star and three-time All-American has heard every vicious insult in the book. Bullied for being different, she has endured years of taunting, from middle school to the present day. Through the highs and lows, Brittney has learned to remain true to herself, rising above the haters who try to take her down.

The journey has often been lonely. Feeling uncomfortable in her own skin for much of her adolescence, Brittney struggled with anger, the Achilles heel that often got her into trouble, usually with her fists. Her transformation began when she discovered basketball in high school. "The court has almost always been a safe place for me, a space where I can rejuvenate myself," she says. "It has always been the one place I feel free."

In this heartfelt memoir, Brittney reflects on painful episodes in her life, from the confrontations she dealt with as a kid, to the infamous on-court punch she threw during her freshman season at Baylor University, to the final moments of her college career and the crushing loss to Louisville that ended her dream of back-to-back national championships. Brittney also explores her complicated relationships with two people she loves and respects—her father, Ray, and her coach at Baylor, Kim Mulkey—as well as her mixed feelings about playing for a school that has a policy against homosexuality.

Here, too, are the highs: Brittney's close bonds with her mother, Sandra, and her supportive siblings and friends; her amazing accomplishments at Baylor, including the team's 74-2 record her last two seasons; her adventurous new life as a pro in the WNBA; and her distinct sense of style, exemplified by the tattoos she proudly wears. Throughout the book, Brittney describes how she came to celebrate what makes her unique—inspiring lessons she now shares with readers.

Filled with all the humor and personality that Brittney Griner has become known for, In My Skin is more than a glimpse into one of the most original people in sports; it's a powerful call to readers to be true to themselves, to love who they are on the inside and out.]]> 224 Brittney Griner 0062309331 Paper 4 3.92 2014 In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court
author: Brittney Griner
name: Paper
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: autobiographies-and-biographies, idols-icons-inspirations, non-fiction
review:

]]> Stepsister 41473840
When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.

Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.

Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.]]> 352 Jennifer Donnelly 1338268465 Paper 5 4.04 2019 Stepsister
author: Jennifer Donnelly
name: Paper
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: fairytales-and-retellings, favorites, character-crushes
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables, #3)]]> 77392 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780553213171

New adventures lie ahead as Anne Shirley packs her bags, waves good-bye to childhood, and heads for Redmond College. With her old friend Prissy Grantwaiting in the bustling city of Kingsport and herfrivolous new friend Philippa Gordon at her side, Anne tucksher memories of rural Avonlea away and discoverslife on her own terms, filled withsurprises . . . including a marriage proposal from the worst fellowimaginable, the sale of her very first story, and atragedy that teaches her a painful lesson. Buttears turn to laughter when Anne and her friends moveinto an old cottage and an ornery black cat stealsher heart. Little does Anne know that handsomeGilbert Blythe wants to win her heart, too. SuddenlyAnne must decide whether she's ready for love.]]> 243 L.M. Montgomery Paper 5 children-s-books, classics 4.25 1915 Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables, #3)
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: Paper
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1915
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, classics
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)]]> 8127 Anne of Green Gables is also a wonderful portrait of a time, a place, a family� and, most of all, love.

WITH AN AFTERWORD BY JENNIFER LEE CARELL]]> 320 L.M. Montgomery 0451528824 Paper 5 children-s-books, classics 4.31 1908 Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: Paper
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1908
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: children-s-books, classics
review:

]]> Left for Dead 783498 464 Kevin O'Brien 078601847X Paper 5 4.10 2004 Left for Dead
author: Kevin O'Brien
name: Paper
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2017/09/27
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: thriller, mystery-and-suspense, crime, page-turner
review:
Three words come to mind in all caps and bold lettering when I reminisce about reading this novel. WHAT A BOOK. Peppered with plot twists and brilliantly crafted scenes of suspense, betrayal and drama � the writer wastes no time in catapulting the reader into a truly thrilling ride. The characters are layered, complex and dangerous which contributed to my mutual feelings of mistrust with Claire Shaw. The words may be fiction but they certainly do not fail to evoke real feelings of tension, anxiety and genuine fear in the reader and that alone is a testament to the author’s brilliant writing. I can guarantee that this would not be a disappointing read in the least and is a definite page turner ! Looking forward to reading more of his work.
]]> Verity 41957126
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

A standalone romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.]]> 324 Colleen Hoover Paper 5
ENTIRELY !!

The most thrilling factor in this book is it's element of surprise so I don't want to harp on too much about the exact story line but focus more on what exactly Colleen did differently from her usual novels because this was certainly nothing like the rest. It was dark, mysterious, DEEPLY unsettling, captivating (not using that word lightly here because believe me when I say this book HOLDS. YOU. CAPTIVE) and if all this wasn't enough to get your heart pounding and blood pumping at an alarming rate she somehow managed to also make this book very provocative and.....romantic. A very dark and twisted romance (genuinely....this was no twilight) but romantic nonetheless. For the most part.

⚜️

Yes I have come across more chilling psychological thrillers but what had me thumping through page after page of this novel are it's 3 main characters. As the story progresses you forget about the author, the genre, the ratings and everything else that usually preoccupies your mind when you go into a hyped novel like Verity - all that's left is these 3 characters seducing, manipulating and enwrapping you in their fucked up fates having you question the alleged truths and lies in every sentence. I have to admit I did think I knew how this novel would end half-way through but even though I was right about certain twists there were still many that knocked me out and had me reeling.


The doubt and fear did not end with the last page. The ending I accepted after I finished this book and the ending I truly believed in 2 hours later after analyzing and obsessing over every single detail were ENTIRELY different from each other. This story haunts you and when it came to the characters, it was almost like having stockholm syndrome - my attachment to them was unsettling and made no sense but I wanted so much more of them, I wanted to shred them apart and have a microscopic view of what they were made of and what they were capable of. Even the son.

⚜️

Another interesting aspect to this book was that the characters were writers and avid readers themselves. There's a book within the book which is a page turner in itself and a protagonist who cannot put it down. Her feelings soon become parallel to yours as the tension and suspense builds both in the fictional book and the overall book you're reading (bookception at it's finest lol)


I recommend it to all but of course there is no telling if it’s everyone’s cup of tea - but it certainly was mine !]]> 4.32 2018 Verity
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Paper
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: psychological-thriller, erotica, dark-thriller-romance, mystery-and-suspense
review:
I HAVE BEEN CONSUMED!!

ENTIRELY !!

The most thrilling factor in this book is it's element of surprise so I don't want to harp on too much about the exact story line but focus more on what exactly Colleen did differently from her usual novels because this was certainly nothing like the rest. It was dark, mysterious, DEEPLY unsettling, captivating (not using that word lightly here because believe me when I say this book HOLDS. YOU. CAPTIVE) and if all this wasn't enough to get your heart pounding and blood pumping at an alarming rate she somehow managed to also make this book very provocative and.....romantic. A very dark and twisted romance (genuinely....this was no twilight) but romantic nonetheless. For the most part.

⚜️

Yes I have come across more chilling psychological thrillers but what had me thumping through page after page of this novel are it's 3 main characters. As the story progresses you forget about the author, the genre, the ratings and everything else that usually preoccupies your mind when you go into a hyped novel like Verity - all that's left is these 3 characters seducing, manipulating and enwrapping you in their fucked up fates having you question the alleged truths and lies in every sentence. I have to admit I did think I knew how this novel would end half-way through but even though I was right about certain twists there were still many that knocked me out and had me reeling.


The doubt and fear did not end with the last page. The ending I accepted after I finished this book and the ending I truly believed in 2 hours later after analyzing and obsessing over every single detail were ENTIRELY different from each other. This story haunts you and when it came to the characters, it was almost like having stockholm syndrome - my attachment to them was unsettling and made no sense but I wanted so much more of them, I wanted to shred them apart and have a microscopic view of what they were made of and what they were capable of. Even the son.

⚜️

Another interesting aspect to this book was that the characters were writers and avid readers themselves. There's a book within the book which is a page turner in itself and a protagonist who cannot put it down. Her feelings soon become parallel to yours as the tension and suspense builds both in the fictional book and the overall book you're reading (bookception at it's finest lol)


I recommend it to all but of course there is no telling if it’s everyone’s cup of tea - but it certainly was mine !
]]> Shutter Island 6790387
In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are sent to Shutter Island to find a mass murderer who has escaped from Ashecliffe Hospital, a fortress-like federal institution for the criminally insane. As an intense hurricane bears relentlessly down on the island, the marshals are forced to piece together clues to a shocking puzzle hidden within Shutter Island, taking them on a dark, twisted journey, where paranoia assumes an air of cool rationality and the line between sanity and madness disappears...

Filled with his trademark grit, insight, and pathos, "Shutter Island" is vintage Dennis Lehane. Now adapted for the first time as a graphic novel by internationally renowned artist Christian De Metter, this riveting story brilliantly captures our capacity for depravity and deliverance.]]> 128 Christian De Metter 0061968579 Paper 5 4.30 2008 Shutter Island
author: Christian De Metter
name: Paper
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: atmospheric, comics-manga-graphic-or-animated, psychological-thriller, thriller, mystery-and-suspense
review:
A true psychological thriller that masters the genre. Oh how I’ve missed this brand of storytelling ! Both the dialogue and the artwork lived up-to the grit, suspense and pathos of the original story. I will never forget the horror, confusion and deep fascination I felt as a child watching this movie for the first time with my father (odd film choice to bond over with a parent, I know - wasn’t my idea
]]> <![CDATA[When Snow Falls (Whiskey Creek, #2)]]> 13568746
Although Cheyenne has repeatedly asked for explanations, the people who could help aren't talking. Cheyenne is set on finding answers, but without so much as a birth certificate, it won't be easy.

Things get even more complicated when her closest friend is attracted to the man Cheyenne has secretly loved for years. For Eve's sake, she decides to step aside � which lands her right in the arms of Dylan Amos, oldest and baddest of the hell-raising Amos brothers. He's the kind of guy she's sworn to avoid. She can't afford to make a mistake, not when she finally has a chance to learn who she really is and change her life for the better. But . . . maybe there's more to Dylan than she thought. Maybe letting him go would be a bigger mistake.]]> 446 Brenda Novak 1469220075 Paper 5 underrated romance novel and I keep rereading snippets of it occasionally because I'm so fond of it so I decided to do it justice and write a review.

First things first, this cover --> DECEIVING 😂 ! Here I was thinking "oh looks like a cosy Christmas romance novel I never get around to reading one of those" when I first laid my eyes on it in a $5-per-book rack at the back of a store.

❄️

But a couple pages in, I had a taste of what I was getting into and a few chapters later I knew it had nothing to do with the initial theme and story line I predicted for it. I also wish I never read the synopsis before starting this novel because it poorly summarized and concealed the climax and plot-twists of the story. I was expecting something corny and predictable, a quick, light, holiday read that would not take up too much of my time because that's what the synopsis basically portrayed and promised. I'm glad it was cheap because I would not have invested in it otherwise and in doing so, I would've missed a HECK of a story.

❄️

Our female protagonist Cheyenne is a mystery even to herself as she tries to piece together her vague and turbulent past hoping that it would finally lead her to figuring out her roots. Her backstory is a sad one, child negligence, poverty, trauma and a whole lot of nightmares that she never had the chance to wake-up from. Her present story is no fairy-tale either, still stuck in the hellish bubble that is her life at home with a wayward sister and selfish mother that make sure she's bolted to her sorrows and misery, Cheyenne's friends are her only joy and light, shining through the cracks of her crumbling life.

❄️

You feel her inferiority and isolation and even though you may or may not relate to it, you certainly won't have a hard time sympathizing with her.
Her love life is non-existent which is no surprise given that she is quite the prude but as much as this seems to be a popular trope in romance and erotica novels, I didn't have a hard time seeing her in that light. I've known many Cheyennes in real life and the psychology behind the "virgin among harlots" is a whole other topic, but it's not too far from the truth although in this day an age it's definitely rare.

❄️

Of course there is the perfect man, the unattainable, the one she has been pining for since the beginning of time and we also have his direct opposite, the dangerous, the complicated, the unpredictable but equally intriguing troublemaker that she has been avoiding since the beginning of time. There are moments when you would definitely feel like you know and predict the direction in which this story goes, I bet you did just by reading the first sentence of this paragraph but trust me when I say the twists don't end till THE VERY END.

❄️

The love story is not the bulk and center of this novel. There is mystery, there is chaos, there is action, heartbreak and a few elements of a thriller as well. This is part of a series but NOT a sequel and can be read as a standalone. The rest of the books are on other characters in the story, NOT the main characters in this novel (who look nothing like the couple on the cover btw 😂). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and the less you know going into it the better]]> 4.14 2012 When Snow Falls (Whiskey Creek, #2)
author: Brenda Novak
name: Paper
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: page-turner, romance, chick-lit, contemporary, mystery-and-suspense
review:
I read this book about two years ago but it's such an underrated romance novel and I keep rereading snippets of it occasionally because I'm so fond of it so I decided to do it justice and write a review.

First things first, this cover --> DECEIVING 😂 ! Here I was thinking "oh looks like a cosy Christmas romance novel I never get around to reading one of those" when I first laid my eyes on it in a $5-per-book rack at the back of a store.

❄️

But a couple pages in, I had a taste of what I was getting into and a few chapters later I knew it had nothing to do with the initial theme and story line I predicted for it. I also wish I never read the synopsis before starting this novel because it poorly summarized and concealed the climax and plot-twists of the story. I was expecting something corny and predictable, a quick, light, holiday read that would not take up too much of my time because that's what the synopsis basically portrayed and promised. I'm glad it was cheap because I would not have invested in it otherwise and in doing so, I would've missed a HECK of a story.

❄️

Our female protagonist Cheyenne is a mystery even to herself as she tries to piece together her vague and turbulent past hoping that it would finally lead her to figuring out her roots. Her backstory is a sad one, child negligence, poverty, trauma and a whole lot of nightmares that she never had the chance to wake-up from. Her present story is no fairy-tale either, still stuck in the hellish bubble that is her life at home with a wayward sister and selfish mother that make sure she's bolted to her sorrows and misery, Cheyenne's friends are her only joy and light, shining through the cracks of her crumbling life.

❄️

You feel her inferiority and isolation and even though you may or may not relate to it, you certainly won't have a hard time sympathizing with her.
Her love life is non-existent which is no surprise given that she is quite the prude but as much as this seems to be a popular trope in romance and erotica novels, I didn't have a hard time seeing her in that light. I've known many Cheyennes in real life and the psychology behind the "virgin among harlots" is a whole other topic, but it's not too far from the truth although in this day an age it's definitely rare.

❄️

Of course there is the perfect man, the unattainable, the one she has been pining for since the beginning of time and we also have his direct opposite, the dangerous, the complicated, the unpredictable but equally intriguing troublemaker that she has been avoiding since the beginning of time. There are moments when you would definitely feel like you know and predict the direction in which this story goes, I bet you did just by reading the first sentence of this paragraph but trust me when I say the twists don't end till THE VERY END.

❄️

The love story is not the bulk and center of this novel. There is mystery, there is chaos, there is action, heartbreak and a few elements of a thriller as well. This is part of a series but NOT a sequel and can be read as a standalone. The rest of the books are on other characters in the story, NOT the main characters in this novel (who look nothing like the couple on the cover btw 😂). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and the less you know going into it the better
]]> Black Lies 22471294 Became a tech billionaire by his twentieth birthday. Has been in a relationship with me for 3 years. Has proposed 4 times. Been rejected 4 times.

Lee:
Cuts grass when he's not banging housewives. Good with his hands, his mouth, and his body. Has been pursued relentlessly by me for almost 2 years, whether he knows it or not.

Go ahead. Judge me. You have no idea what my love entails.

If you think you've heard this story before, trust me - you haven't.

**This is a STANDALONE full-length novel. It is not part of a series, and does not contain a cliffhanger.**]]> 290 Alessandra Torre Paper 3 DNF'd this book. Came on here and read some reviews with spoilers to figure out what the big "secret" they kept going on about was out of curiosity and F U C K. This just changed the whole novel for me ! Some of you may have figured it out soon enough but I failed to do so and I had to go back and read everything I skipped all over again viewing it all in a whole new light. I know that may sound odd but this is one of those instances where I really wished that they had revealed the plot twist way earlier on in the book and then further elaborated and drawn out on the analysis of the characters psyches. I say characters because they are all fucked up enough in their own way to have the same amount of focus that the central character does.

Reading it at first, you find all the usual erotica tropes right away. The well polished billionaire white guy with a damaged and traumatic past, the insta love, the endless BJs, the dom-sub forbidden love with the rough around the edges dude, so on and so forth. But I truly have to commend the author for that incredible twist that finally explained every event that took place up until that point - all the pieces of the puzzle click together forming a dark and disturbing picture that finally helps us understand the predicament in which the female character has been in (calling her a heroine seems a bit far fetched in my opinion).

With regard to what I disliked about this story and why I stopped reading it the first time around, I just couldn't handle the unnecessary load of info dump to make the characters seem intelligent and the over-sexualization of deep-seated mental issues. I'm very much for it if it is laid out in a logical and seemingly realistic way and I always enjoy a tense and steamy scene between characters but in this case it was like reading the dialogue off of a (badly) homemade pornhub video - just randomly yelling out a cocktail of crude and primal expletives. It honestly gets boring with her trying to explain each and every sexual move by substituting it with a poor attempt at erotic poetry. I just kept rolling my eyes and yelling at her to get to the point.

There are creative and intriguing ways to write a dirty smut scene, I've read a precious few since I decided to uncharacteristically dabble in this genre and I really wish the author made more of an effort to do so in this book. Yes there were a good few that hit it right but the rest were a solid miss and it truly dampened the tension and excitement you are meant to feel during a reading experience of this nature.

Another issue I had with this book was the traumatic experience. After getting past the climax of this story I did my research and....it just seemed like a lazy last minute addition to propel the plot of the story. There were so many complex and mind-blowing directions that the author could've gone in with this story but I guess she decided to keep it simple. And to think the amalgamation of all those secrets revealed lead to that banal, predictable ending...disappointing.

BUT, I was entertained enough to give it a solid 3 stars mainly because I've read nothing like it and in comparison to most books in it's genre it excelled.]]> 4.27 2014 Black Lies
author: Alessandra Torre
name: Paper
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: chick-lit, erotica, psychological-thriller, romance, dark-thriller-romance, mystery-and-suspense
review:
So I DNF'd this book. Came on here and read some reviews with spoilers to figure out what the big "secret" they kept going on about was out of curiosity and F U C K. This just changed the whole novel for me ! Some of you may have figured it out soon enough but I failed to do so and I had to go back and read everything I skipped all over again viewing it all in a whole new light. I know that may sound odd but this is one of those instances where I really wished that they had revealed the plot twist way earlier on in the book and then further elaborated and drawn out on the analysis of the characters psyches. I say characters because they are all fucked up enough in their own way to have the same amount of focus that the central character does.

Reading it at first, you find all the usual erotica tropes right away. The well polished billionaire white guy with a damaged and traumatic past, the insta love, the endless BJs, the dom-sub forbidden love with the rough around the edges dude, so on and so forth. But I truly have to commend the author for that incredible twist that finally explained every event that took place up until that point - all the pieces of the puzzle click together forming a dark and disturbing picture that finally helps us understand the predicament in which the female character has been in (calling her a heroine seems a bit far fetched in my opinion).

With regard to what I disliked about this story and why I stopped reading it the first time around, I just couldn't handle the unnecessary load of info dump to make the characters seem intelligent and the over-sexualization of deep-seated mental issues. I'm very much for it if it is laid out in a logical and seemingly realistic way and I always enjoy a tense and steamy scene between characters but in this case it was like reading the dialogue off of a (badly) homemade pornhub video - just randomly yelling out a cocktail of crude and primal expletives. It honestly gets boring with her trying to explain each and every sexual move by substituting it with a poor attempt at erotic poetry. I just kept rolling my eyes and yelling at her to get to the point.

There are creative and intriguing ways to write a dirty smut scene, I've read a precious few since I decided to uncharacteristically dabble in this genre and I really wish the author made more of an effort to do so in this book. Yes there were a good few that hit it right but the rest were a solid miss and it truly dampened the tension and excitement you are meant to feel during a reading experience of this nature.

Another issue I had with this book was the traumatic experience. After getting past the climax of this story I did my research and....it just seemed like a lazy last minute addition to propel the plot of the story. There were so many complex and mind-blowing directions that the author could've gone in with this story but I guess she decided to keep it simple. And to think the amalgamation of all those secrets revealed lead to that banal, predictable ending...disappointing.

BUT, I was entertained enough to give it a solid 3 stars mainly because I've read nothing like it and in comparison to most books in it's genre it excelled.
]]> <![CDATA[Silent Kill (Maeve Kerrigan, #8.6)]]> 50991575 A teenage girl is killed on a London bus. The case should be simple. The bus was full of witnesses, and there are cameras everywhere.

A hunt for a killer�
But the more DC Georgia Shaw and her colleagues Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent delve into the crime, the more elusive the answers become.

A case that spirals out of control�
It seems impossible that no one saw anything, but soon the leads run cold. Will they uncover what really happened, or will the killer get away with murder?]]> 100 Jane Casey Paper 3
I disliked Georgia before this book and after it but even as someone who never empathised with the character I can tell that some of Georgia’s negative characteristics seem forced by the author specially after we’ve been made to believe how difficult it is for a woman to make it to the murder task force.

I love this series and have been following it for a long time and will continue to do so despite my mixed feelings about this novella. ]]> 4.02 2020 Silent Kill (Maeve Kerrigan, #8.6)
author: Jane Casey
name: Paper
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: crime, short-stories-and-novellas
review:
I get that Georgia is meant to be an antagonistic character therefore her narration is meant to rub the reader up the wrong way but there are so many off-putting ways in which Jane Casey decided to go about this. Sometimes Georgia’s irritable qualities are expected and predictable given what we know of her from the series and then there are times when the author seems to be adding random stereotypical girl hate tropes to cast her in an unfavourable light even when it doesn’t seem necessary or fit with the context of the story.

I disliked Georgia before this book and after it but even as someone who never empathised with the character I can tell that some of Georgia’s negative characteristics seem forced by the author specially after we’ve been made to believe how difficult it is for a woman to make it to the murder task force.

I love this series and have been following it for a long time and will continue to do so despite my mixed feelings about this novella.
]]> Bury Me 28574878
I hear screams in my head.
I see blood on my hands.
When I look in the mirror I see a stranger.

How is it that I can remember bits and pieces of my life, but nothing of any importance and nothing that makes any sense? Everything is twisted and nothing is right. I’m choking with every breath I take, suffocating on the unknown.

Two days ago, everything changed. Two days ago, the people I should trust the most became strangers in my convoluted head. The dreams I have can’t be real. The fleeting memories that whisper through my mind are scary and wrong…they have to be. If they aren’t, I have something much worse to fear than my fractured mind. I need to find out the truth, even if it destroys me.

I've been told my name is Ravenna Duskin. I’m eighteen years old and I live in a prison…]]> Tara Sivec Paper 0 to-read 3.60 2015 Bury Me
author: Tara Sivec
name: Paper
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Fall (Jess Tennant, #1)]]> 17934525
Jess immediately feels a strange connection to Freya, whom she never got to meet alive. But the more Jess learns about the secrets Freya was keeping while she was alive, the more suspicious Freya's death starts to look. One thing is for sure: this will be anything but the safe, boring summer in the country Jess was expecting.

Beloved author Jane Casey breaks new ground with How to Fall, a thrilling and insightfully written mystery.]]> 352 Jane Casey 1250040655 Paper 0 to-read 3.68 2013 How to Fall (Jess Tennant, #1)
author: Jane Casey
name: Paper
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Thirteenth Child 205181098 This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.

All gifts come with a price.

Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

From the astonishing mind of Erin A. Craig comes the breathtaking fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for� what does a life well-lived mean, and how do we justify the impossible choices we make for the ones we love?]]> 512 Erin A. Craig 0593482581 Paper 0 to-read 4.07 2024 The Thirteenth Child
author: Erin A. Craig
name: Paper
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Gentleman 27876766 A funny, fantastically entertaining debut novel, in the spirit of Wodehouse and Monty Python, about a famous poet who inadvertently sells his wife to the devil--then recruits a band of adventurers to rescue her.

When Lionel Savage, a popular poet in Victorian London, learns from his butler that they're broke, he marries the beautiful Vivien Lancaster for her money, only to find that his muse has abandoned him.

Distraught and contemplating suicide, Savage accidentally conjures the Devil -- the polite "Gentleman" of the title -- who appears at one of the society parties Savage abhors. The two hit it off: the Devil talks about his home, where he employs Dante as a gardener; Savage lends him a volume of Tennyson. But when the party's over and Vivien has disappeared, the poet concludes in horror that he must have inadvertently sold his wife to the dark lord.

Newly in love with Vivien, Savage plans a rescue mission to Hell that includes Simmons, the butler; Tompkins, the bookseller; Ashley Lancaster, swashbuckling Buddhist; Will Kensington, inventor of a flying machine; and Savage's spirited kid sister, Lizzie, freshly booted from boarding school for a "dalliance." Throughout, his cousin's quibbling footnotes to the text push the story into comedy nirvana.

Lionel and his friends encounter trapdoors, duels, anarchist-fearing bobbies, the social pressure of not knowing enough about art history, and the poisonous wit of his poetical archenemy. Fresh, action-packed and very, very funny, The Gentleman is a giddy farce that recalls the masterful confections of P.G. Wodehouse and Hergé's beautifully detailed Tintin adventures.]]> 287 Forrest Leo 039956263X Paper 0 to-read 3.78 2016 The Gentleman
author: Forrest Leo
name: Paper
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> William 203164421 Psychological horror meets cyber noir in this delicious one-sitting read � a haunted house story in which the haunting is by AI.

Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career � he’s created an artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William.

No one knows about William. Henry’s agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily.

When Lily’s coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house � the smartest of smart homes � Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades intended to keep danger out of the house are even better at locking it in.]]> 224 Mason Coile 0593719603 Paper 0 to-read 3.52 2024 William
author: Mason Coile
name: Paper
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Nightingale 21853621 Der Weltbestseller � die Nr. 1 aus den USA.
Zwei Schwestern im von den Deutschen besetzten Während Vianne ums Überleben ihrer Familie kämpft, schließt sich die jüngere Isabelle der Résistance an und sucht die Freiheit auf dem Pfad der Nachtigall, einem geheimen Fluchtweg über die Pyrenäen. Doch wie weit darf man gehen, um zu überleben? Und wie kann man die schützen, die man liebt?
In diesem epischen, kraftvollen und zutiefst berührenden Roman erzählt Kristin Hannah die Geschichte zweier Frauen, die ihr Schicksal auf ganz eigene Weise meistern.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 Paper 4 The Nightingale is fundamentally a narrative about women in war, highlighting the invaluable role of two sisters as they navigate vastly different paths within the same lifetime.

վԲԱ’s story centres on motherhood, and how it shapes everything about her and how she moves through life, from her basic needs to every choice she makes. In contrast, her sister Isabelle, is a young, rebellious girl that’s all heart and unyielding bravery with resolute values and a reckless need to pursue love at all costs. While Isabelle may seem far more compelling, I found both sisters equally intriguing and easy to empathize with.

"In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are...
They think talking about a problem will solve it. I come from a quieter generation. We understand the value of forgetting, the lure of reinvention."


As promised the author delivers a deeply moving and descriptive portrayal of the human experience during war as the Nazi's invade France. Cruelty festers gradually, encroaching on every space they have ever known and seeping into the most intimate aspects of their lives. No corner is safe enough to crawl into, and no part of yourself remains your own.

"Men tell stories, women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war."


Through the characters, we witness the reality of what it is to love and suffer in silence-how your emotions in survival are instinctual and less a matter of conscious thought or action. Every move a character makes resonates deeply because of how descriptive and emotive the writing is.

However, I must admit it took me a while to make it through this book due to the slow-moving plot. In my opinion, most of the long-winded descriptions of mundane, day-to-day scenarios during the first 50-60% of the book would have been more fitting for the latter half, where more climactic situations occur. This isn’t necessarily a complaint, as it helps immerse you in the story, but it certainly made for a slow read.
The pacing towards the end of the book should have been consistent throughout.

"For the first time in his life, he understands the gulf between us, rather than the bridge. I am not simply his mother now, an extension of him. I am a woman in whole and he doesn't quite know what to make of me."


There is a time jump/background story between mother and son, which is less emphasized but equally important in illustrating how women are defined within society and family. I witness the lack of individuality in parents, especially mothers, even in present times.
The storyline between them highlighted why women often make that compromise as they become mothers, and how much love and sentimentality are tied to it.
A child typically sees a mother as just that-their mother. She is not a lover, a friend, a sister, or an individual that belongs to herself, she is selfishly your mother alone-not because you do not love her as deeply as you think you do, but because that love entitles you to believe she belongs primarily to you alone, before herself.

"A broken heart hurts as badly in wartime as in peace"


There is a love story, yes, it was quick to start and painfully quicker to end with barely any time in between. It didn’t have much of a hold on me at first, but I learned it’s value for the character at the very end.

"A girl's love for her father. Immutable. Unbearable but unbreakable"


A father’s love is a complicated thing. Whether we truly accept it or not, it shapes a girl’s whole perspective of love-her core needs in relation to it and the foundation she builds to achieve it. A damaged man’s love for his daughter is harsh and deep, with every rare glimpse of it being all-consuming. No daughter truly knows how to navigate that type of relationship or address how it has affected the course of her life, and the author does an excellent job of conveying the nature of it on paper.

"My regret is not for my death, but for my life. I am sorry I was no father to you....I loved you both with all of my damaged heart."


In conclusion, I really liked this book, though I took my time finishing it. The writing was too good for me to give it less than 4 stars-it was easy to visualize and connect with-but the storyline stalled in parts and could have been more succinct.
]]> 4.63 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Paper
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: historical-fiction, cultural-political-legal, atmospheric
review:
The Nightingale is fundamentally a narrative about women in war, highlighting the invaluable role of two sisters as they navigate vastly different paths within the same lifetime.

վԲԱ’s story centres on motherhood, and how it shapes everything about her and how she moves through life, from her basic needs to every choice she makes. In contrast, her sister Isabelle, is a young, rebellious girl that’s all heart and unyielding bravery with resolute values and a reckless need to pursue love at all costs. While Isabelle may seem far more compelling, I found both sisters equally intriguing and easy to empathize with.

"In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are...
They think talking about a problem will solve it. I come from a quieter generation. We understand the value of forgetting, the lure of reinvention."


As promised the author delivers a deeply moving and descriptive portrayal of the human experience during war as the Nazi's invade France. Cruelty festers gradually, encroaching on every space they have ever known and seeping into the most intimate aspects of their lives. No corner is safe enough to crawl into, and no part of yourself remains your own.

"Men tell stories, women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war."


Through the characters, we witness the reality of what it is to love and suffer in silence-how your emotions in survival are instinctual and less a matter of conscious thought or action. Every move a character makes resonates deeply because of how descriptive and emotive the writing is.

However, I must admit it took me a while to make it through this book due to the slow-moving plot. In my opinion, most of the long-winded descriptions of mundane, day-to-day scenarios during the first 50-60% of the book would have been more fitting for the latter half, where more climactic situations occur. This isn’t necessarily a complaint, as it helps immerse you in the story, but it certainly made for a slow read.
The pacing towards the end of the book should have been consistent throughout.

"For the first time in his life, he understands the gulf between us, rather than the bridge. I am not simply his mother now, an extension of him. I am a woman in whole and he doesn't quite know what to make of me."


There is a time jump/background story between mother and son, which is less emphasized but equally important in illustrating how women are defined within society and family. I witness the lack of individuality in parents, especially mothers, even in present times.
The storyline between them highlighted why women often make that compromise as they become mothers, and how much love and sentimentality are tied to it.
A child typically sees a mother as just that-their mother. She is not a lover, a friend, a sister, or an individual that belongs to herself, she is selfishly your mother alone-not because you do not love her as deeply as you think you do, but because that love entitles you to believe she belongs primarily to you alone, before herself.

"A broken heart hurts as badly in wartime as in peace"


There is a love story, yes, it was quick to start and painfully quicker to end with barely any time in between. It didn’t have much of a hold on me at first, but I learned it’s value for the character at the very end.

"A girl's love for her father. Immutable. Unbearable but unbreakable"


A father’s love is a complicated thing. Whether we truly accept it or not, it shapes a girl’s whole perspective of love-her core needs in relation to it and the foundation she builds to achieve it. A damaged man’s love for his daughter is harsh and deep, with every rare glimpse of it being all-consuming. No daughter truly knows how to navigate that type of relationship or address how it has affected the course of her life, and the author does an excellent job of conveying the nature of it on paper.

"My regret is not for my death, but for my life. I am sorry I was no father to you....I loved you both with all of my damaged heart."


In conclusion, I really liked this book, though I took my time finishing it. The writing was too good for me to give it less than 4 stars-it was easy to visualize and connect with-but the storyline stalled in parts and could have been more succinct.

]]> The Unraveling 199797651 This chilling, sizzling, and addictive thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Vi Keeland follows a New York psychiatrist’s dark descent into dangerous obsession.

This isn’t a love story.

It’s a story about obsession.

After experiencing a terrible loss, New York City psychiatrist Meredith McCall feels painfully adrift. When she crosses paths with a man with whom she has a tragic connection, she follows him, sparking an unhealthy obsession with Gabriel Wright. How is he doing so well while her life is in shambles?

But when Gabriel walks into her office as a patient, seemingly unaware of who she is, she knows it crosses all ethical and moral bounds to treat him. Yet, Meredith can’t bring herself to turn him away and becomes further entangled. With her life and career continuing to unravel, it appears that things could not get any worse…until they do.]]> 291 Vi Keeland 1668046857 Paper 0 to-read 3.83 2024 The Unraveling
author: Vi Keeland
name: Paper
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> My Darling Dreadful Thing 193544852
Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

"A Sapphic seance of preternatural proportions, My Darling Dreadful Thing summons a stunning new literary voice to be reckoned with. Johanna van Veen reaches beyond the veil to conjure up a gothic shocker like no other."—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

©2024 Johanna van Veen (P)2024 Tantor]]> 375 Johanna van Veen 1728281547 Paper 0 to-read 3.85 2024 My Darling Dreadful Thing
author: Johanna van Veen
name: Paper
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Salt & Broom 126923497 287 Sharon Lynn Fisher 1662515693 Paper 0 to-read 3.80 2023 Salt & Broom
author: Sharon Lynn Fisher
name: Paper
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> We Used to Live Here 199798006
As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

This unputdownable and spine-tingling novel “is like quicksand: the further you delve into its pages, the more immobilized you become by a spiral of terror. We Used to Live Here will haunt you even after you have finished it� (Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender Is the Flesh).]]> 312 Marcus Kliewer 1982198788 Paper 0 to-read 3.66 2024 We Used to Live Here
author: Marcus Kliewer
name: Paper
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Something in the Woods Loves You]]> 204593663 An inspiring blend of nature writing and memoir that explores nature’s crucial role in our emotional and mental health. Bats can hear shapes, plants can eat light, and bees can dance maps.When his life took him to a painfully dark place, the poet behind The Cryptonaturalist, Jarod K. Anderson, found comfort and redemption in these facts and the shift in perspective that comes from paying a new kind of attention to nature.Something in the Woods Loves Youtells the story of the darkest stretch of a young person’s life, and how deliberate and meditative encounters with plants and animals helped him see the light at every turn. Ranging from optimistic contemplations of mortality to appreciations of a single mushroom, Anderson has written a lyrical love letter to the natural world and given us the tools to see it all anew.]]> 368 Jarod K. Anderson 1643262297 Paper 0 to-read 4.34 2024 Something in the Woods Loves You
author: Jarod K. Anderson
name: Paper
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)]]> 17347634 A newer edition of ISBN 978-0143124542 can be found here.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?]]> 369 Jojo Moyes 0670026603 Paper 3 4.26 2012 Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Paper
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Paper 0 to-read 4.16 2018 The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Paper
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Grave Obsession (The Grave Series Book 1)]]> 218071041 Run, Little Siren.



The

She is mine.

My little siren.

I was hooked from the very first moment, drawn in like a moth to her flame. I watch her, protect her, with everything I have. It’s a compulsion I cant resist, no matter how hard I try. Her pull on me is otherworldly and she isn’t even aware of it. The things I will do for her, the lengths I will go to have her.

Nothing and no one will stand in my way.



The

My life has been a tragic disaster for as long as I can remember. That is until my parents go missing and I can finally start living my own life. The thought is overwhelming. Pulling myself from the protective fog I’ve cloaked myself in proves more difficult than I ever imagined. Is it even worth the fight? To emerge from the safety my own mind offers and face the real world. One night changes everything and suddenly I don’t have a say in the matter.




Grave Obsession is a dark thriller romance novel with dark actions and themes.
Please review the trigger and content warnings before reading.
Your mental health matters.]]> 412 Maren Riley 1068908114 Paper 0 to-read 4.52 Grave Obsession (The Grave Series Book 1)
author: Maren Riley
name: Paper
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 Paper 0 to-read 4.25 2022 One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Paper
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession]]> 62873378 One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first the story of the world’s most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser.

In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, the best-selling author of The Stranger in the Woods brings us into Breitwieser’s strange world—unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in a single room where he could admire them.

For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly eight years—in museums and cathedrals all over Europe—Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.

In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, Breitwieser never stole for money. Instead, he displayed all his treasures in a pair of secret rooms where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to circumvent practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtaking number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop—until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.

This is a riveting story of art, crime, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.]]> 224 Michael Finkel 0525657320 Paper 0 to-read 3.92 2023 The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
author: Michael Finkel
name: Paper
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek, #1)]]> 13547967
Gail DeMarco left Whiskey Creek, California, to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. Her PR firm has accumulated a roster of A-list clients, including the biggest box office hit of all—sexy and unpredictable Simon O'Neal. But Simon, who's just been through a turbulent divorce, is so busy self-destructing he won't listen to anything she says. She drops him from her list—and he retaliates by taking the rest of her clients with him.

Desperate to save her company, Gail has to humble herself by making a deal with Simon. The one thing he wants is custody of his son, but that's going to require a whole new image. He needs to marry some squeaky-clean girl who'll drag him off to some small, obscure place like Whiskey Creek�.

Gail's the only one he can trust. She agrees to become his wife—reluctantly. But she isn't reluctant because he's too hard to like. It's because he's too hard not to love!]]> 448 Brenda Novak 0778313514 Paper 0 to-read 4.01 2012 When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek, #1)
author: Brenda Novak
name: Paper
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]]> 32620332
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the �80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.]]> 389 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1501139231 Paper 3 4.39 2017 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Paper
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Swimming Pool Sunday: when everything changes in an instant... by Sophie Kinsella (Sep 27 2011)]]> 167259939 0 Sophie Kinsella Paper 3 3.50 Swimming Pool Sunday: when everything changes in an instant... by Sophie Kinsella (Sep 27 2011)
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Paper
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves:
review:
A light enjoyable read perfect for vacation or to shake off a slump
]]> The Screwtape Letters 8130077
C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the unique vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.� At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewisgives us the correspondence of the wordly-wise devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Lettersis the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.]]> 222 C.S. Lewis Paper 0 to-read 4.37 1942 The Screwtape Letters
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Paper
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1942
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Great Divorce 25845273
C.S. Lewis� The Great Divorce is a classic Christian allegorical tale about a bus ride from hell to heaven. An extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment, Lewis’s revolutionary idea in the The Great Divorce is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis� The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil.]]> 146 C.S. Lewis Paper 0 to-read 4.39 1946 The Great Divorce
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Paper
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1946
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Full Moon Coffee Shop (The Full Moon Coffee Shop, #1)]]> 202468425 Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes, coffees, and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives have veered off course—because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. After all, there is a reason the shop appeared to each of them…]]> 240 Mai Mochizuki 0593726820 Paper 0 to-read 3.60 2020 The Full Moon Coffee Shop (The Full Moon Coffee Shop, #1)
author: Mai Mochizuki
name: Paper
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Excellent Excuses [and Other Good Stuff] (Tom Gates, #2)]]> 13005693 341 Liz Pichon 1407124404 Paper 0 to-read 4.32 2011 Excellent Excuses [and Other Good Stuff] (Tom Gates, #2)
author: Liz Pichon
name: Paper
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently]]> 54272171 512 Amy-Jill Levine 0062560174 Paper 0 to-read 4.35 2020 The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently
author: Amy-Jill Levine
name: Paper
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Silver Devil 425516 The Silver Devil

From the moment he sees the beautiful Felicia, he must have her. Overnight he changes Felicia's nightmare world of tavern drudgery into an erotic adventure as his royal mistress.

He is the Duke of Cabria who holds his subjects in constant fear. He is troubled. He is ruthless.

And Felicia is hopelessly in love with him—though at times he seems like the devil incarnate...]]> 373 Teresa Denys 0345289927 Paper 0 to-read 3.65 1978 The Silver Devil
author: Teresa Denys
name: Paper
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lemonade 25730909
After a lifetime of harboring shame and resentment, Christopher, a ruthless con artist, wants revenge, and unfortunately for Anna, he’s decided that she will be the perfect pawn in his terrible plot. With a fierceness of spirit uncommon in well-bred young ladies in the nineteenth century, Anna will have to use her intelligence and courage to protect her loved ones. But can she also save herself?]]> 466 Nina Pennacchi 1503999408 Paper 3 " I know very well what I am running from, but not what I am looking for "

Anna Champion, the heroine of this "violently intense Victorian romance," as some have called it, is a simple girl focused on family, friendships, and a little crush on the side. She is a tad clumsy and tends to fade into the background compared to the shining glory of her best friend Lucy. She harbours a healthy dose of exasperation toward the stifling values that suffocated Victorian England society and aspires to rise above the dullness of it all with her vibrant partner in crime Lucy, by her side.

"Remorse: beholding heaven and feeling hell"

Christopher Davenport, your standard garden-variety brood that the ladies love to fawn over, comes with, you guessed it, a tragic past and a vendetta in mind to avenge his mother (mommy issues + daddy issues = excused atrocious behaviour; you know the drill).

I know what you're thinking—this story may seem familiar, but despite its well-trodden narrative, the characters bring a refreshing sense of novelty.


"Memory is the only paradise out of which we can not be expelled"

The friendship between Lucy and Anna is a rare thing. I feel that female friendships in books often lack substance or are included merely for the sake of 'girl power' bonus points. However, I felt this friendship genuinely embodies a sense of sisterhood, done just right without being overemphasized.

"There are strings in the human heart that had better not be vibrated"

The characters were surprisingly interesting as individuals. There was a natural flow to their interactions, and their wit, humour, and sorrow made them seem relatable and easy to empathize with.
I’ve read many books with more compelling plots and characters that have a lot more going for them, but they lack the type of depth that comes simply through well-written dialogue and lived-in experiences that the reader can effortlessly connect to.

"And hatred, when it is not reciprocal, hurts as much as love"

The storyline is predictable, and the ending, in my opinion, did not align with the initial intentions and overall purpose of the plot.

Sentimentality overshadowed what I would have preferred to remain darkly strategic, and there were many tangents that served as filler and bored me.
While the writing style was excellent, the shift in tone was unnecessary. This is why I’m complaining about it: by the end, the passion—both love and hate—between the characters seemed more childish and unwarranted.

*RECOMMENDATION*

I feel like if you like this sort of book and want to read something with equal intensity but more purposeful and calculated violence, Whitney My Love, by Judith McNaught would be a good read to follow up with.]]> 3.64 2011 Lemonade
author: Nina Pennacchi
name: Paper
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves:
review:
" I know very well what I am running from, but not what I am looking for "

Anna Champion, the heroine of this "violently intense Victorian romance," as some have called it, is a simple girl focused on family, friendships, and a little crush on the side. She is a tad clumsy and tends to fade into the background compared to the shining glory of her best friend Lucy. She harbours a healthy dose of exasperation toward the stifling values that suffocated Victorian England society and aspires to rise above the dullness of it all with her vibrant partner in crime Lucy, by her side.

"Remorse: beholding heaven and feeling hell"

Christopher Davenport, your standard garden-variety brood that the ladies love to fawn over, comes with, you guessed it, a tragic past and a vendetta in mind to avenge his mother (mommy issues + daddy issues = excused atrocious behaviour; you know the drill).

I know what you're thinking—this story may seem familiar, but despite its well-trodden narrative, the characters bring a refreshing sense of novelty.


"Memory is the only paradise out of which we can not be expelled"

The friendship between Lucy and Anna is a rare thing. I feel that female friendships in books often lack substance or are included merely for the sake of 'girl power' bonus points. However, I felt this friendship genuinely embodies a sense of sisterhood, done just right without being overemphasized.

"There are strings in the human heart that had better not be vibrated"

The characters were surprisingly interesting as individuals. There was a natural flow to their interactions, and their wit, humour, and sorrow made them seem relatable and easy to empathize with.
I’ve read many books with more compelling plots and characters that have a lot more going for them, but they lack the type of depth that comes simply through well-written dialogue and lived-in experiences that the reader can effortlessly connect to.

"And hatred, when it is not reciprocal, hurts as much as love"

The storyline is predictable, and the ending, in my opinion, did not align with the initial intentions and overall purpose of the plot.

Sentimentality overshadowed what I would have preferred to remain darkly strategic, and there were many tangents that served as filler and bored me.
While the writing style was excellent, the shift in tone was unnecessary. This is why I’m complaining about it: by the end, the passion—both love and hate—between the characters seemed more childish and unwarranted.

*RECOMMENDATION*

I feel like if you like this sort of book and want to read something with equal intensity but more purposeful and calculated violence, Whitney My Love, by Judith McNaught would be a good read to follow up with.
]]> Capitan Swing 18301239
Capitan Swing mantiene sempre le sue promesse. E quando giura a Rebecca Arlington che dopo la rivolta la porterà via con sé, ha tutte le intenzioni di farlo. Rebecca aspetta da anni quel momento, e niente e nessuno potrà impedirle di fuggire con lui... niente e nessuno, tranne il comandante dei dragoni arrivato a Tisbury proprio per arrestare il suo capitano.]]> 324 Nina Pennacchi 8868552493 Paper 0 to-read 4.25 2013 Capitan Swing
author: Nina Pennacchi
name: Paper
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Prisoner of My Desire 774060
Spirited Rowena Belleme must produce an heir--or incur the dangerous wrath of a ruthless stepbrother, who stands to forfeit his ill-gotten wealth. And the magnificent Warrick deChaville is the perfect choice to sire her child--though it means imprisoning the handsome knight...and forcing him to bend to her amorous whims.

SLAVE OF PASSION

Vowing to resist but betrayed by his own virility, noble Warrick is intoxicated by Rowena's sapphire eyes and voluptuous beauty. Yet all the while he plans a fitting revenge--eagerly awaiting the time when his sensuous captor becomes his helpless captive ... and is made to suffer the same rapturous torment and exquisite ecstasy that he himself has endured.]]> 425 Johanna Lindsey 0380756277 Paper 0 to-read 4.05 1991 Prisoner of My Desire
author: Johanna Lindsey
name: Paper
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Grimoire Girl: A Memoir of Magic and Mischief]]> 61812422 New York Times Bestseller

The long-awaited next book from actress and New York Times bestselling author of The Rural Diaries, Hilarie Burton Morgan. Through memoir essays and magical practices, Grimoire Girl connects us to the enchantment that exists inside us all.

Since childhood, Hilarie Burton Morgan has felt the call to record, keep, and catalogue life in all its strange wonder. It was a whimsical habit, with no clear goal. And then, when she became a mother, the importance of all that collecting snapped into focus.

In an effort to patchwork together an anthology of traditions, curiosity, and magical thinking that she could pass down, Burton Morgan realized she was crafting a grimoire.

In her most intimate book yet, Burton Morgan shares how she’s creating an inheritance of mischief and magic that will outlive her. What’s more, she shows readers how they too can look at the elements of their lives and collect the pieces into a tangible collection of a lifetime of learning. Because in its purest form, a grimoire was a guide to keep you alive.

Like the grimoires of old, full of life-saving wisdom, these pages record the people, places, ideas and habits that have kept Burton Morgan alive, in her signature voice that is at once honest, witty, and charming. Accompanied by whimsical two-color illustrations by Olivia Faust, the book also includes Simple Spells, which are ways to bring magic into your daily create an altar that delights and inspires, practice candle magic and poetry spells, make an oracle deck, or channel your inner kitchen witch with recipes and potions.

So begin creating your own inheritance, take a long look inward and decide...

What wisdom will be written on the pages of your Grimoire?]]> 222 Hilarie Burton Morgan 0063222760 Paper 0 to-read 4.19 2023 Grimoire Girl: A Memoir of Magic and Mischief
author: Hilarie Burton Morgan
name: Paper
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World]]> 61684808
For most of human history, and in almost all the world's cultures, nature was believed to be sacred, and our God or gods to be present everywhere in the natural world. When people in the West began to separate God and nature in modern times, it was not just a profound breach with thousands of years of accumulated it also set in train the destruction of the natural world.

Taking themes that have been central to the world's religious traditions - from gratitude and compassion to sacrifice and non-violence - Armstrong offers practical steps to help us develop a new mindset to reconnect with nature and rekindle our sense of the sacred.

Sacred Nature reveals the most profound connections between humans and the natural world. It speaks to anyone interested in our relationship with nature, worried about the destruction of our environment, and searching for new ways of thinking to shape the action needed to save our planet.]]> 197 Karen Armstrong 0593319443 Paper 0 to-read 4.17 2022 Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World
author: Karen Armstrong
name: Paper
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Daughter 124029281 In Claudia Dey’s Daughter, a woman long caught in her father's web strives to make a life—and art—of her own.

To be loved by your father is to be loved by God.

So says Mona Dean—playwright, actress, and daughter to a man famous for one great novel, whose needs and insecurities exert an inescapable pull and exact an immeasurable toll on the women of his family: Mona, her sister, her half-sister, their mothers. His infidelity destroyed Mona’s childhood, setting her in opposition to a stepmother who, though equally damaged, disdains her for being broken. Then, just as Mona is settling into her life as an adult and a fledgling artist, he begins a new affair and takes her into his confidence. Mona delights—painfully, parasitically—in this attention. When he inevitably confesses to his wife, Mona is cast as the agent of disruption, punished for her father’s crimes and ejected from the family.

Mona’s tenuous stability is thrown into chaos. Only when she suffers an incalculable loss—one far deeper and more defining than family entanglements—can she begin supplanting absent love with real love. Pushed to the precipice, she must decide how she wants to live, what she most needs to say, and the risks she will take to say it.

Claudia Dey chronicles our most intimate lives with penetrating insight and devilish humor. Daughter is an obsessive, blazing examination of the forces that drive us to become, to create, and to break free.]]> 272 Claudia Dey 0374609705 Paper 0 to-read 3.92 2023 Daughter
author: Claudia Dey
name: Paper
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Diavola 126918202 Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.

Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.

It isn’t easy when she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he’s practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone—including her blandly docile husband and two kids—falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.

The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails—the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.

(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)]]> 296 Jennifer Marie Thorne Paper 0 to-read 3.84 2024 Diavola
author: Jennifer Marie Thorne
name: Paper
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Rouge 157184735 From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.

Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, Rouge holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.]]> 383 Mona Awad Paper 0 to-read 3.54 2023 Rouge
author: Mona Awad
name: Paper
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Vengeful (Villains, #2) 26856502 A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions�#1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to Vicious.

Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.

But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought—and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.

With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity--and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.]]> 462 Victoria E. Schwab Paper 5 4.13 2018 Vengeful (Villains, #2)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Paper
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Caught 6681454
Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.]]> 388 Harlan Coben 052595158X Paper 0 to-read 3.96 2010 Caught
author: Harlan Coben
name: Paper
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mere Christianity 11138 191 C.S. Lewis 0684823780 Paper 0 to-read 4.32 1952 Mere Christianity
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Paper
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Leaves of Grass 27494 624 Walt Whitman Paper 0 to-read 4.12 1855 Leaves of Grass
author: Walt Whitman
name: Paper
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1855
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tarot Therapy: Harness the Healing Power of the Deck]]> 74319739 Bring connection and purpose to your life through the wisdom of tarot

Tarot Therapy is practical toolkit for understanding your life more fully through the wisdom of
the tarot. Tarot therapist Leona Nichole Black, guides readers through every aspect of daily
life—from love and relationships, to careers and social impact—using the major arcana a source
of inspiration and guidance. The process is intuitive and immersive, a unique and powerful way
of finding mental clarity, processing life experiences, and giving voice and language to your
emotions.

Throughout Tarot Therapy you’ll find personalized prompts, meditations, and tarot spreads that
will empower you
- Read the map of your life's journey
- Hear the wisdom of your inner-voice
- Take time to heal and grow
- Make life-changing decisions
- Reveal your talents to the world

Tarot Therapy is a reflective guide that will help you deepen and strengthen your most
important relationship—the one you have with yourself.]]> 246 Leona Nichole Black 1250886473 Paper 0 to-read 5.00 Tarot Therapy: Harness the Healing Power of the Deck
author: Leona Nichole Black
name: Paper
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Flowers of Evil 536387 of the seamy side of urban life. Including the French texts and comprehensive explanatory notes to the poems, this extraordinary body of love poems restores the six poems originally banned in 1857, revealing the richness and variety of the collection.]]> 464 Charles Baudelaire 0192835459 Paper 0 to-read 4.17 1857 The Flowers of Evil
author: Charles Baudelaire
name: Paper
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1857
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Close (Maeve Kerrigan, #10)]]> 59344725
But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing.

It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before.

And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, they have no idea of the danger they face � because someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.]]> 416 Jane Casey 0008404976 Paper 5 crime DO NOT start with this one. Though it says the books can be read as standalones, there is way too much history and build up at this point so I recommend you start with one of the following books in the series :

- The Reckoning
- The Last Girl
- The Stranger You Know (This is the best book in the series and if you plan on reading just one, I suggest you pick this up - it's fantastic !)

AT LONG LAST, some closure and development in the Derwent and Kerrigan front and the prolonged will they/won't they moments they've had over the span of, well...too many books in the series. One thing I've got to admit, Derwent and Kerrigan enjoying suburban frivolities did seem a bit out of character to me (I know they were undercover but part of their mannerisms when they were being their real selves just didn't seem true to who they are). These characters develop into different versions of themselves which keep them interesting but still remain true to who they are at their core, both good and bad, which gives you a sense of familiarity as a long time fan of the series, as if you knew them personally.

Seeing them finally surrender to what has always been known yet suppressed for so long was absolutely thrilling and cathartic ! I was tearing away when it FINALLY happened ]]> 4.10 2023 The Close (Maeve Kerrigan, #10)
author: Jane Casey
name: Paper
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/07
shelves: crime
review:
If you have never read a book in this series I suggest you DO NOT start with this one. Though it says the books can be read as standalones, there is way too much history and build up at this point so I recommend you start with one of the following books in the series :

- The Reckoning
- The Last Girl
- The Stranger You Know (This is the best book in the series and if you plan on reading just one, I suggest you pick this up - it's fantastic !)

AT LONG LAST, some closure and development in the Derwent and Kerrigan front and the prolonged will they/won't they moments they've had over the span of, well...too many books in the series. One thing I've got to admit, Derwent and Kerrigan enjoying suburban frivolities did seem a bit out of character to me (I know they were undercover but part of their mannerisms when they were being their real selves just didn't seem true to who they are). These characters develop into different versions of themselves which keep them interesting but still remain true to who they are at their core, both good and bad, which gives you a sense of familiarity as a long time fan of the series, as if you knew them personally.

Seeing them finally surrender to what has always been known yet suppressed for so long was absolutely thrilling and cathartic ! I was tearing away when it FINALLY happened
]]> <![CDATA[An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels]]> 29584481
These pages provide a basic orientation in the dark phenomenology, succinctly explaining Catholic doctrine on the fallen angels and the innumerable manifestations.]]> 145 Gabriele Amorth 1622823451 Paper 0 to-read 3.98 An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels
author: Gabriele Amorth
name: Paper
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hidden Pictures 58724923 A wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.]]> 372 Jason Rekulak 1250819342 Paper 0 to-read 4.12 2022 Hidden Pictures
author: Jason Rekulak
name: Paper
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Night Circus 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Paper 2 fantasy "I confess" Marco says, "I don't fully understand the point even after all this time."
"Nor do I" Celia admits.

Taking into account everything I've read within this book and about it, this dialogue right here is the one thing I wholeheartedly agree with.

Though this book has had its share of hype for years, it's been long enough for me to get into it without much expectation or resulting disappointment. But the false promises made by the promotions and reviewers of this story have to be addressed. I'm well aware that reading tastes are subjective, however the themes advertised are very deceiving, even by the synopsis.

Let me start with the good. All of the characters in this book, as individuals, were not difficult to like. Some of the side characters specially were quite intriguing and easy to be fond of, but not exceptional enough in any way (speaking purely of character not plot because there was none) for me to read an entire book just to get a glimpse of them in the sidelines. I have had my passionate side character crushes many times, but none in this book had any such profound impact on me. Their traits were more a stated fact than something they actually personified.

The intense slow burn romance between the main characters stirred nothing in me. It was love at first sight, which I have no issues with if there is a buildup or series of exciting encounters and interactions after. But those are few and far between and barely have any real reference to the connection between the two. Only when Tsukiko described the impact they had on each other, at the very end, did I even feel any depth and sincerity in their romance.

I understand that the inspirations, retellings or imaginative visualizations of a story can be more appealing and exciting than the original content itself. I feel that way about Alice in Wonderland. I am more entertained by the reimaginations of it than the original story, but I have far more respect for its novelty.

Far more difficult to do in the present, given that every original concept may have been thought of at some point in history, so you sample what has inspired you.
Just like Erin Morgenstern did with this book. She has rehashed well-loved concepts and literature but completely failed to incorporate it creatively in her own ideas. We are told there is Shakespeare (his work is not referenced for the most part, just name dropping), the characters are intellectual, surrounded by books, magic etc. etc.

Just a whole lot of stating rather than showing, over and over again. No really, we don't even know what type of books, what type of magic, what the main characters performances ACTUALLY consist of (we get one or two descriptions that's it) or any details on how they work on their skills which is essentially the whole reason and purpose of their existence. Just a whole lot of pointless details on the applauding that took place and the awe inspired by the main characters� actions with no insight at all to the source of their talents or what exactly the audience experienced.

It was up to our imagination apparently, not the writer's own.

I was not expecting much plot but I was at least hoping for some type of reasoning, strategy, to be MOVED to some degree. Great emotional depth and enchanting experiences are constantly promised but never delivered.

Here's what we get - settings. Just random aesthetic settings, and no it doesn't really contribute to the overarching plot either but is constantly added in a way that disrupts the consistency of the story over and over AND over again. I know what you're thinking, "oh I'm here for the vibes who cares about plot or world building". But all we really get is overly descriptive writing of supposedly fascinating objects with vague details of how they function as a whole or create the supposedly dazzling effect on its viewers.

The synopsis says "behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway-a duel between two young magicians" .
Dear reader, I promise you upon every book I treasure, there is NO truth to this statement. In fact, I'm shocked they were even called magicians because it is constantly restated that magic isn't really an existing source, this is pure skill and intellect that goes beyond earthly bounds, confirmed as an "enlightenment" of sorts in the last 50 something pages. We are constantly reminded that they're illusionists not magicians in this non-existent duel (no really, there is no confrontation or battle of any sorts) that the apparent competitors are in. By the way, the reader isn't the only one left in the dark about what this duel is or what the competition's end goal, rules or reason is. The competitors themselves do not know either. At this point I sound crazy but you’ve got to read it to believe it I guess.

I'll end this review by paraphrasing another I saw on ŷ that perfectly deduced this story.

"Wedding cakes are typically the prettiest cakes, but they are almost never the tastiest cakes. Gorgeous and covered in fondant until you cut into it and wish there was more of the good stuff - the cake. The Night Circus is a wedding cake with fondant that goes all the way down, with a little bit of cake at the very bottom"

So yeah, if your obsession with circuses is sufficient to enjoy a whole lot of sweet nothings, this is the book for you]]> 4.00 2011 The Night Circus
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Paper
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2023/09/11
shelves: fantasy
review:
"I confess" Marco says, "I don't fully understand the point even after all this time."
"Nor do I" Celia admits.

Taking into account everything I've read within this book and about it, this dialogue right here is the one thing I wholeheartedly agree with.

Though this book has had its share of hype for years, it's been long enough for me to get into it without much expectation or resulting disappointment. But the false promises made by the promotions and reviewers of this story have to be addressed. I'm well aware that reading tastes are subjective, however the themes advertised are very deceiving, even by the synopsis.

Let me start with the good. All of the characters in this book, as individuals, were not difficult to like. Some of the side characters specially were quite intriguing and easy to be fond of, but not exceptional enough in any way (speaking purely of character not plot because there was none) for me to read an entire book just to get a glimpse of them in the sidelines. I have had my passionate side character crushes many times, but none in this book had any such profound impact on me. Their traits were more a stated fact than something they actually personified.

The intense slow burn romance between the main characters stirred nothing in me. It was love at first sight, which I have no issues with if there is a buildup or series of exciting encounters and interactions after. But those are few and far between and barely have any real reference to the connection between the two. Only when Tsukiko described the impact they had on each other, at the very end, did I even feel any depth and sincerity in their romance.

I understand that the inspirations, retellings or imaginative visualizations of a story can be more appealing and exciting than the original content itself. I feel that way about Alice in Wonderland. I am more entertained by the reimaginations of it than the original story, but I have far more respect for its novelty.

Far more difficult to do in the present, given that every original concept may have been thought of at some point in history, so you sample what has inspired you.
Just like Erin Morgenstern did with this book. She has rehashed well-loved concepts and literature but completely failed to incorporate it creatively in her own ideas. We are told there is Shakespeare (his work is not referenced for the most part, just name dropping), the characters are intellectual, surrounded by books, magic etc. etc.

Just a whole lot of stating rather than showing, over and over again. No really, we don't even know what type of books, what type of magic, what the main characters performances ACTUALLY consist of (we get one or two descriptions that's it) or any details on how they work on their skills which is essentially the whole reason and purpose of their existence. Just a whole lot of pointless details on the applauding that took place and the awe inspired by the main characters� actions with no insight at all to the source of their talents or what exactly the audience experienced.

It was up to our imagination apparently, not the writer's own.

I was not expecting much plot but I was at least hoping for some type of reasoning, strategy, to be MOVED to some degree. Great emotional depth and enchanting experiences are constantly promised but never delivered.

Here's what we get - settings. Just random aesthetic settings, and no it doesn't really contribute to the overarching plot either but is constantly added in a way that disrupts the consistency of the story over and over AND over again. I know what you're thinking, "oh I'm here for the vibes who cares about plot or world building". But all we really get is overly descriptive writing of supposedly fascinating objects with vague details of how they function as a whole or create the supposedly dazzling effect on its viewers.

The synopsis says "behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway-a duel between two young magicians" .
Dear reader, I promise you upon every book I treasure, there is NO truth to this statement. In fact, I'm shocked they were even called magicians because it is constantly restated that magic isn't really an existing source, this is pure skill and intellect that goes beyond earthly bounds, confirmed as an "enlightenment" of sorts in the last 50 something pages. We are constantly reminded that they're illusionists not magicians in this non-existent duel (no really, there is no confrontation or battle of any sorts) that the apparent competitors are in. By the way, the reader isn't the only one left in the dark about what this duel is or what the competition's end goal, rules or reason is. The competitors themselves do not know either. At this point I sound crazy but you’ve got to read it to believe it I guess.

I'll end this review by paraphrasing another I saw on ŷ that perfectly deduced this story.

"Wedding cakes are typically the prettiest cakes, but they are almost never the tastiest cakes. Gorgeous and covered in fondant until you cut into it and wish there was more of the good stuff - the cake. The Night Circus is a wedding cake with fondant that goes all the way down, with a little bit of cake at the very bottom"

So yeah, if your obsession with circuses is sufficient to enjoy a whole lot of sweet nothings, this is the book for you
]]> <![CDATA[Twelve Secrets (Ben Harper, #1)]]> 58468902
The day his older brother was murdered was the day Ben Harper's life changed forever.

In one of the most shocking crimes in national history, Nick and his friend were stabbed to death by two girls their own age. Police called the killings random, a senseless tragedy.

Twenty years on Ben is one of the best true crime journalists in the country. He has left the past behind, thanks to the support of his close-knit hometown community.

But when he learns about a fresh murder case with links to his brother's death, Ben's life is turned upside down once more. He soon find himself caught in a web of lies, one that implicates everyone around him. And on his quest for answers, Ben discovers one very important truth:

Everyone has secrets.
But some secrets are deadlier than others.]]> 448 Robert Gold 0751582743 Paper 0 to-read 4.01 2022 Twelve Secrets (Ben Harper, #1)
author: Robert Gold
name: Paper
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Twins 59582631
Margo is a solitary live-in nanny for an upper-class Kensingon family. Cora is a promiscuous dancer on the cusp of a big break, living hand-to-mouth in a run-down London flat.

Different though they are, an unspeakable incident from childhood haunts them both. When the terrible secret comes to light, their fragile existences shatter, pitting them against each other in a race for survival.

But can there be a winner when a secret is so dark?]]> 326 L.V. Matthews 1787399184 Paper 0 to-read 3.86 2022 The Twins
author: L.V. Matthews
name: Paper
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unbounded: Manifesting a life without limits]]> 86170233
As a queer child of immigrants, Maria Thattil knows what it is like to struggle with belonging. In Unbounded, she shares galvanising stories of what she has lived and learned through experiencing racism, sexism, financial hardship, intergenerational trauma, homophobia and mental health challenges.

Through it all, Maria held onto hope and belief that her experiences could be turned into power - which she proved when she became only the third woman of colour to represent Australia in the Miss Universe competition in 2021, and created a media platform fiercely advocating for empowerment, inclusion and equality.

Revealing ten steps to self-mastery, Unbounded offers a path towards active growth, fearless self-love and liberation.

It’s time to break free of what binds you, and live up to all that you are.]]> 231 Maria Thattil 0143777858 Paper 0 to-read 4.07 Unbounded: Manifesting a life without limits
author: Maria Thattil
name: Paper
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> O Brother 123125162
Hoping for the best while often witnessing the worst, John, his younger sister Linda and their mother, Jeanette, saw the darkest fears they had for Gary played out in drug deals, prison and bankruptcy. While his life spiralled downward and the love the Nivens� shared was tested to its limit, John drifted into his own trouble in the music industry, a world where excess was often a marker of success.

Tracking the lives of two brothers in changing times � from illicit cans of lager in 70s sitting rooms to ecstasy in 90s raves � O Brother is a tender, affecting and often uproariously funny story. It is about the bonds of family and how we try to keep the finest of those we lose alive. It is about black sheep and what it takes to break the ties that bind. Fundamentally it is about how families survive suicide, ‘that last cry, from the saddest outpost.’]]> 353 John Niven 180530058X Paper 0 to-read 4.59 2023 O Brother
author: John Niven
name: Paper
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> And Then There Were None 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]> 264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 Paper 0 to-read 4.28 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: Paper
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sorcery of Thorns (Sorcery of Thorns, #1)]]> 42201395
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.]]> 456 Margaret Rogerson 1481497618 Paper 0 to-read 4.03 2019 Sorcery of Thorns (Sorcery of Thorns, #1)
author: Margaret Rogerson
name: Paper
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Far Wilder Magic 48909025
Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist--yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he's landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it's like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt - if they survive that long.]]> 384 Allison Saft 1250623650 Paper 0 to-read 3.84 2022 A Far Wilder Magic
author: Allison Saft
name: Paper
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Rebecca 17899948 Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again...

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.]]> 449 Daphne du Maurier 0316323705 Paper 0 to-read 4.28 1938 Rebecca
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Paper
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1938
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>