en-US Tue, 10 Jun 2025 20:14:02 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 220160005 A love letter to his fans, My Dear Wildflower finds New York Times bestseller r.h. Sin at his best, guiding readers through the journey out of despair and back to self-worth with the honest relatability that fans worldwide have come to know him for.

My Dear Wildflower is the latest poetic offering from prolific writer r.h. Sin. A revisit to the themes and style that fans first fell in love with when he debuted his Whiskey Words and A Shovel series in 2015. In My Dear Wildflower, Sin speaks directly to readers with his signature kindness and honesty, expounding on ideas of love, regret, heartbreak, and the journey to rediscovering self-worth.
Ěý
Sure to resonate, this collection is a perfect entry point to readers new to Sin’s world and a nostalgic reach back for those who have been here since the beginning.]]> 256 R.H. Sin 1524893234 Pamela 0 to-read 4.39
author: R.H. Sin
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218460257 Rivalry and romance spark when two bookstore managers who are opposites in every way find themselves competing for the same promotion.

Despite managing bookstores on the same Boston street, Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson have never interacted much—Josie’s store focuses on serious literature, and Ryan’s sells romance only. But when the new owner of both stores decides to combine them, the two are thrust into direct competition. Only one manager will be left standing, decided by who turns the most profit over the summer.Ěý

Efficient and detail-oriented Josie instantly clashes with easygoing and disorganized Ryan. Their competing events and contrasting styles lead to more than just frustration—the sparks between them might just set the whole store on fire. Their only solace during this chaos is the friendship they’ve each struck up with an anonymous friend in an online book forum. Little do they know they’re actually chatting with each other.ĚýĚý

As their rivalry heats up in real life, their online relationship grows, and when the walls between their stores come tumbling down, Josie and Ryan realize not all’s fair in love and war. And maybe, if they’re lucky, happily ever afters aren’t just for the books.]]> 432 Ali Brady 0593640845 Pamela 0 to-read 4.11 2025
author: Ali Brady
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 229269150 The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons� investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.

Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.]]> 352 Meg Shaffer 059359889X Pamela 0 to-read 3.94 2024
author: Meg Shaffer
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223121169
Only one ever returned.

Now, Nev has done her best to leave everything that happened in the forest on Avan Island behind. But when the men who ran her group home start turning up dead, Nev realizes this might be her only chance for answers about what happened to her sisters.

As Nev is pulled deeper into Avan’s secrets—and more bodies pile up—Nev must unravel the mysteries locked in her own mind as she hunts down a killer who is willing to do anything to make sure the past stays buried.

Lost sisters, female rage, and the determination to survive drive Nev on her propulsive journey to find answers and peace—and maybe even revenge.]]> 320 Mary E. Roach 1368114601 Pamela 0 to-read 4.68
author: Mary E. Roach
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 232501150

On her first day, her new boss is murdered. The beautiful Arboretum, next door, contains many poisonous plants and at least one master gardener who threatened her boss. The nearby correctional facility harbors dangerous criminals who will trade invaluable information for a price.

Plunged into the close-knit community of Greenville and the larger Pitt County, Jeannie must decide who she can trust, and decode what people say and what they mean before she herself falls victim.

Can she find out who’s tampering with the data? And can she fix the problems before more people die?]]> 322 Susann Camus Pamela 0 to-read 4.40
author: Susann Camus
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221490976 To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.

The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.

Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.

But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .

A fierce, fresh and enormously fun YA fantasy re-imagining from a growing TikTok superstar.]]> 464 Bea Fitzgerald 1464243085 Pamela 0 to-read 4.14 2023
author: Bea Fitzgerald
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 225699546 From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.

Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago, “home� has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a “ward of the state.� But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe.

Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend,� a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.

They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has � had � a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved.

But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.]]> 384 Angeline Boulley 1250328535 Pamela 0 to-read 4.67 2025
author: Angeline Boulley
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 232557312 West Calloway is rich, arrogant, and my brother’s best friend. Now we’re faking a relationship in public� while he gives me dating lessons in private.

When a stalker forces me out of my apartment, my brother insists I stay somewhere safe—in his best friend’s legendary estate. With the tall, handsome, frustrating man I once had a silly crush on, while he never liked me.

But then West suggests we fake date to send a message: I’m taken and well protected. I agree on one condition� he helps me practice real dating.

I don’t know how to date, and West doesn’t do love. It’s perfect. Soon, we’re practicing it all in secret. Dates. Kissing. Sleeping in the same bed. The only rule? My brother can never find out.

West learns what I like, buys me gifts, praises me, and helps me to stop people-pleasing. Maybe I’ll even ask him to help with my virginity, too...

But the way he’s looking at me now? It’s not part of any lesson. And when he touches me, it feels like he’s forgotten this is just practice...]]> 512 Olivia Hayle Pamela 0 to-read 3.98 2025
author: Olivia Hayle
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222850723 A captivating new historical novel from Madeline Martin, set in Victorian London aboutĚýa forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free.
Ěý
You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society�
Ěý
London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.
Ěý
Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands� untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.
Ěý
As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.
Ěý]]> 336 Madeline Martin 1335016287 Pamela 0 to-read 4.69 2025
author: Madeline Martin
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228357156 A serial killer terrorizes Northern Virginia, his ability to come and go baffling those pursuing him with zero success.

He disables the victims' WIFI, attacking them in bed, the cause of death exsanguination due to sharp force injuries.

This has been going on for six months when Dr. Kay Scarpetta is awakened by her phone in the early morning hours of June 12, her birthday. She's informed that the Phantom Slasher has struck again, only this time there are two victims, and one of them has survived, the scene Mercy Island and its notorious old psychiatric hospital. This is a modern ghost story, a ghastly apparition seen around the time the Slasher strikes in each case. The same figure in black is spotted levitating through the fog, and the technical explanation is one that's of keen interest to the CIA, even the White House.

It's up to Scarpetta to stop the Phantom Slasher before they strike again and vanish, leaving another trail of blood in their wake.]]> 400 Patricia Cornwell 1538773961 Pamela 0 to-read 4.20
author: Patricia Cornwell
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218671839 A spiritual companion to Strange Pictures and a bestselling horror phenomenon in Japan —mysterious spaces, trap doors, windowless children's rooms . . . something is wrong with this house. Can you solve the "mystery" of its floor plan?

A writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance who is considering purchasing a second-hand house in Tokyo. With its bright and spacious interior, the home seems perfect. But looking closer, the building’s floor plan reveals a mysterious "dead space� hidden between the walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plan with an architect friend only to discover more “strange spaces� dotted across the house.

What are these mysterious “strange spaces� and why do they exist—are they really there, or is there something off with the floor plan? Who is the home’s former resident who suddenly disappeared?

The freelance writer and his architect friend can’t resist the challenge of solving the riddle of these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all.]]> 208 Uketsu 006343315X Pamela 0 to-read 3.74 2021
author: Uketsu
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218663941 Did you love Madeline Miller’s Circe? Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls? Jennifer Saint's Elektra? Natalie Haynes� A Thousand Ships?

But did you ever wonder who the real women behind the myths of the Trojan War were?

Now award-winning classicist and historian Emily Hauser takes readers on an epic journey to uncover the astonishing true story of the real women behind ancient Greece’s greatest legends � and the real heroes of those ancient epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Because, contrary to perceptions built up over three millennia, ancient history is not all about men � and it's not only men's stories that deserve to be told . . .

In Mythica Emily Hauser tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems, piecing together evidence from the original texts, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies, she reveals who these women � queens, mothers, warriors, slaves � were, how they lived, and how history has (or has not � until now) remembered them.

A riveting new history of the Bronze Age Aegean and a journey through Homer’s epics charted entirely by women � from Helen of Troy, Briseis, Cassandra and Aphrodite to Circe, Athena, Hera, Calypso and Penelope � Mythica is a ground-breaking reassessment of the reality behind the often-mythologized women of Greece’s greatest epics, and of the ancient world itself as we learn ever more about it.]]> 373 Emily Hauser 0226839680 Pamela 0 to-read 4.42 2025
author: Emily Hauser
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217387664 A soaring, propulsive, and unforgettably poignant novel about two zookeepers at the last zoo in the world, in the vein of TĂ©a Obreht and Charlotte McConaghy

Camille has always preferred animals to people. The wild has nearly disappeared, but as a zookeeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island, she spends her days caring for playful chimpanzees, gentle tree frogs, and a restless jaguar. Outside, resistance groups and brutal cartels fight to shape the world’s future, but Camille is safe within her routines. That is, until a new zookeeper, Sailor, arrives from Paris.

From their first meeting, Camille is drawn to Sailor, who seems to see something in Camille that no one has before. They bond over their shared passions and dream up ways to improve their lives. When Sailor whispers the story of an idyllic, secret sanctuary where wild animals roam free, Camille begins to imagine a new kind of life with Sailor by her side.

Sailor knows all too well the dangers beyond Alcatraz, but she increasingly chafes at the zoo’s rigid rules. She hatches a reckless plan to smuggle one of the most prized animals off the island to freedom, and invites Camille to join her. The consequences if they fail would be catastrophic, and Sailor’s contacts at the sanctuary go dark just as the threats from the cartels grow more extreme. Camille must decide if she’s ready to risk everything for the promise of a better world.

Propulsive and fiercely hopeful, with a heart-stopping final twist, The Island of Last Things is an elegy for a disappearing world and a gorgeous vision for the future.]]> 272 Emma Sloley 1250329248 Pamela 0 to-read 3.88 2025
author: Emma Sloley
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199534613
“[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.� —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review

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

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

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

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

“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.� —The Associated Press]]> 304 Rufi Thorpe 0063356589 Pamela 0 to-read 3.85 2024
author: Rufi Thorpe
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216865343
Hazel Blum, please report to the principal’s office. Hazel Blum.

When Hazel Blum’s father gets a tenured job at a prestigious college, she and her family relocate from the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn to a middle-of-nowhere college town in Maine. With her mother, Claire, a clothing designer, and her father, Gus, an American Studies professor, Hazel and her eleven-year-old brother, Wolf, spend the summer at the town pool, where they acclimate to their new lives and connect with the town’s sprawling community. That is, until a dramatic fallout on the very first day of her senior year tips the fickle balance of idyllic Riverburg and impacts everyone in her family.

Tracking through the perspectives of each member of the Blum family, this relatable fish-out-of-water story handles big issues with great empathy and humor, capturing the love that unites one unforgettable family and the essence of life in small-town Maine. Emotionally deft, authentic, and compulsively readable, Hazel Says No is a debut novel not to be missed.]]> 352 Jessica Berger Gross 1335015124 Pamela 0 to-read 4.18 2025
author: Jessica Berger Gross
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222706197 The HOTLY ANTICIPATED adult debut novel by the beloved, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series: a contemporary fantasy kicking off a brand new series!

It starts with a class in an old movie theater.

Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor. Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. When she tracks down a local legend named the Watch Man, who can supposedly tell you when you’ll die, the world finally makes sense. Except that the Watch Man tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object called the Alchemical Heart.

With the clock ticking, Holland is pulled deeper into this magical world in the heart of Los Angeles—and into the path of a magnetic stranger. Everything about him feels like a bad idea, but he promises Holland that her sister sent him to protect her. As they chase clues and stories that take them closer to the Alchemical Heart, Holland realizes everyone in this intoxicating new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, not even the Alchemical Heart will save her.]]> 336 Stephanie Garber 125078915X Pamela 0 to-read 4.55 2025
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 227841727
“The book is a classic summer beach read...Eruption will revive the art of speed-reading...told with a singular voice that is a compelling amalgam of the two writers.”—USA Today

“Eruption is an epic thriller…fast-paced and deeply considered…a cinematic story rooted in science and infused with plenty of heart, tackling big themes like love and loss.�
–Tľ±łľ±đ

The master of the techno-blockbuster joins forces with the master of the modern thriller to create the most anticipated mega bestseller in years.

Michael Crichton, creator of Jurassic Park, ER, Twister, and Westworld, had a passion project he’d been pursuing for years, ahead of his untimely passing in 2008. Knowing how special it was, his wife, Sherri Crichton, held back his notes and the partial manuscript until she found the right author to complete it: James Patterson, the world’s most popular storyteller.

“Red-hot storytelling... The action scenes will make readers� eyes pop as the tension continues to build." –Kirkus, starred review

“Explosive…the summer’s ultimate literary mashup.� —Washington Post

"Takes readers on a thrilling journey." —BBC

"Beachbag-ready." —Boston Globe

“A seismic publishing event…all the elements of a summer blockbuster…it’s a thrill and the pages practically turn themselves.� —Associated Press

“Eruption is this summer’s literary version of a blockbuster action movie.� –Los Angeles Times

"Breakneck and plausible." —Publishers Weekly]]> 432 Michael Crichton 1538743159 Pamela 0 to-read 3.11 2024
author: Michael Crichton
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218171627 In this sun-dappled mystery from New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan, a risk-averse bibliophile gets in over her head when strange notes in a book draw her into a real-life investigation.

Mia Crawford is responsible to a fault. She has to be. Between her high-demand job and taking care of her grandmother and her cats, she has little time for anything else. What time she does have, she pours into reading. Mysteries, romances, thrillers…books filled with women who are far more impulsive than she would ever dream of being. Now, forced into taking a long-overdue vacation, she finds herself on a luxurious private island where she just might have a chance to reinvent herself—for a little while, anyway. She can explore the island.ĚýFlirt shamelessly with a cute bartender. Have a vacation fling. Live like a heroine in one of her favorite novels.

Or she can curl up with a good book on the beach. Turns out reinventing yourself is easier planned than done. But when gossipy notes written in the margins of an old book turn out to be clues to the disappearance of another guest, Mia finds herself diving headfirst into a dangerous adventure. With everyone at the resort hiding secrets of their own, she’ll have to solve this real-life mystery before she becomes the next target.Ěý]]> 400 Allison Brennan 0778387259 Pamela 0 to-read 3.82 2025
author: Allison Brennan
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219209820
Kierse McKenna just shattered the Monster Treaty. Again.

It wasn’t entirely her fault. The job was supposed to be simple: steal a goblin-made bracelet off of the Queen of the Nymphs in her own palace. Trade the bracelet for a way to uncover the truth about her past. Except everything goes sideways.

And then he shows up to save her.

Graves—the warlock who ensnared her, betrayed her, and left her to fend for herself. He’s a villain. A monster draped in charm and shadows. And gods help her, he always knows exactly what she wants.

But Graves never does anything for free. He has a job for his favorite little thief. One that will pit her against the most powerful monsters in existence, including his mortal enemy, the Oak King.

An ancient artifact has been located, and only together can they hope to steal it. She just has to let him in.

But once she lets a monster in, he’s impossible to forget� and even harder to resist.]]> 400 K.A. Linde 1649378521 Pamela 0 to-read 4.58 2025
author: K.A. Linde
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 232794118 “Strange how one can find they are an interruption in another person’s story . . .�

A mind-bending, revisionist gothic horror story about the fabled summer Mary Shelley began work on Frankenstein, as told by her Indian housemaid. For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Isabel Cañas, and Kathe Koja.

Summer, 1816: London is a hostile place for the newly disembarked Mehrunissa Begum, who’s come to deliver her brother’s letter of inheritance before returning to her comfortable life in Lucknow, India. Only, she can’t find her brother anywhere and has no money for the return trip. With nowhere else to go, Mehr finds refuge in a boardinghouse for Indian housemaids. If she can’t find her brother, she reasons, she will get a job and start saving.

Mehr is soon hired at the English estate of Mary and Percy Shelley, young artists of burgeoning fame who are on the run from secrets of their own. Mary is brooding and quiet, but takes a curious liking to her new housemaid, asking her to accompany the Shelleys and her half sister, Claire—as well as the eccentric Lord Byron and his physician, John Polidori—to Lake Geneva for the summer.

Almost immediately, Mehr notices strange, ghostly events at the villa. The walls have their own heartbeat, eerie portraits shift gaze, phantoms appear like houseguests who refuse to leave. The weather is fierce and foreboding, showing no signs of softening its relentless pall. And as Mary Shelley begins work on what will become her earth-shattering literary phenomenon, Mehr finds herself trapped in the villa as the rest of its inhabitants descend into madness.]]> 336 Leila Siddiqui 1641297018 Pamela 0 to-read 2.67
author: Leila Siddiqui
name: Pamela
average rating: 2.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231228566 342 Terrence L. Rotering Pamela 0 to-read 5.00
author: Terrence L. Rotering
name: Pamela
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 989524 Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds

Written off as a crackpot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Taylor refuses to forget the depths that nearly cost him his life. With a Ph.D. in paleontology under his belt, Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub.

Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he's never imagined, and what he finds could turn the tides bloody red until the end of time.]]> 278 Steve Alten 0385489056 Pamela 3
So if you forget the wonderful movie characters and plot - and just focus on the book story and characters it was a fair read. Very bloody and lots of death because the oversized shark is constantly hungry and in prehistoric survival mode. -- The shark in the book is illuminous shining bright white while the movie shark is gray and dull.

The one part I found ultra interesting is when Jonas is explaining the science and biology of the Megalodon (pages 68-69) which helps to explain how the meg can still function once it is blinded. -- Another part that I found interesting is the conversation about where the meg will go and the current whale migration patterns that would offer a constant food supply (page 122).

The idea of the ocean observation facility was very unique and something that I would like to see in real life (minus the meg of course). I also remember well the description of the orca pod that was chasing one of the meg pups and they knew they needed to kill the pup now.

Spoiler Alert: if I remember correctly there is still one meg pup unaccounted for.

The ending is not happy and is inconclusive as to how everyone survives the ordeal.

There are places where strong language takes over the characters.

I was not satisfied with this book (nor was I with the novel of JAWS). I would take a chance and read one of the sequels to see if it does better without a quality movie spoiling the reader's expectations.
]]> 3.67 1997
author: Steve Alten
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/26
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: sharks, horror, extinction, adventure, paleontology, ptsd
review:
My favorite movie is JAWS - my second favorite is MEG. -- So when I found the book version of MEG, I had to get it - and read it - and then force myself to finish it - and then left me wondering why someone paid to make a movie from this book and then changed everything about it. -- This is one of those rare occasions when the movie was better than the book. Some of the characters have the same names, but the characters are totally different including the main characters of Jonas Taylor and the Megalodon.

So if you forget the wonderful movie characters and plot - and just focus on the book story and characters it was a fair read. Very bloody and lots of death because the oversized shark is constantly hungry and in prehistoric survival mode. -- The shark in the book is illuminous shining bright white while the movie shark is gray and dull.

The one part I found ultra interesting is when Jonas is explaining the science and biology of the Megalodon (pages 68-69) which helps to explain how the meg can still function once it is blinded. -- Another part that I found interesting is the conversation about where the meg will go and the current whale migration patterns that would offer a constant food supply (page 122).

The idea of the ocean observation facility was very unique and something that I would like to see in real life (minus the meg of course). I also remember well the description of the orca pod that was chasing one of the meg pups and they knew they needed to kill the pup now.

Spoiler Alert: if I remember correctly there is still one meg pup unaccounted for.

The ending is not happy and is inconclusive as to how everyone survives the ordeal.

There are places where strong language takes over the characters.

I was not satisfied with this book (nor was I with the novel of JAWS). I would take a chance and read one of the sequels to see if it does better without a quality movie spoiling the reader's expectations.

]]> 214274126 Father and child become buzzing bees, rustling trees, and more in this delightful make-believe romp from Caldecott Honor winner Shawn Harris.

The only thing better than playing make believe is playing make believe with your favorite grown-up! Especially when that grown-up’s imagination is as big as yours, and you both get to make all kinds of funny sounds.Ěý

Fans of Shawn Harris’s Caldecott Honor-winning debut Have You Ever Seen a Flower? and illustrations in the Newbery Medal-winning The Eyes and the Impossible will find a new instant favorite in Let’s Be Bees. With bright, bold crayon illustrations, lilting, rhythmic words, and endless fodder for playing along, this is a read aloud guaranteed to bring on the giggles and requests to do it all again.]]> 40 Shawn Harris 0823457095 Pamela 0 to-read 3.84 2025
author: Shawn Harris
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 43666740 Emotion Thesaurus, often hailed as “the gold standard for writers� and credited with transforming how writers craft emotion, has now been expanded to include 55 new entries!

One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters� feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much.

If you need inspiration for creating characters� emotional responses that are personalized and evocative, this ultimate show-don’t-tell guide for emotion can help. It includes:

� Body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for 130 emotions that cover a range of intensity from mild to severe, providing innumerable options for individualizing a character’s reactions
� A breakdown of the biggest emotion-related writing problems and how to overcome them
� Advice on what should be done beforedrafting to make sure your characters� emotions will be realistic and consistent
� Instruction for how to show hidden feelings and emotional subtext through dialogue and nonverbal cues
� And much more!

The Emotion Thesaurus, in its easy-to-navigate list format, will inspire you to create stronger, fresher character expressions and engage readers from your first page to your last.]]> 308 Angela Ackerman 0999296353 Pamela 0 to-read 4.65 2012
author: Angela Ackerman
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228143091 From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.

In Athens� colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena’s favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy’s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.

Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity—not as a victim, but as a vigilante—and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.

Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart’s deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play.]]> 336 Ayana Gray 0593733762 Pamela 0 to-read 4.31 2025
author: Ayana Gray
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212431569
Destiny Whip is a former child prodigy, world-renowned enigmatologist and very, very alone. A life filled with loss has made her a recluse, an existence she’s content to endure until a letter arrives inviting her to interview for the position of Scruffmore family historian. Not only does an internet search for the name yield almost nothing, it’s a role she never applied to in the first place!

After she decodes the invitation’s hidden message with ease, the promise of her family secrets being revealed is too powerful a draw for the orphaned Destiny, who soon finds herself on Eerie Island. It’s a place whose inhabitants are almost as inhospitable as the tempestuous weather. The Scruffmores themselves turn out to be not much better, a snarled mess of secrets and motives connected by their mistrust for one another.

Their newly arrived guest proves to be just as much an enigma to them as they are to her. While Destiny slowly works to unravel the mysteries hidden throughout the ominous castle, she struggles to interpret disturbing nightly visions of what is to come. In the midst of cryptic ciphers, hidden passages, and the family’s magical heritage and line of succession, Destiny is certain of two things: one of the Scruffmores is going to die and she’s running out of time to stop it.

Interspersed with riddles and puzzles that both Destiny and the reader must solve, A Most Puzzling Murder is a one-of-a-kind mystery that will leave you guessing and gasping until the very last page!]]> 480 Bianca Marais 0778368602 Pamela 0 to-read 4.01 2025
author: Bianca Marais
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216389383 284 Deborah Derrickson Kossmann 1949487334 Pamela 0 to-read 4.52
author: Deborah Derrickson Kossmann
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 4556058
While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.]]> 381 Rick Riordan 1423101472 Pamela 5
There were five places that I had to back up and read again either because I was delighted with the results or I needed to reverify what I had just read. I don't want to give away any details because you need to read it for yourself.

]]> 4.59 2009
author: Rick Riordan
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: fantasy, adventure, quest, war, heroes, good-vs-evil, greek-mythology, friends, alliances, problem-solving, young-adult-fiction
review:
This is the best title in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series -- but you have to read through all the books to enjoy the complexity of this book. An emotional roller coaster ride of adventure and relationships as the last book in the series brings together all the mysteries that the series has presented from book one.

There were five places that I had to back up and read again either because I was delighted with the results or I needed to reverify what I had just read. I don't want to give away any details because you need to read it for yourself.


]]> 8130423 In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.]]> 361 Rick Riordan Pamela 3
But it did introduce a new character which became a favorite for me -- Mrs. O'Leary.

So read this one fast and move on to the 5th and last in the series - The Last Olympian -- because its fast pace and story reveals makes up for the slow pace of The Battle of the Labyrinth.]]> 4.44 2008
author: Rick Riordan
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: adventure, prophecy, quest, problem-solving, friends, maze, good-vs-evil, dreams
review:
This is the fourth book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I really like the series but this volume was not one of my favorite. There are lots of dream sequences that Percy has during the book -- I was getting tired of these near the end -- however, they were necessary to provide information about characters and events that the reader needs to know.

But it did introduce a new character which became a favorite for me -- Mrs. O'Leary.

So read this one fast and move on to the 5th and last in the series - The Last Olympian -- because its fast pace and story reveals makes up for the slow pace of The Battle of the Labyrinth.
]]> 228684116 89 Sandra K Athans 195573111X Pamela 5
When I see a title from Red Wolf Press � I immediately think high quality books for young writers � and Giggle-Worthy Poem Prompts for Kids doesn’t disappoint providing another great writing resource for kids (and the young at heart).

In the format of a large format workbook the authors, Mike Downs and Sandra Athans, provide lots of useful tips that help the young writer think more about humorous verse around six types of poetry: Acrostic, Free Verse, Concrete, Epitaph, Haiku, and Limerick. They also interweave other literary concepts, such as: interjections, alliteration, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and personification.

All of this may seem like a lot for this 89-page, large, formatted workbook � but the information is presented in such a way to pull the young writer in and encourage them to experiment with their words in many ways. The numerous clipart illustrations add to the humorous theme.
My favorite section was on pages 63 & 64. I love writing haiku, and the tip section made me look at haiku in a different way focusing on the senses and using synonyms to drill down to the exact words that would enhance the poem.

Red Wolf Press grants teachers the right to photocopy pages from this book for classroom use.
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 4.88
author: Sandra K Athans
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.88
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: poetry, workbook, literary-concepts, humor, non-fiction, children-s-literature
review:
Giggle-Worthy Poem Prompts for Kids: Learn How to Write Six Types of Poetry with Examples, Tips, and Ideas / by Mike Downs and Sandra Athans � Red Wolf Press, c2025 (89 pages)

When I see a title from Red Wolf Press � I immediately think high quality books for young writers � and Giggle-Worthy Poem Prompts for Kids doesn’t disappoint providing another great writing resource for kids (and the young at heart).

In the format of a large format workbook the authors, Mike Downs and Sandra Athans, provide lots of useful tips that help the young writer think more about humorous verse around six types of poetry: Acrostic, Free Verse, Concrete, Epitaph, Haiku, and Limerick. They also interweave other literary concepts, such as: interjections, alliteration, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and personification.

All of this may seem like a lot for this 89-page, large, formatted workbook � but the information is presented in such a way to pull the young writer in and encourage them to experiment with their words in many ways. The numerous clipart illustrations add to the humorous theme.
My favorite section was on pages 63 & 64. I love writing haiku, and the tip section made me look at haiku in a different way focusing on the senses and using synonyms to drill down to the exact words that would enhance the poem.

Red Wolf Press grants teachers the right to photocopy pages from this book for classroom use.
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

]]> 219301793 A princess with a mostly useless magical talent takes on horrible monsters, a dozen identical masked heroes, and a talking lion in a quest to save a kingdom—and herself—in this affectionate satire of the Grimm Brothers� fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen.

Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.

Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.

When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon, she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.

If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.]]> 416 Ry Herman 0593733088 Pamela 0 to-read 4.21 2025
author: Ry Herman
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219301729 The fourth book in the Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney Mystery series, which finds the amateur sleuths caught up in the whirlwind of the London Season—and in a murderous scheme involving the family of Edmund and Fanny Bertram

Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney understand each other perfectly; it's a pity their families do not. A series of misunderstandings, misplaced pride, and—indeed—prejudice, has led their parents to deem the pair unsuited to wed. Now, with the Season approaching, Juliet's grandfather, General Tilney, has sent her to London with a new wardrobe and orders to prove herself worthy of someone better than the snobby Darcys. Meanwhile, Jonathan has been forced to accept an invitation to stay in town with old friends Edmund and Fanny Bertram at the house of Edmund's brother, Sir Thomas. Oblivious to and undesiring of female attention outside of Juliet's, Jonathan is at risk of being ensnared by Caroline Bingley's previously rebuffed plans to make herself—or her daughter—mistress of Pemberley.

But when Mr. Rushworth, the former husband of Edmund's sister Maria, is discovered dead in his home, Jonathan and Juliet find themselves with problems far weightier than the marriage market. In one of the greatest scandals of its day, Maria abandoned her new husband in favor of the notorious rake Henry Crawford, and when he wouldn't marry her, was forced to flee to the continent in disgrace. Now Maria is back, accompanied by a daughter she claims Mr. Rushworth fathered after their divorce—and who he wrote into his will just before his death. To spare Edmund and Fanny further social shame, Jonathan and Juliet must unmask a killer before the drama surrounding the Rushworth family fortune claims another victim.]]> 336 Claudia Gray 0593686608 Pamela 0 to-read 4.39
author: Claudia Gray
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220595443 For fans of Philippa Gregor, Alison Weir and Elizabeth Fremantle, an untold story about how the plot against Anne Boleyn entrapped a gifted young musician.

A glamorous queen, a volatile king, a gifted musician concealing a forbidden romance. Everyone knows Anne Boleyn’s story. No one knows Mark Smeaton’s.

On May 17, 1536, a young court musician was executed, accused of adultery and treason with the queen. Most historians believe both he and Anne Boleyn were innocent—victims of Henry VIII’s rage.

Mark Smeaton was a talented performer who rose from poverty to become a royal favorite. He played for the king in private and entertained at sumptuous feasts. He witnessed Anne Boleyn’s astonishing rise and fall—her reign of a thousand days. History tells us little about him, other than noting his confession and execution. The Queen’s Musician imagines his story, as seen from his perspective and that of the young woman who loves him. It all takes place amid the spectacle and danger of the Tudor court.]]> 344 Martha Jean Johnson 1684633109 Pamela 0 to-read 4.09 2025
author: Martha Jean Johnson
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218171588
On a bus moving across rural landscapes from town to town, two young people are escaping with nothing to hold except hope. She has committed a horrifying act for which there will certainly be retribution. He is staggering from a devastating discovery. They will find each other and attempt to move forward, even as their grief leaves wounds on their new beginnings.

But the talons of the past have dug deep and the wounds have not yet healed. Moving back and forth in time, from the fragile bonds of this new relationship to the lives they lived before, The Ones We Loved tenderly reveals characters whose ways of loving are inherited and channeled into the lands they inhabit, the people they care for and the present they cling to.

Told in the rhythms of oral retellings practiced in Zimbabwe, where a ngano (story)—its melodies, pauses and lifts—creates a call-and-response with the audience, The Ones We Loved is about the homes we leave behind, the lonely voices that find us and the painful consequences of experiencing a love that has never known how to let go.]]> 304 Tarisai Ngangura 0778387585 Pamela 0 to-read 4.35 2025
author: Tarisai Ngangura
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221549728 Do you feel like you're on the sidelines in God's grand design? Like there's a role waiting for you, but you just can't quite grasp it? Many of us long to make a meaningful impact with our lives, You Are Called shares how.

In You Are Called , John Bevere relies on a careful exploration of Scripture and uses powerful stories to help you think differently about your calling and why it’s so important to God. You'll unlock the secrets to living with purpose and passion! Inside you'll discover. . .

You are called by God as much as anyone is.God's grace empowers you for a destiny in life that's beyond your natural ability.Embrace your unique giftings and learn to operate in them for true effectiveness.Your calling is greater than your natural ability. The more impossible your challenges, the more God's grace will be manifested.The world needs what you your God-given gifts.Carefully and biblically, this book defines and portrays gifts, calling, and purpose, and how all these come together, by God's grace and guidance, to lead us faithfully on our life's unique calling. Quite surprisingly—and liberatingly—for many, John probes the teaching of Jesus to show us that faithfulness to our calling and purpose requires that we multiply our giftedness. This concept is clearly taught in a way that motivates readers to move beyond being a mere spectator in God's kingdom.

You Are Called Ěýis a spiritual enrichment guide expanding on Bevere's message in " Multiply Your God Given Potential."ĚýThe book's content is filled with in-text interactive questions for personal reflection, self-evaluation, and strong personal engagement with what the Bible says about our gifts, our calling, our purpose, and our rewards.

Find your role, live your calling, make your mark! You Are Called empowers you to break free from inaction, aimlessness or wrong priorities—and to step into your true purpose with confidence.]]> 272 John Bevere 1400350263 Pamela 0 to-read 4.55
author: John Bevere
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216052998 If you’ve ever been tempted to put a sign in your front yard advertising for new friends, scream or sob in frustration over a "friend's" hot and cold behavior, or cringe at the memory of awkward friendship encounters, you can trust Kristen Strong’s decades of experience at constantly relocating and remaking friends to provide both solid hope and practical direction to try again to find the friends you need.

InĚýDesperate Woman Seeks Friends, Kristen Strong offers her two decades of experience as a constantly relocating military spouse and one decade as a settled civilian to address head on the crisis facing women today in startling an acute loneliness and isolation due to a lack of friends and community.Ěý

Often, social media will give you a band-aid to your loneliness, but looking to social media to be your only source of friendship is like relying on breadcrumbs as a steady diet for it won’t nourish or satisfy. Unless some of those online connections turn into real life ones, they’re no substitute for in-person friendships.

In fact, research shows friends are just as important for our overall welfare as healthy eating habits and getting a good night’s sleep. Kristen gives you a game plan for getting your friendship groove back. Chapters

Don’t discount the fertilizer seasonsGet cozy and comfortable with awkwardBoundaries are our friends and our friendsâ€� friendsWhat you can expect will kill friendshipsKeeping the faith when your community landscape changes for the worseI love my friend to pieces, but I don't like her ____________ (i.e. Politics, Parenting Style, Husband, etc.)When a friendship ends without your say-soRejection sucks, but don't let it suck you down to a bad placeMaking friends by opening upMaking friends by praying upĚýThe friend who never fails in friendshipsIt’s not just you. Making friends is hard! But it doesn’t have to be impossible. As a longtime military wife who repeatedly learned to create her own community from the ground up, Kristen Strong wants to help you recover from rejection and find your people.]]> 240 Kristen Strong 1400343909 Pamela 0 to-read 4.41
author: Kristen Strong
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216052757 You were wired for joy. Not put-a-fake-smile-on-it joy. Not I-feel-guilty-about-being-sad joy. But deep-down, laugh-out-loud, overflowing joy that thrives no matter your personality or circumstances.

It's time to take your joy back! Maybe you're wondering why life has to be so confusing. Maybe you're tired of feeling anxious. Maybe you're just blah lately. Bible teacher, songwriter, and one of Christian music's most contagiously joyful voices, Pastor Tauren Wells has a powerful reminder for Jesus' first message was about how to be truly happy. Think about How important to the heart of God must your joy be if Jesus uses the word "happy" eight times in his first recorded sermon on planet Earth ( the Beatitudes)?

In Joy Bomb, Pastor Tauren helps us embrace the truth that God's greatest longing is not only for our holiness, but for our happiness. This biblically rooted, exuberantly hope-filled book walks us

Eight life-changing ways to reorient our lives toward joyUnderstanding why joy is not dependent on our emotional state or the state of the worldWhat attitudes or behaviors keep us from experiencing God's joyHow we can become freer in worship, life, and our relationship with GodWhy Jesus' ways of living don't just create warm fuzzies but create joy deep within usĚý

We find more in this life than we ever imagined when we understand the patterns and promises of God's kingdom. More fulfillment, more purpose, more satisfaction--and radical joy.]]> 240 Tauren Wells 0310368901 Pamela 0 to-read 4.45
author: Tauren Wells
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218695924 A talent agent hires an actress to play the part of “novelist� on a book tour for his agency’s publicity-shy client

She’s playing the part of romance author, but has she found her own real life love story?

Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three problems: a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to “play� author on its summer book tour.

Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication. But she can’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.

When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks—the one thing they have in common is they’re determined to play their respective parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?]]> 352 Josie Silver 0593722884 Pamela 0 to-read 3.65 2025
author: Josie Silver
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220908889
Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured, where stuffed toy animals are refurbished and given a fresh opportunity to be loved. He and his best feline friend Zephyrina, known far and wide as “The Cat Burglar,� have seen it all, and then some.

An unforgettable tale of bravery, loyalty, and kindness, Pocket Bearreminds us all that love comes in many forms (sometimes filled with fluff), and that second chances are always possible.]]> 272 Katherine Applegate 1250904366 Pamela 0 to-read 4.77
author: Katherine Applegate
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.77
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228101948 Fake news goes all the way back to the early days of creation. AND IT ALL STARTS WITH A FAKE NEWSCASTER. SINCE THE GARDEN OF EDEN, SATAN HAS BEEN SPINNING LIES.

“God isn’t really good.� "God doesn’t want the best for you.� “God could never forgive that sin." “God could never truly love you." These lies are as old as time, and yet how readily we still believe them to this day. Believing the lies of Satan leads to a life of defeat and despair. But it doesn’t have to be this way!

In The Devil’s Newsroom, Pastor Jeff Schreve tackles Satan’s fake news head on. Once we understand that these lies are the problem, we can turn back to the truth and promises from God’s word that bring victory and restore order in our hearts and minds. We don’t have to live defeated. We can live victoriously by setting our thoughts on God’s perfect truth.

From His Heart Ministries is the Christian evangelical and teaching media outreach ministry of Pastor Jeff Schreve, and reaches hundreds of thousands of people on over 800+ radio stations and thousands of TV outlets as well as several digital platforms across America, and is also available in 180+ countries around the world. Our mission is to reach not only the non-believer with the life transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus, but also to help all levels of Christians with practical ways to experience real truth, real love and real hope from the loving heart of God.]]> 188 Jeff Schreve 1964508347 Pamela 0 to-read 4.20
author: Jeff Schreve
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 231127315 From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Benedict comes an extraordinary story of the woman who helped uncover Tutankhamun's tomb and the mystery behind Egypt’s first woman Pharaoh.

1920’s London was enthralled by the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Filled with priceless statues, jewels, and the gold-encased mummy of the boy Pharaoh himself, the burial site unleashed a fascination with the ancient world and revolutionized the world of archeology.

The discovery was made by Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle and his associate, famed archeologist Howard Carter. What no one knows is that without the pioneering spirit of Lady Evelyn Herbert, Carnarvon’s daughter, the tomb might never have been found. As a young woman, Evelyn was fascinated by the story of Hatshepsut, a woman who had to assume the guise of a man in order to rule Egypt. Although she brought peace and prosperity to Egypt, her male successors ruthlessly and thoroughly erased her name from history.

Lady Evelyn’s ambition to find the tomb of Egypt’s first woman ruler exposes her to life-threatening danger and pits her against archeologists who refuse to believe the tomb can be found―and certainly not by a woman. Refusing to give up, Evelyn is on the verge of success when she is suddenly forced to make an agonizing choice between loyalty to her beloved father and Carter and realizing the dream of a lifetime.]]> 352 Marie Benedict 1250280737 Pamela 0 to-read 4.18
author: Marie Benedict
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215493611 She’s a little edgy. He’s a lot of sunshine.

Love’s about to catch them completely off gourd�

Textile artist Sadie Fox didĚýnotĚýsign up for this. When she agreed to come home to Pea Blossom, Indiana, it was to care for her father’s beloved pumpkin patch. The deal was that—just for the summer—she would grow a ginormous pumpkin, win the Indiana State Fair's pumpkin contest and finally win back her father’s (grudging) respect.

Instead, a horde of wild hogs destroyedĚýthe. entire. patch. Which is precisely when the annoyingly sexy, sunshiny next-door neighbor shows up.

Josh Thatcher is a tech millionaire who traded in the office for growing gourds, including experimental squash hybrids. And for the life of her, Sadie can’t understand what he sees in her sweary, tattooed, prickly self—or why he’s offering to help his biggest competitor. But a storm-fueled kiss proves there’sĚýdefinitelyĚýsomething growing between them.

Maybe it’s just attraction. Maybe it’s more. Whatever it is, it’s already bigger than Sadie’s fast-growing pumpkin…or the secret that Josh has been hiding.

From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles�

A Tough Act to Fall For by Cynthia St. Aubin

Not So Fast by Karen Booth

Destination Weddings and Other Disasters by M.C. Vaughan]]> 288 Isabelle Popp 133550723X Pamela 0 to-read 4.02 2025
author: Isabelle Popp
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220595416 For fans ofĚýBreaking BadĚýandĚýNarcos, a searingly honest and unforgettable memoir that challenges women to rethink everything they know about survival, resilience, and finding their voice.

At twenty-one, Brenda Coffee surrendered herself to her marriage and became a woman who would do almost anything her charismatic and powerful older husband, Philip Ray, wanted. Regardless of whether it was dangerous, adventurous, sexual, or illegal, she wanted to be the one woman he couldn’t live without.

Brenda and Philip’s life together was a fairy tale until it wasn’t. Until Philip, the founder of two high-profile, groundbreaking public companies, began making real cocaine in their basement and became addicted. Until the Big Six tobacco companies threatened their lives for creating the first smokeless cigarette—Brenda coined the terms vape and vaping—and brutal Guatemalan military commandos forced her into the jungle at gunpoint.

A suspenseful, fast-paced memoir that reads like a thriller, Maya Blue will strike a chord with those who’ve lost their voice or had trouble finding their power. It will resonate with those who live with an addict or have grieved the loss of a spouse. But above all, it is an inspiring reminder that as long as you never surrender your voice and always keep your wits about you, you can survive almost anything.]]> 280 Brenda Coffee 1647429064 Pamela 0 to-read 4.12
author: Brenda Coffee
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223338530 New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer makes her adult debut with this irresistible and steamy fantasy about three characters whose paths will collide in surprising ways � two royals pushed into a political engagement, and the assassin tasked with hunting them down.

WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his kingdom is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that the royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his land flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how the blaze began.

PRINCESS. With war looming on the horizon, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she's deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

A tale of three complex characters torn between chasing, betraying, and falling in love with each other, Warrior Princess Assassin marks the beginning of a thrilling new fantasy trilogy filled with enchantment, adventure, and passionate romance.]]> 408 Brigid Kemmerer 006339166X Pamela 0 to-read 3.98 2025
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224003835 Younger meets Writers and Lovers in this rollicking, sparkling, and funny novel that spans decades and generations of a family in the publishing industry.

In the post-pandemic publishing industry, two rival editors are forced to share a “hot desk� on different days of the week, much to their chagrin. Having never set eyes on each other, Rebecca Blume and Ben Heath begin leaving passive-aggressive Post-it notes on the pot of their shared cactus. But when revered literary legend Edward David Adams (known as “the Lion�) dies, leaving his estate up for grabs, their banter escalates as both work feverishly to land this career-making opportunity. Their fierce rivalry ultimately forces each to decide how far they’ll go to get ahead, what role they want to play in the Lion’s legacy, and what they mean to each other.

As their battle for the estate gets more heated, Rebecca learns of a connection between her mother, Jane, and the Lion. The story travels back four decades earlier to when Jane arrives in Manhattan and meets Rose, soon her best friend. Jane and Rose are two strong, talented young women trying to make their mark in the publishing world at a time when art, the written word, and creative expression were at their height. But one fateful day during the April blizzard of 1982 will change the course of Jane’s life, and of their friendship, forever...]]> 368 Laura Dickerman 1668081091 Pamela 0 to-read 3.56
author: Laura Dickerman
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.56
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221441040
Clayton Stumper is an enigma.

He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt.

Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.

Yet as Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve � and it’s a secret that will change everything…]]> 368 Samuel Burr 0593470117 Pamela 0 to-read 3.83 2024
author: Samuel Burr
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224087785 348 Rebecca Zanetti 1947418556 Pamela 0 to-read 4.35 2025
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210864316 560 Homer 022660442X Pamela 0 to-read 4.31 -800
author: Homer
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.31
book published: -800
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222377159 A detour. A chance encounter. Two women who alter the pages of each other’s story.

Juliet Nightingale is lucky to be alive. Months after a freak accident involving lightning, she’s fully recovered but is left feeling that something is missing from her life. Something big. Impulsively, she decides to take a solo summer road trip, hoping that the journey will lead her down a path that will help her discover exactly what it is that she’s searching for.

Newly-single mom Tallulah Byrd Mayfield is hanging by a thread after her neat, tidy world was completely undone when her husband decided that their marriage was over. In the aftermath of the breakup, she and her two daughters move in with her eighty-year-old grandfather. Tallulah starts a new job at the Forget-Me-Not Library, where old, treasured memories can be found within the books—and where Lu must learn to adapt to the many changes thrown her way.

When a road detour leads Juliet to Forget-Me-Not, Alabama, and straight into Tallulah’s life, the two women soon discover there’s magic in between the pages of where you’ve been and where you still need to go. And that happiness, even when lost, can always be found again.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 352 Heather Webber 1250369274 Pamela 0 to-read 4.46 2025
author: Heather Webber
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216052967 ARE YOU GOING TO COPE, QUIT, OR COME ALIVE IN A BRAND-NEW WAY?

The whirlwind of chaos and confusion barreling toward you has likely caught you completely off guard. Maybe you're navigating a season of transition—a career shift, a major life adjustment, or just an unshakable sense of disorientation. When the things that once brought fulfillment no longer seem to work, when the familiar feels foreign, and when life feels like it's slipped out of your control, you're actually in the perfect position for God to lead you to greater heights.

Am I still enough if I don't succeed? Is this season going to last forever? Am I too old to make a change, start over, or dream again?

Levi Lusko wrestled with these questions, and what he discovered on the other side wasn't despair but surprising delight.

With a rich blend of personal stories, biblical insight, and hard-won wisdom, this book will help you

-find your footing in the disorienting chaos and tap into steady, unshakable joy amidst life's storms;
-step off the treadmill of success-chasing and embrace the true significance that comes from knowing that your worth is fixed and your future is secure;
-challenge the lie that your best days are behind you by getting your bearings, retooling, and reframing for a vibrant future; and
-channel the energy of your spiraling into something meaningful and life-giving, propelling you to a new level.

This could be your new lease on life.]]> 320 Levi Lusko 1400345588 Pamela 0 to-read 4.51
author: Levi Lusko
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.51
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215149250 ODDER, a New York Times bestseller for over a year, this picture book follows Odder's rescue and subsequent new role as a mentor to other rescued otter pups.]]> 40 Katherine Applegate 1250323592 Pamela 0 to-read 4.60
author: Katherine Applegate
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223362037 Hong Kong, 1953: In a remote mansion, witnesses insist a massacre took place. The police see nothing but pristine rooms and declare it a collective hallucination. Until decades later, when one witness returns…from the Edgar®-nominated author of The Last Russian Doll.

In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation—to take part in a competition pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six sĂ©ances over six nights, until a single winner emerges, in one of Hong Kong’s most notorious haunted houses—she has every reason to refuse.Ěý

Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life.

It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge.Ěý

Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about that fateful night in the cursed house at last—even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . . .]]> 368 Kristen Loesch 0593548019 Pamela 0 to-read 4.85
author: Kristen Loesch
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.85
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 561456
But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...]]> 352 Rick Riordan Pamela 5
A very quick read with returning characters as well as new ones -- lots of action and surprises -- humor and disappointments. Just keep reading the titles - so good.]]> 4.37 2007
author: Rick Riordan
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: myths, greek-mythology, problem-solving, survival, quest, adventure, tween-fiction, heroes, friends
review:
The Titan's Curse is the third title of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series that sets the world of Greek mythology in the world of today. The gods are still petty and there are still heroes that are needed to put the world back in order.

A very quick read with returning characters as well as new ones -- lots of action and surprises -- humor and disappointments. Just keep reading the titles - so good.
]]> 216470402
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her.ĚýDeception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

The Kiss of DeceptionĚýis the first audiobook inĚýMary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles]]> 512 Mary E. Pearson 1250377714 Pamela 0 to-read 3.89 2014
author: Mary E. Pearson
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217387891 Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.]]> 368 Catherine Mack 1250325870 Pamela 0 to-read 3.42 2024
author: Catherine Mack
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216052751 Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.

By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that "all" doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson--the eccentric and artsy "new neighbor" from Manhattan--and read Betty Friedan's just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.

Controversial and groundbreaking, the book struck a chord with an entire generation of women, helping them realize that they weren't alone in their dissatisfactions, or their longings, lifting their eyes to new horizons of possibility and achievement. Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv are among them. But is it really the book that alters the lives of these four very different women? Or is it the bond of sisterhood that helps them find courage to confront the past, navigate turmoil in a rapidly changing world, and see themselves in a new and limitless light?]]> 372 Marie Bostwick 1400344743 Pamela 0 to-read 4.09 2025
author: Marie Bostwick
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

Fed by the author’s cherished Italian roots comes a bighearted, hilarious novel of the the story of one woman’s determination to live a creative life that matters, with enough room left over for love. With a one-way ticket to Italy, Jess is determined to write a new story on her own terms--this time, in stone.]]> 416 Adriana Trigiani 0593183355 Pamela 0 to-read 4.32
author: Adriana Trigiani
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151372 Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them.

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.

But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.

A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.]]> 432 Ruth Ware 1668025604 Pamela 0 to-read 3.62 2024
author: Ruth Ware
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220481303
Three sisters. An inherited Nantucket restaurant. One year before they can sell.

Mandy, Emma and Jill are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. They grew up together on Nantucket, but Mandy is the only one that stayed.

Jill lives a glamorous life in Manhattan as a co-owner of a successful executive search firm. Never married, she is in her mid-thirties and lives in a stunning, corner condo with breathtaking views of the city and Hudson river. Everyone thinks there's something going on with her partner, Nick, because as a workaholic, she spends more time with him than anyone else. But there's never been anything but friendship between them and Nick loves being a bachelor in NYC.

Emma lives in Arizona and is an elementary school teacher and aspiring photographer. She met her college professor husband, Peter, in grad school and they've been married for over fifteen years. In recent years, she's noticed that Peter has grown distant. But when he shares a surprising secret, she doesn't see it coming and her world is turned upside down.

Mandy followed her high school boyfriend, Cory to Boston College, and after graduation, they married and Cory joined a successful hedge fund in Boston, while Mandy stayed home and had two children, Blake and Brooke. They moved home to Nantucket when Cory opened a competing hedge fund. Now that the children are older, Mandy is eager to do more than coordinate local charity events. But Cory doesn't want her to work. He thinks it doesn't reflect well on him and appearances are everything to Cory. Though when Mandy finds a second cell phone in his gym bag, she begins to question what is really going on.

When their beloved grandmother, Ethel Ferguson passes peacefully in her sleep a week before her ninety-ninth birthday, she leaves them quite a surprise. In addition to her Nantucket home, they learn that she was the silent owner of Mimi's Place, one of Nantucket's most popular year-round restaurants.

There is of course, a catch--she left the restaurant equally to Mandy, Emma, and Jill--and also to Paul, the restaurant chef for the past fifteen years.

And before they can sell, all three girls must work at the restaurant for one year--or their shares of the restaurant will go to Paul.

The same Paul that broke one of their hearts many years ago.]]> 352 Pamela M. Kelley 146424619X Pamela 0 to-read 3.58 2020
author: Pamela M. Kelley
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220235413 From the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, legendary historical novelist Philippa Gregory returns to the court of Henry VIII with this dazzling and provocative tour de force about the high cost of loyalty, love, and betrayal.

Sister. Liar. Spy. Traitor.

Her secrets shaped a kingdom.

Her loyalty was deadly.

Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court, where nothing is more powerful than a secret. And power rests on the edge of a tyrant King’s sword.

She wears many masks � loving wife, devoted sister, and obedient spy. It’s what a woman must do to survive.

The only weapon she has is her voice.

They say Jane’s whispers sealed the fate of two queens. They called her a liar and a traitor.

But the truth is far more dangerous�

Philippa Gregory brings the Boleyn traitor out of the shadows in an explosive story of one woman’s survival in the deadly dance of the Tudor Court.]]> 496 Philippa Gregory 0063439689 Pamela 0 to-read 4.56
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220303260 186 J. Taylor 1038309999 Pamela 0 to-read 4.75
author: J. Taylor
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 41211751
Imagine a world where personal and professional growth are one thing, where improving your relationships and owning your strengths at work translate directly into the rest of your life.

Creating a company culture like that is not a dream. Through personal stories and real-life conversations, Jonathan takes you into the room with managers and employees where real culture change happens, and shows you a new kind of employee mentoring where each person gets the real-time feedback, support, and clear boundaries we all need to get beyond the patterns that hold us back.

In this provocative and timely new book, Jonathan brings together what he has learned over a twenty-year journey as an executive, entrepreneur, team leader and leadership trainer.

Combining his experience as the CEO and CBO of EMyth where he led the transformation of a global coaching brand with the lessons learned along his own personal growth journey, Jonathan walks us through a step-by-step approach that integrates the leading edges of both. You ll discover a way to lead your team that is both profoundly human and results-oriented at the same time.

Whether you re a CEO or business owner, executive, team leader, consultant, or coach, Good Authority will give you new ideas and inspiration you can put into practice. Most importantly, it will give you permission to be more of who you are at work than you ever thought possible.
]]> 225 Jonathan Raymond 1940858771 Pamela 0 to-read 4.17
author: Jonathan Raymond
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218537468
When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.]]> 336 Nita Prose 0593356209 Pamela 0 to-read 3.82 2023
author: Nita Prose
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57777139 A dead body is one mess she can't clean up on her own.

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanour has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black. But will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

Both a Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different--and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0735241333 Pamela 0 to-read 3.71 2022
author: Nita Prose
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210721468


But a year later, when Jubil returns with a survey crew, he finds ruthless men exploiting the region for profit. Will Jubil’s commitment to preventing the despoilment of Yellowstone’s geographical wonders get him killed?



Based on events of the 1870 Washburn Expedition and the 1871 surveys by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden and Captain John Barlow, the second installment of the Jubilee Walker series chronicles events leading up the passage of the bill that designated Yellowstone as America’s first national park.]]> 306 Tim Piper Pamela 0 to-read 4.50
author: Tim Piper
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220550451
Citizens and politicians question the need for the rail line and doubt that it can ever be guaranteed safe from Indian raids. But financier Jay Cooke is willing to risk his financial empire to build it.

When Cooke summons Jubilee Walker to his mansion and presents a proposition for completing the survey, Jubil finds it impossible to resist. But the stakes are high, both financially and personally. How much will Jubil risk to turn his adventure travel tours into a major business? Can he do it without losing the respect of the people he loves? And will he even survive the attempt to complete the survey?

Book 3 in the Jubilee Walker series is based on actual events of the 1872 and 1873 railroad surveys, and the ensuing financial turmoil as investors lose faith in Cooke’s vision.]]> 314 Tim Piper Pamela 5
I immediately loved the character of Jubilee Walker. Was having trouble determining his age - but in the book Jubil celebrates his 24th birthday. For such a young man he has many adventures, experienced many tragedies, and is looking forward to his future married to his sweetheart.
The first part of the book is setting up the story -- the action doesn't start until page 90 when Jubil is trying to cross a flooded river.

The main story is surveying for the route the North Pacific Railroad will take across America between 1872 and 1873. At this time, America is wild and untamed with the landscape, the wildlife, and the Indians. We are entertained by visits from Sitting Bull and Lt Col George Armstrong Custer.
There is also lots of information on the Women's Suffrage movement as Jubil's fiance is an educated lady and experiencing her own adventures with pushing for her right to vote, pursuing a writing career, and living alone in New York. Two of the biggest leaders show up in the book: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Clean and interesting story that would work well with the older homeschool student as well as anyone interested in historical fiction. There is little gambling and lots drinking/drunkenness that are shown and the consequences of such action.

As a writer, I loved the way Piper described Jubil and Nelly's honeymoon in three sentences that left much to the imagination (p201).

Even though this was the third title in a series -- I was able to follow the storyline with no problem without having read the first two titles. The author mentions previous events when needed in short detail which was enough -- but some of the events mentioned left me wanting to find and read the first two titles.

Loved the look and feel of the book -- the cover image added much to the book. The story was also well written and edited. There was nothing that slowed me down or enticed me to make corrections as I was reading. These days I don't usually finish a book -- but this one I finished, enjoyed, and would like to read the first two titles as well as number four which may be ready later this year.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
]]> 3.75
author: Tim Piper
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: adventure, historical-fiction, railroad, survey, native-american, womans-suffrage, newspaper
review:
The North Pacific Railroad (#3 Jubilee Walker Series)

I immediately loved the character of Jubilee Walker. Was having trouble determining his age - but in the book Jubil celebrates his 24th birthday. For such a young man he has many adventures, experienced many tragedies, and is looking forward to his future married to his sweetheart.
The first part of the book is setting up the story -- the action doesn't start until page 90 when Jubil is trying to cross a flooded river.

The main story is surveying for the route the North Pacific Railroad will take across America between 1872 and 1873. At this time, America is wild and untamed with the landscape, the wildlife, and the Indians. We are entertained by visits from Sitting Bull and Lt Col George Armstrong Custer.
There is also lots of information on the Women's Suffrage movement as Jubil's fiance is an educated lady and experiencing her own adventures with pushing for her right to vote, pursuing a writing career, and living alone in New York. Two of the biggest leaders show up in the book: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Clean and interesting story that would work well with the older homeschool student as well as anyone interested in historical fiction. There is little gambling and lots drinking/drunkenness that are shown and the consequences of such action.

As a writer, I loved the way Piper described Jubil and Nelly's honeymoon in three sentences that left much to the imagination (p201).

Even though this was the third title in a series -- I was able to follow the storyline with no problem without having read the first two titles. The author mentions previous events when needed in short detail which was enough -- but some of the events mentioned left me wanting to find and read the first two titles.

Loved the look and feel of the book -- the cover image added much to the book. The story was also well written and edited. There was nothing that slowed me down or enticed me to make corrections as I was reading. These days I don't usually finish a book -- but this one I finished, enjoyed, and would like to read the first two titles as well as number four which may be ready later this year.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

]]> 223234266 246 Alice Vachss 0996855440 Pamela 0 to-read 4.50
author: Alice Vachss
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 228393488 In this lush and romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi, a prince is only as good as his beating heart and a maiden is only as good as her honest word. But when love and the truth become impossibly tangled, the two must figure out how to survive together, or fall completely apart.

To find love is a curse ...

Prince Arris knows that marriage means murder. Thanks to a poorly worded wish to a sea witch, all one needs to rule the Isle of Malys is the heart and hand of the kingdom’s heir. Historically, this has been construed quite literally.

Thus, Arris expects that the day after his marriage and murder he will wake up as a sentient tree alongside the rest of his predecessors. His only chance at a long life is finding true and lasting love. When Arris's parents announce a tournament of brides to compete for his hand and heart, a slew of eligible, lovely and (possibly murderous) bachelorettes make their way to Rathe Castle. Amidst glittering balls in ozorald caves, strolls through menageries of daydream trees and pearl crocodiles, tea time on glass boats and kisses that leave his head spinning, Arris cannot tell who is here out of love for him…or lust for power.

Until he meets Demelza.

As a veritas swan, Demelza’s song wrings out the truth. Forced into hiding, Demelza strikes a deal. Arris will provide her with safekeeping in exchange for her truth-telling song to sort through his potential brides.

While Arris is used to dodging death threats and Demelza is accustomed to fighting for her voice to be heard, to survive the tournament of brides requires a different kind of bravery. And perhaps the bravest thing one can do is not merely protect one’s life, but find the courage to chase a life worth living.]]> 400 Roshani Chokshi 125087310X Pamela 0 to-read 4.22 2026
author: Roshani Chokshi
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217223357 FromĚýNew York TimesĚýbestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption when six girls come together in a Catholic reform school in 1960s Buffalo, NY. Perfect for fans ofĚýBefore We Were Yours,ĚýOrphan Train, andĚýThe Berry Pickers.

It was a place frozen in time, an ancient fortress haunted by echoes that whispered against the gray stone in a mysterious, heavy rhythm, as though this place was entirely separate from the rest of the world.ĚýA sign by the inner door read Our Lady of Charity Refuge and Sisters of the Good Shepherd.

Mairin’s breath caught in her throat as comprehension crept over her. This place was the one mentioned in scandalized whispers from the older girls at school. It was the one people gossiped about when a girl suddenly stopped showing up to class. It was the place angry parents—like her own mother—threatened their daughters “I’ll send you to the nuns, just you see if I won’t.�

Amid the turbulence of the Vietnam Era, in the all-American city of Buffalo, New York, teenage girls were condemned to forced labor at the Good Shepherd, a dark and secret institution controlled by the Sisters of Charity nuns.

In 1968 we meet six teens thrust into confinement at the Good Shepherd�merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.

Mairin� free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants was committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.

Angela�denounced for her attraction to girls, was sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.

Helen�the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, saw her “temporary� stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.

Odessa�caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.

Denise�sentenced for brawling in a foster home, dared to dream of a better life.

Janice�deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay�except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.

Sister Bernadette�rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.

Wayward GirlsĚýis a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption...and justice.]]> 400 Susan Wiggs 0063118270 Pamela 0 to-read 4.26
author: Susan Wiggs
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219850879
As a newly minted junior professor, Daphne Ouverture spends her days giving lectures on French colonialism, working on her next academic book, and going on atrocious dates. Her small world suits her just fine. Until Sam Taylor dies.

The rising star of Harrison University’s anthropology department was never one of Daphne’s favorites, despite his popularity. But that doesn’t prevent Sam’s killer from believing Daphne has something that belonged to Sam—something the killer will stop at nothing to get.

Between grading papers and navigating her disastrous love life, Daphne embarks on her own investigation to find out what connects her to Sam’s murder. With the help of an alluring former-detective-turned-bookseller, she unravels a deadly cover-up on campus.

This well-crafted, voice-driven mystery introduces an unforgettable crime fiction heroine.]]> 384 Zoe B. Wallbrook 164129552X Pamela 0 to-read 4.38
author: Zoe B. Wallbrook
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222376694 A sunshine American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she’s trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.

He has a struggling bookshop. She has a knack for bringing bookstores back to life. As soon as she walks into his store, all bets are off�

Mari Cole’s whole life is her dream rescuing and revitalizing indie bookstores. Friendship? Love? No thanks. After a hard childhood, she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone. Besides, books have never let Mari down the way people have.Then she gets the offer of a rescuing Ross & Co. Once the most prestigious independent booksellers in London, the store is a shadow of its former self and needs an expert outsider to turn things around. But the offer turns out to be a double-edged Leo Ross, the store's new owner, is as cold and hostile as the British winter.

For as long as he can remember, Leo Ross has known his future is becoming the next generation to run Ross and Co. He’s sacrificed almost everything he cares about, but the bookshop is still failing on his watch, and now there's an obnoxiously cheerful American woman convinced that she's going to magically make everything better. Leo’s life is difficult and messy enough as it is, and he doesn’t want her help.

When Mari and Leo are forced to work closely together to bring the store back to life, Leo's icy surface thaws to reveal the passionate man underneath. As the cold winter gives way to the possibility of new beginnings, Mari begins to see that true love could be even better in real life than in the pages of a book. Can they put their pasts aside and learn to let love in?]]> 352 Sarah Chamberlain 1250894743 Pamela 0 to-read 3.94
author: Sarah Chamberlain
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215149230 A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers in Den of Liars, a thrilling YA fantasy romance by acclaimed author Jessica S. Olson.

Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that followed, she and the Thief formed a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief's mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers� shared history, and the lies she tells herself.]]> 400 Jessica S. Olson 1250329728 Pamela 0 to-read 4.25 2025
author: Jessica S. Olson
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218155515 A powerful, captivating novel of historical fiction from the acclaimed author of The Titanic Sisters, based on the little-known story of the thousands of young women sent from Irish workhouses to Australia after the Famine.

1848: The girls, 4,000 in all, come from every part of Ireland—from the shores of Galway to the Glens of Ulster and Belfast’s teeming streets—to board ships bound for Australia. All were chosen from Ireland’s crowded workhouses. Most are orphans. The Earl Grey Scheme was presented as an opportunity for young women to gain employment as domestic servants in the Colony. But there is another, unstated purpose—the girls are to “civilize� the many men sent there as convicts, so that settlements can be built.
Ěý
Kate Gilvarry has spent six months in a Newry workhouse, subsisting on a diet of watery porridge. She knows there’s no future for her either within its walls or outside, in a ravaged, starving land. But once Kate’s ship completes the harrowing voyage, she and her companions find their reception in Sydney dismayingly unwelcoming, as anti-Irish sentiment grows. Homesick, and disillusioned by love following a shipboard crush, Kate strives to fit in, first as the servant of a demanding English woman, then as a farmer’s bride in the Outback.
Ěý
When heat and drought force her husband to leave for long periods to work on a sheep ranch, Kate is left alone to fend off wild animals, drifters, and her aching loneliness. She longs to return to Ireland. But first, this beautiful, unforgiving country will teach her about resilience and survival, and the limitless possibilities that come with courage and love.
Ěý
Evocative and compelling, The Famine Orphans is a testament to the young women whose pioneering spirit left an enduring legacy in a land so far from home.
Ěý]]> 368 Patricia Falvey 1496748131 Pamela 0 to-read 4.26
author: Patricia Falvey
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216972034 When DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to the mysterious disappearance of a famous baby nearly three decades ago, a forensic scientist is plunged into a dangerous search for answers in this engrossing, propulsive new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

Thirty years ago, Baby Charlotte vanished. Today, she’s still in danger.

When Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research assignment, her goal is to better understand the treasure-trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites. Brilliant and driven, Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, training under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty.

Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in the she’s adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she’s never considered tracking down her biological parents. The results of her search are shocking. Sloan’s DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte�, who captured the nation’s attention when she mysteriously disappeared, along with her parents, in July 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again, and no suspects were named in the case.

Sloan’s discovery leads her to the small town of Cedar Creek, Nevada, the site of her disappearance. It also leads her to Sheriff Eric Stamos. The Margolis family’s influence and power permeate every corner of Harrison County, and Eric is convinced that in learning the truth about her past, Sloan can also help discover what happened to Eric’s father, who died under suspicious circumstances soon after he started investigating the case her disappearance.

Slowly, over the course of a stifling summer, Sloan begins getting to know her relatives. Though initially welcoming, the Margolis family is also mysterious and tight-lipped. Not everyone seems happy about Sloan’s return, or the questions she’s asking. And the more she and Eric learn, the more apparent it becomes that the answers they both seek are buried in a graveyard of Margolis family secrets that some will do anything to keep hidden—no matter who else has to die…]]> 417 Charlie Donlea 1496751140 Pamela 0 to-read 4.17 2024
author: Charlie Donlea
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222376655 A young woman cursed with a fatal heartbreak-induced sickness must race against time to find a cure and protect her family legacy from the ancient finfolk that would destroy it, the fiancé that would kill her for it, and the boy who would love her if she forsook it.

The seafaring humans of Kirkrell have always been plagued by finfolk—bloodthirsty fae who haunt the seas, sinking ships and cursing bloodlines. Yet it’s only by hunting magical whales that Kirkrell can prosper. Nineteen-year-old Annie is heir to the Fairfax Whaling Company, but their family's success came at a cost: a curse by which heartbreak turns Fairfaxes slowly into monsters. And six years ago, the shipwreck that killed Annie’s parents left her with scales spreading up her arms, claws sprouting from her fingertips.

The love of her fiancé, August, salved her heart for a while—but when she learns August is maneuvering to take over the company, the curse worsens. Fearing her time is running out, she strikes a bargain with a disreputable young captain, half-finfolk and half-human Silas Price: on a voyage to hunt whales in the far north, Silas will take Annie to the finfolk queen, who can lift the curse in return for a promise to end whaling forever.

As Annie, August and Silas sail north, she is determined to uphold her family’s legacy, but the threat of the finfolk tests her resolve. Lies corrupt her relationship with August; meanwhile a dangerous connection with Silas blooms—but he’s keeping secrets too, and his might be the most dangerous of all.

As heiress, it’s Annie’s responsibility to deliver whale magic to her city. But as heartbreak looms, she must choose between saving herself and her family’s legacy—and hope it doesn’t cost her everyone she loves.]]> 336 Sara Holland 1250854490 Pamela 0 to-read 4.44 2025
author: Sara Holland
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223461136 This Sleeping Beauty woke up...
In a nightmare.

From Wall Street Journal bestsellers L.J. Shen and Parker S. Huntington comes a twisted second-chance romance between a prince haunted by a dark secret and his reluctant Sleeping Beauty.

Oliver
I don’t usually trap women with amnesia into marriage.
But I guess there’s a first time for everything.
When the woman of my dreams falls into my lap, I can’t help but wonder what else she can do in that position.
She’s here. In my house. At my mercy.
And she thinks we’ve been lovers the entire decade we spent apart.
Briar and I have always been unfinished business.
Now it’s time to seal the deal.

Briar
I’m marrying a beautiful monster.
A crooked fraud. America’s wealthiest bachelor.
He claims we’re in love, yet all I taste in our kisses is hate and lust.
I don’t remember why or how.
But I do remember he’s the enemy.
Now, I’m stuck inside a nightmare.
And Oliver will do anything to keep me in the dark.

Authors� Note: My Dark Prince is a standalone enemies-to-lovers Sleeping Beauty retelling, in which a damaged billionaire with a dark past and his childhood sweetheart fall in love—literally. It is set in the decadent Dark Prince Road universe.]]> 436 Parker S. Huntington 1950209172 Pamela 0 to-read 3.95
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217927669 A delectable comedy of manners about cooking, ambition, and friendship set in the food world as a young and socially awkward writer takes a job ghostwriting the cookbook for a famous (and famously chaotic) Hollywood starlet.

Isabella Pasternack is a food person. She revels in the beauty of a perfectly cooked egg, she daydreams about her first meal at Chez Panisse, and every inch of her tiny apartment teems with cookbooks, from Prune to Cooking by Hand to Roast Chicken and Other Stories. What Isabella is not, unfortunately, is a gainfully employed person. In the wake of a disastrous live-streamed soufflé demonstration, Isabella is summarily fired from her job at a digital food magazine and must quickly find a way to keep herself in buckwheat and anchovy paste. When offered the opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, the once-beloved television actress now mired in scandal, Isabella warily accepts. Unfortunately, Molly quickly proves herself to be a nightmare hungover, flakey, shallow, and—worst of all—indifferent to food. But between Molly’s bizarre late-night texts, goofy confessions, and impromptu road trips, Isabella reluctantly begins to see Molly’s charms. Can Isabella corral Molly out of the gossip rags and into the kitchen? Can she find the key to Molly’s heart and stomach? Or will Isabella’s devotion to her culinary idols and Molly’s monstrous ego send the entire cookbook—and both of their careers—up in flames?

A mouth-watering, hilarious debut peppered with insider food world detail—the real writers behind celebrity chef cookbooks, the hot restaurants that run on the backs of their sous-chefs, the secret to perfect blinis á la Russe—Adam Roberts' Food Person is a literary soufflé—a deceptively light, deliciously rich, showstopping confection.]]> 320 Adam D. Roberts 0593803833 Pamela 0 to-read 3.74 2025
author: Adam D. Roberts
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221251872 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER � WINNER OF THE SWEDISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD � A profoundly moving debut novel that follows an elderly man’s struggle to maintain autonomy over his own life: an emotional story of love, friendship, fatherhood, dogs, and atonement that is already an international sensation.

“One of those �you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to buy twenty copies and give them to everyone you love� books.� —Fredrik Backman, bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, in The New Yorker

“A powerful, sneakily emotional meditation on life and death, and the foundational relationships in our lives. This is a book that will echo in your soul.� —Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain


Bo is running out of time. Yet time is one of the few things he’s got left. These days, his quiet existence is broken up only by daily visits from his home care team. Fortunately, he still has his beloved elkhound Sixten to keep him company � though now his son, with whom Bo has had a rocky relationship, insists upon taking the dog away, claiming that Bo has grown too old to properly care for him. The threat of losing Sixten stirs up a whirlwind of emotion, leading Bo to take stock of his life, his relationships, and the imperfect way he’s expressed his love over the years.]]> 320 Lisa Ridzén Pamela 0 to-read 4.51 2024
author: Lisa Ridzén
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18207751 246 William G. Baker 148275407X Pamela 3
How does a twenty-three year old end up in Alcatraz - the infamous, unescapable prison where all the big bad boys go? That is what this book tries to share with the reader. Baker's childhood, his first encounters with the law and jail, his escalating escapades.

I like at the beginning Baker states - "Every word in this book is true to the best of my memory of events and conversations that took place while I was serving time at Alcatraz and that I witnessed with my own eyes and heard with my own ears and felt with my own heart...." It also has a Warning - strong language in character with a prison environment. This account is told from the viewpoint of the Alcatraz convict.

The book wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. Several times I thought about stopping and moving on to another book in my ever-growing stack. But the honesty of the story and the way Baker connects to the reader -- kept me picking the book up and continuing. There are convicts that you will love and hate as well as guards that you will love and hate. And all of the lessons say that every choice has a consequences that we must deal with.

As a writer myself, I loved when Baker would say ... "But that's another story" and leave you wondering what the other story was.

The historical pictures as well as photos of Baker on his author tours added much to the book.]]> 3.69 2013
author: William G. Baker
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: autobiography, true-story, prison, prisoners, non-fiction, history, criminals, guards, alcatraz
review:
I found an autographed copy of this book in a thrift store in Mississippi. The title jumped out at me -- because I have always been fascinated with anything Alcatraz.

How does a twenty-three year old end up in Alcatraz - the infamous, unescapable prison where all the big bad boys go? That is what this book tries to share with the reader. Baker's childhood, his first encounters with the law and jail, his escalating escapades.

I like at the beginning Baker states - "Every word in this book is true to the best of my memory of events and conversations that took place while I was serving time at Alcatraz and that I witnessed with my own eyes and heard with my own ears and felt with my own heart...." It also has a Warning - strong language in character with a prison environment. This account is told from the viewpoint of the Alcatraz convict.

The book wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. Several times I thought about stopping and moving on to another book in my ever-growing stack. But the honesty of the story and the way Baker connects to the reader -- kept me picking the book up and continuing. There are convicts that you will love and hate as well as guards that you will love and hate. And all of the lessons say that every choice has a consequences that we must deal with.

As a writer myself, I loved when Baker would say ... "But that's another story" and leave you wondering what the other story was.

The historical pictures as well as photos of Baker on his author tours added much to the book.
]]> 219848297 A stunningly original love story between a museum employee and the man in a masterpiece hanging on the walls—a breathtaking debut about time, art, and the enduring power of love.

Jean’s life is the same day in and day out. Frozen in time by his painter father, the legendary Henri Matisse, Jean observes the ebb and flow of museum guests as they take in the works of his father and other masters like Renoir, Picasso, and Van Gogh. But his world takes a mesmerizing turn when Claire, a new museum employee, enters his life.

Night after night, Claire moves through the gallery where Jean's painting hangs, mopping the floors, talking softly to herself to stem her loneliness and gazing admiringly at the masterpieces above. The alluring man in the corner of the Matisse—is he watching her? Why does she feel a deepening pull to him, like he can see her truest self, her secrets? Did he just move?Ěý

In an extraordinary twist of fate, Claire discovers she can step through the frame of Jean's painting and into a bygone era, a lush, verdant snapshot of family life in France in the throes of World War I. She and Jean begin a seemingly impossible affair, falling in love against the backdrop of the gallery’s other paintings come to life—glittering parties, exhilarating horse races, and windswept beach bluffs, that they can move through together and where Claire is seemingly the only modern visitor, alone in possession of this gift.

But as their happiness is threatened by challenges both inside and outside the museum, Claire and Jean find themselves in a fight to preserve the love they’ve only dared to dream of. Will their extraordinary connection defy the confines of reality, or will the forces conspiring against them shatter their carefully curated happiness?]]> 304 Morgan Pager 0593875389 Pamela 0 to-read 3.73 2025
author: Morgan Pager
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59972550 From USA Today bestselling author Joanna Shupe comes a spicy Anastasia story full of secrets and betrayal, set among the glittering streets of New York City's Gilded Age.

In 1880 a baby was stolen from the wealthiest family in America. Though no ransom was ever demanded, the Pendelton family never gave up hope . . . and their reward became the stuff of legend.

After being raised in a children’s asylum, Josie Smith ends up on the streets and quickly learns how to take care of herself. Her singing voice draws crowds on every corner, and she’ll stop at nothing to become famous and travel the world, loved and adored by all. Maybe then she won’t think about the family who gave her away as an infant.

Leo Hardy isn’t afraid to use his charm and wits to make a fast buck, especially with a mother and five siblings to support. When he stumbles upon a beautiful young woman singing on the street, Leo notices her striking resemblance to the infamous missing baby’s mother, Mrs. Thomas Pendelton. The Hardys lost everything thanks to the Pendeltons, and once Leo sees Josie, he seizes the opportunity to settle the score. All he needs to do is pull off the biggest swindle of his career.

As the two are catapulted into Knickerbocker High Society, they grow closer to their goal, as well as to each other. But secrets can only stay hidden for so long. Soon the truth unfolds, and both Josie and Leo must separate what’s real from what’s just gilding.]]> 352 Joanna Shupe 0063310317 Pamela 0 to-read 3.77 2025
author: Joanna Shupe
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217896252 From the award-winning author ofĚýHow LuckyĚýandĚýThe Time Has Come,Ěýthis heartfelt and humorous novel follows an Atlanta police officer who learns he has months to live and determines to get killed in the line of duty to provide for his son . . . but keeps failing in unexpected ways.

Lloyd McNeil hasĚýserved as an officer with the Atlanta Police Department for 20 years while being a devoted father to his teenage son. But then he learns the worst possibleĚý He has learned he has an inoperable brain tumor, and he has only months left to live.

Lloyd begins throwing himself into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, but things don’t go according to plan. Instead of dying, he becomes a civic hero. Meanwhile, a malevolent force from his past shadows Lloyd as he tries to get his affairs in order, teach his son the lessons he needs to be a good person, and to say goodbye.

Told in Lloyd’s wistful but wonderfully comedic voice, Untitled is a masterful blend of suspense, humor, and compassion. It is a novel about what we leave behind and what we learn along the way, a bighearted story that brings into focus the depths of a father’s love for his son.]]> 304 Will Leitch 006323856X Pamela 0 to-read 4.11 2025
author: Will Leitch
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 49049464 A kitten is adopted and raised by a pack of huskies -- and even develops some canine characteristics!

When 12-year-old Mina discovers an abandoned kitten, Nukka, in the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska, she knows she has to take it in. And with the help of Mina's huskies, Nukka quickly becomes part of the family.

There's only one problem (or is it?): Nukka is a cat, and with only a pack of huskies to raise her, she develops some... interesting characteristics. Nukka learns to pant like a dog, play fetch like a dog, and even wants to become a sled dog, just like her canine siblings. But they're so much bigger and stronger than she is. How could Nukka ever keep up?

But things take a turn for the worse when the pack is stranded in a forest during a rescue mission. With a blizzard on its way, will Nukka be able to save her family before it's too late?]]> 225 Michelle Schusterman 1338618040 Pamela 5
Mina lives in Fairbanks, Alaska and is about to start 7th grade. She has spent the summer without her best friend. She finds out by accident that Emily had become overwhelmed with Mina's obsession with the music band ClockWork. Mina needs to decide what she really wants.

In the meantime, Nukka, the little stray kitten that was rescued by Niko, the lead husky. Nukka doesn't remember anything of her life before being rescued. Living in the midst of a pack of huskies, she herself takes on the personality and characteristics of a husky. She must decide who she really is.

The story takes place in Alaska. I love the family business of dog-sled excursions and rescues. The family dynamics of human, huskies, and now kitten is a wonderful mix. Very realistic fiction. It does have the animals communicating in their own language and it is written so that the reader can understand the conversations.

Highly recommended for 4th-6th graders, especially animal lovers.]]> 4.23
author: Michelle Schusterman
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: alaska, cat, dogs, dog-sled, rescue, identity, friends, marketing, family-business, family, training, snow, music, fan-club, pet, pet-shop, 7th-grade
review:
This is the second time that I have read this book -- and I liked it as much this time as I did the first time. I think the main theme of this book is identity.

Mina lives in Fairbanks, Alaska and is about to start 7th grade. She has spent the summer without her best friend. She finds out by accident that Emily had become overwhelmed with Mina's obsession with the music band ClockWork. Mina needs to decide what she really wants.

In the meantime, Nukka, the little stray kitten that was rescued by Niko, the lead husky. Nukka doesn't remember anything of her life before being rescued. Living in the midst of a pack of huskies, she herself takes on the personality and characteristics of a husky. She must decide who she really is.

The story takes place in Alaska. I love the family business of dog-sled excursions and rescues. The family dynamics of human, huskies, and now kitten is a wonderful mix. Very realistic fiction. It does have the animals communicating in their own language and it is written so that the reader can understand the conversations.

Highly recommended for 4th-6th graders, especially animal lovers.
]]> 9561867 How to Write a Sentence is much more than a writing manual—it is a spirited love letter to the written word, and a key to understanding how great writing works.

Ěý]]> 165 Stanley Fish 0061840548 Pamela 0 to-read 3.43 2011
author: Stanley Fish
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 124930745 An extraordinary reimagining of Jane Austen’s immortal Pride and Prejudice.

When the smoke has cleared from the battlefields and the Civil War has finally ended, fervent Union supporter Beth Bennet reluctantly moves with her family from their home in Meryton, Ohio to the windswept plains of Rosings, Texas. Handsome, haughty Will Darcy, a confederate officer back from the war, owns half the land around Rosings, and his even haughtier cousin Cate Burroughs owns the other half.

In a town as small as Rosings, Beth and Will inevitably cross paths. But as Will becomes enchanted with the fiery Yankee, Beth won’t allow herself to warm to the man who represents the one thing she hates the army that killed her only brother.

But when carpetbagger George Whitehead arrives in Rosings, all that Beth thought to be true is turned on its head, and the only man who can save her home is the one she swore she’d never trust�

â€ŔáłŮ’s Pride and Prejudice meets Gone With the Wind—with that kind of romance and excitement.â€�
—Sharon Lathan, bestselling author of In the Arms of Mr. Darcy]]> 341 Jack Caldwell Pamela 5
Based on the premise of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE the story takes place at the end of the Civil War and Captain Darcy of the Confederate Army is returning home to his family ranch in Texas to start life again after being wounded and taken prisoner. The small town of Rosings has lots of healing to do from the trauma the Civil War brought to everyone's lives. But there is hope as everyone starts to rebuild and the young Bennet girls are looking for husbands to settle down with.

But not everyone seems to be who they really are -- and there are scheming folks around -- and can everyone forget the past and move on to a new future.

Action starts on page one and goes all the way to the end. Characters well developed. There is a little language and lots of violent scenes - but nothing too gory.

Excellent read - can't wait to read another title by this author.]]> 4.43 2010
author: Jack Caldwell
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: jane-austen, soldiers, civil-war, western, greed, romance, prejudice, relationships, ranch
review:
The cover is what drew me to this book at a local writer's conference in Louisiana about two years ago. Working through my to be read pile, this one came up next and I couldn't wait to read it each night. It is one of the rare titles these days that I found no fault, no errors, no corrections to be made...so I just enjoyed the story and characters that much more.

Based on the premise of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE the story takes place at the end of the Civil War and Captain Darcy of the Confederate Army is returning home to his family ranch in Texas to start life again after being wounded and taken prisoner. The small town of Rosings has lots of healing to do from the trauma the Civil War brought to everyone's lives. But there is hope as everyone starts to rebuild and the young Bennet girls are looking for husbands to settle down with.

But not everyone seems to be who they really are -- and there are scheming folks around -- and can everyone forget the past and move on to a new future.

Action starts on page one and goes all the way to the end. Characters well developed. There is a little language and lots of violent scenes - but nothing too gory.

Excellent read - can't wait to read another title by this author.
]]> 210137341
With his trademark storytelling and winsome take on life, bestselling author and self-dubbed chief balloon inflator Bob Goff returns with another 365-day devotional. He offers a daily tap on the shoulder to remind you how over the moon God is about you and your beautiful, often complicated life.

Catching WhimsyĚýwill help you leave behind endless cycles of planning and floundering and instead wake up to the curiosity, delight, and possibility in this marvelous adventure called life. You don't have to stay stuck in ambivalence and paralysis, unsure of the right next step. Instead, get settled in God's love for you and start journeying, wide-eyed and expectant, into a more meaningful life, a more engaged faith, and a more intentional future.]]> 432 Bob Goff 1400226988 Pamela 3
This is a devotional -- 365 entries, one for each day of the year. Each entry starts with a Bible verse and then shares ideas, advice, and insights from Bob Goff.

I was listening to the audiobook version -- where each day is an average of 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Although I enjoyed listening to the entries -- I think I would have got more out of them if I had been using the book along with it. I'm a visual person and I like to take notes in the margins.

With the audio I tended to listen to four or five days at a time -- which seemed to jumble the concepts and did not give me enough time to contemplate what I was hearing. I think I would have benefitted more with a paper copy of this title. So I guess I will need to find a paper copy.

I was given a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.]]> 4.70
author: Bob Goff
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: non-fiction, christian-beliefs, devotional, audiobook
review:
I like Bob Goff -- he is practical, honest, caring, and funny. I listened to CATCHING WHIMSY. I think it was a wonderful idea to have the author read the audiobook -- his voice is just perfect.

This is a devotional -- 365 entries, one for each day of the year. Each entry starts with a Bible verse and then shares ideas, advice, and insights from Bob Goff.

I was listening to the audiobook version -- where each day is an average of 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Although I enjoyed listening to the entries -- I think I would have got more out of them if I had been using the book along with it. I'm a visual person and I like to take notes in the margins.

With the audio I tended to listen to four or five days at a time -- which seemed to jumble the concepts and did not give me enough time to contemplate what I was hearing. I think I would have benefitted more with a paper copy of this title. So I guess I will need to find a paper copy.

I was given a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 216695908
Attorney DeMarcus Johnson is determined to climb the ladder to partnership by winning high-profile cases at his Los Angeles law firm, harnessing his ADHD hyperfocus to excel. He's everything Nona knows to steer clear of--an overconfident ex-jock willing to do anything for success.

Their worlds collide when Nona's pastor receives a mysterious letter claiming he's the sole heir to a substantial estate. Desperate for answers, Nona infiltrates a lavish charity ball, only to be found out by a suspicious stranger--so she latches onto DeMarcus and concocts a fib about being his fiancée.

Now bound by a false engagement, the pair reluctantly join forces to discover the truth about the inheritance. But when an unseen enemy strikes, they realize the stakes are higher than they thought. Can Nona and DeMarcus overcome their differences to keep the pastor safe, secure DeMarcus's partnership, and preserve a future for themselves?]]> 335 Jayna Breigh 0825463793 Pamela 5
The main character, Nona Taylor, is a private investigator that has just lost her last client. It is New Year's eve and she is heading to the church for the Watch Night service. Her heart is heavy with grief and guilt for something that happened ten years ago. Nona ends up sitting next to a man, DeMarcus Johnson, that has promised his G'Mama to attend church once a year. And from that brief meeting their lives become entangled as they help each other with a project that will dictate the next level in their life.

There is also two supporting senior cast members of Pastor Grant who helps Nona learn forgiveness as she helps him to discover the family that he didn't know about. And there is G'Mama Johnson, who helps her grandson DeMarcus to focus on what is good is in life and to achieve a healthy relationship with Nona.

The style of writing pulls you into that Southern culture. And Breigh's choice of words are very refreshing:

...her emotional reserves ran on empty and her brittle patience crumble at the slightest inconvenience.

A laugh burst out of her mouth without her consent.

God gives everybody a basket of gifts and a basket of challenges. He wants us to serve him with both.

He was worming his way into her mind and heart like an annoying song trending on TikTok.

All through his growing up, G'Mama spoke half regular English, half New King James Version of the Bible.

This is a title that I would read again -- and I will be keeping an eye out for other titles by this author.









I was given a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.]]> 4.62 2024
author: Jayna Breigh
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: legal-drama, private-investigator, family, sisters, guilt, forgiveness, pastor, church, grandmothers, siblings, romance, southern-culture, pet, reality-tv, christian-fiction
review:
The Hunted Heir by Jayna Breigh was a wonderful read. Lots of drama and action with a little romance thrown in all without strong language, violence, and sex.

The main character, Nona Taylor, is a private investigator that has just lost her last client. It is New Year's eve and she is heading to the church for the Watch Night service. Her heart is heavy with grief and guilt for something that happened ten years ago. Nona ends up sitting next to a man, DeMarcus Johnson, that has promised his G'Mama to attend church once a year. And from that brief meeting their lives become entangled as they help each other with a project that will dictate the next level in their life.

There is also two supporting senior cast members of Pastor Grant who helps Nona learn forgiveness as she helps him to discover the family that he didn't know about. And there is G'Mama Johnson, who helps her grandson DeMarcus to focus on what is good is in life and to achieve a healthy relationship with Nona.

The style of writing pulls you into that Southern culture. And Breigh's choice of words are very refreshing:

...her emotional reserves ran on empty and her brittle patience crumble at the slightest inconvenience.

A laugh burst out of her mouth without her consent.

God gives everybody a basket of gifts and a basket of challenges. He wants us to serve him with both.

He was worming his way into her mind and heart like an annoying song trending on TikTok.

All through his growing up, G'Mama spoke half regular English, half New King James Version of the Bible.

This is a title that I would read again -- and I will be keeping an eye out for other titles by this author.









I was given a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 51273181
As armies converge and forces beyond Rex's and Flavia's controls threaten to destroy everything they have worked for, these two people from different worlds will have to work together to bring down the evil Emperor Maxentius. But his villainous plans and devious henchmen are not easily overcome. Will the barbarian warrior and the senator's daughter live to see the Empire bow the knee to Christ? Or will their part in the story of Constantine's rise meet an untimely and brutal end?

Travel back to one of the most pivotal eras in history--a time when devotion to the pagan gods was fading and the Roman Empire was being conquered by the sign of the cross.]]> 496 Bryan M. Litfin 0800738179 Pamela 0 to-read 3.57
author: Bryan M. Litfin
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.57
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 201335501
Delve into the complex history of Herod the Great—his rise to power and ultimate fall in pursuit to be the "King of the Jews." Under a flourishing yet tumultuous background of Jerusalem, consider Mary of Nazareth's place under Herod's rule and the promise of a Messiah to free her people. Kathie Lee Gifford with Bryan M. Litfin, Ph.D. deftly weave a truthful historical narrative full of accurate details and sweeping prose that ushers in the true King and glorifies God's powerful plan to bring a savior into the world through unlikely means. A coda between the authors, full of honest revelation and insightful meaning, follows each chapter for added in-depth reading.

The first installment in the Ancient Evil, Living Hope series, Herod and Mary begins with the tragic life of King Herod—Christianity's first true persecutor. As an impressionable boy, he is forever marked by the raw power of Rome. Throughout the course of Herod's career, he gains power, fame, and riches beyond belief. Yet murderous intrigues stalk this man—and infect his own dark soul.

Under the rule of King Herod, Jerusalem becomes a prominent city of wealth and prosperity, but Mary saw the struggle of her people under a tyrant. Like all Jewish women, she knew the promises of Torah and longed for a deliverer. But no one could have prepared her for what the angel of God that the Messiah wouldn't arrive with the blaring of trumpets, the clash of arms, or the fanfare of a mighty host. He would arrive as an infant within her own womb. The light of the world was born in a not a king who maims and destroys, but the gentle King of the Jews.

This riveting narrative nonfiction work reveals deep insight to how Herod came to power, how corruption and an ancient evil threatened the stability of a nation, and how a teenage Mary was called to traverse these obstacles to bring the Savior, Jesus, our living hope, into the world.]]> 256 Kathie Lee Gifford 1400336627 Pamela 3
There was three things about this book that caught my attention -- the title itself and then Kathie Lee Gifford as author -- and lastly the artwork on the cover.

Acknowledging that the Bible is real and part of history is one thing -- but to actually connect it in time to a historical timeline is something different. King Herod ruled in the time of Cleopatra and was friends with Marc Anthony. The story is one of ancient love, greed, pride, ego leading to lies, murder, betrayal, and madness.

At the beginning of the book appears a few pages of charts and historical information -- and my first thought was this book is going to be heavy going. However, once the book started it was so down to earth and easy to read that I plunged in and the story went quick. Near the middle, I was starting to bogged down and was glad when Mary was finally really introduced.

The last part of the book are sections/codas that are interviews between the two author's and how they view the information, the impact the story has had on them, etc.

I'm not sure how much is fully documented, especially Mary's history. Herod's history has many footnotes from documented history especially that of Josephus and then the rest by Dr. Bryan M. Litfin's historical note -- "Usually, I have quoted these ancient document the way I found them translated into English in whatever book I was consulting. However, since those translations were sometimes unclear, I have freely adapted them in this book for the sake of giving you the best possible reading experience. Other times, I have availed myself of artistic license to paraphrase the sources to imagine things that the ancient characters might have said..." (p xvi)

A very interesting single read. Could be used as a Bible study. Would be a great lecture to attend.]]> 3.82
author: Kathie Lee Gifford
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: bible-history, royalty, history, biography, giveaways, non-fiction
review:
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was three things about this book that caught my attention -- the title itself and then Kathie Lee Gifford as author -- and lastly the artwork on the cover.

Acknowledging that the Bible is real and part of history is one thing -- but to actually connect it in time to a historical timeline is something different. King Herod ruled in the time of Cleopatra and was friends with Marc Anthony. The story is one of ancient love, greed, pride, ego leading to lies, murder, betrayal, and madness.

At the beginning of the book appears a few pages of charts and historical information -- and my first thought was this book is going to be heavy going. However, once the book started it was so down to earth and easy to read that I plunged in and the story went quick. Near the middle, I was starting to bogged down and was glad when Mary was finally really introduced.

The last part of the book are sections/codas that are interviews between the two author's and how they view the information, the impact the story has had on them, etc.

I'm not sure how much is fully documented, especially Mary's history. Herod's history has many footnotes from documented history especially that of Josephus and then the rest by Dr. Bryan M. Litfin's historical note -- "Usually, I have quoted these ancient document the way I found them translated into English in whatever book I was consulting. However, since those translations were sometimes unclear, I have freely adapted them in this book for the sake of giving you the best possible reading experience. Other times, I have availed myself of artistic license to paraphrase the sources to imagine things that the ancient characters might have said..." (p xvi)

A very interesting single read. Could be used as a Bible study. Would be a great lecture to attend.
]]> 209220944
But Sarah has begun to wonder... Who is she without her other half?

When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.

That is until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.

The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances between them and doubts begin to grow. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?

In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.

What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.]]> 336 Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871863 Pamela 0 to-read 3.94 2025
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

Age Range: 12-18]]> 480 Libba Bray 0374388946 Pamela 0 to-read 4.14 2025
author: Libba Bray
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152173
From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.]]> 480 Patrick Stewart 1982167742 Pamela 0 to-read 4.20 2023
author: Patrick Stewart
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217432719
On February 3, 1889, just two days shy of her forty-first birthday, Myra Maybelle Shirley—better known at that point by her outlaw sobriquet “Belle Starr”—was blown from her horse saddle and killed by a pair of shotgun blasts, delivered by an unseen assailant, only a few miles away from her home in the Indian Territory of present-day Oklahoma. Thus ended the life of one of the most colorful, authentic, and dangerous women in the history of the American West.

While today’s household names like Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane had dubious criminal bona fides, Belle’s were not in any doubt. She led a gang of horse thieves (a very serious crime in an era when horses were often the basis of one’s livelihood); was romantically involved with two of the West’s most legendary outlaws, Cole Younger and Jim Reed (her first husband); and participated in stickups and robberies across present-day Texas and Oklahoma. When Reed was murdered, Belle crossed into Indian Territory, where she assimilated into the Cherokee tribe, a matrilineal society, and soon married Sam Starr, a direct descendant of Nanye’hi, the greatest female warrior in Cherokee history.

Dane Huckelbridge, acclaimed author of No Beast So Fierce, probes a life rich in contradictions and intrigue. Why did a woman who had considerable advantages in life—a good family, a decent education, solid marriage prospects, a clear path to financial security—choose to pursue a life of crime? The life of Belle Starr is one of almost endless trauma: the horrors of the Civil War, which destroyed her hometown and killed her beloved brother, Bud; the untimely deaths of her first two husbands, both of them murdered; a stint in Detroit’s notorious women’s prison. Her career coincided with those of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and yet Belle Starr was a very different sort of feminist icon.

Queen of All Mayhem is a triumph of biography, revealing one of the most-mythologized figures of Western lore as she truly was.]]> 336 Dane Huckelbridge 0063307014 Pamela 0 to-read 3.88
author: Dane Huckelbridge
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213960819 Soon to be a major motion picture starring Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson, this funny and surprising mystery features a new breed of detectives you’ve got to read to baaaaa-lieve.

This twentieth-anniversary deluxe paperback features a foreword by A. J. Finn, discussion questions, and more.

Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, sets out to find George’s killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world).

Her team of investigators includes Othello, who was rescued from the Dublin Zoo; Mopple the Whale, who is always hungry and remembers everything; and Zora, an existential ewe—just to name a few. Together, the sheep discuss the crime late into the night, and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to unravel the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter a hoof-full of two-legged suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher who smells of death; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; and Father Will, a sinister priest the sheep call God.

With wit and heart, this clever international bestseller is a mystery to chew on—and savor.]]> 384 Leonie Swann 1641296828 Pamela 0 to-read 3.47 2005
author: Leonie Swann
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214151246 From the bestselling author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, a powerful portrayal of American homelessness that follows a single mother of six in Los Angeles courageously struggling to keep her family together and her children in school amidst the devastating housing crisis.

In the tradition of Evicted and Invisible Child, Jeff Hobbs masterfully explores America’s housing crisis through the real-life story of Janet Romero. This is Hobbs’s first book since The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace that focuses on a single character and her extraordinarily illuminating journey.

In 2018, poverty and domestic violence cast Janet and her children into the urban wilderness of Los Angeles, where she avoids the family crisis network that offers no clear pathway for her children to remain together and in a decent school. For the next five years, Janet works full time as a waitress yet remains unable to afford legitimate housing or qualify for government aid. All the while she strives to provide stability, education, loving memories, and college aspirations for her children even as they sleep in motels and in her car, living in fear of both her ex and the nation’s largest child welfare agency. Eventually Janet encounters Wendi Gaines, a recently trained social worker who decades earlier survived her own abusive marriage and housing crisis. Janet becomes one of Wendi’s first clients, and the relationship transforms them both.

Told from the perspectives of Janet, Wendi, and Janet’s teenaged son, Tyson Romero, Seeking Shelter is a powerful and urgent exploration of the issues of homelessness, poverty, and education in America—a must-read for anyone interested in understanding not just social inequality and economic disparity in our society but also the power of a mother’s love and vision for her kids.]]> 336 Jeff Hobbs 1668034824 Pamela 0 to-read 4.33 2025
author: Jeff Hobbs
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216052896 New York TimesĚýbestselling author Joanna Gaines welcomes you on an imaginative adventure through nature’s small surprises and invites you and your children to be curious, slow down, and take in everyday wonders. With vibrant art by Julianna Swaney that is full of dreamy details, this whimsical picture book will inspire your family to pause busy schedules and explore together.

InĚýThe World Needs the Wonder You See, you and your kids will

slow your pace, look closely, and find joy as you make discoveries together;join a diverse cast of children on a journey below leaves, amidst treetops, under ocean waves, through rabbitsâ€� tunnels, and into the clouds;imagine hidden worlds in which ladybugs live in tiny cabins, snails journey through mushroom fields, and stars paint stories across the sky; andlearn to notice the amazing beauty that children naturally see.This companion book toĚýThe World Needs Who You Were Made to BeĚýis perfect for

children ages 4â€�8;grandparents, parents, teachers, and librarians;classroom story times and discussions about valuing othersâ€� ideas and perspectives;households that enjoy watching Chip and Joanna on Magnolia Network and HGTV’sĚýFixer Upper; andholiday or Christmas gift-giving, birthdays, graduations, or other celebrations.Inspired by Joanna’s young son’s insistence to “look up!â€� and the shift to a slower perspective she enjoyed after having her last child, this book shares the delight of taking a friend by the hand, getting your boots muddy, and discovering the secrets just waiting to be uncovered.

Celebrate the wonder of the world through a child’s eyes in this imaginative book about all the beauty, hope, and surprise hiding in plain sight. Look up. Lean in. Bend low. Reach for new heights. Every day, from every place, there’s more to see in this great big world of possibility.]]> 32 Joanna Gaines 1400247411 Pamela 0 to-read 4.19
author: Joanna Gaines
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152231 A timely and urgent novel following a young married couple on a road trip through the American southwest as they grapple with the breakdown of their relationship in the shadow of environmental collapse, for fans of Rachel Cusk and Sigrid Nunez.

In November 2018, Eloise and Lewis rent a car in Las Vegas and take off on a two-week road trip across the American southwest. While wildfires rage, the married couple make their way through Nevada, California, Arizona, and Utah, tracing the course of the Colorado River, the aquatic artery on which the Southwest depends for survival. Lewis, an artist working for a prominent land art foundation, is grieving the recent death of his mother, while Eloise is an academic researching the past and future of the Colorado River as it threatens to run dry.

Over the course of their trip, Eloise, beginning to suspect she might be pregnant, helplessly witnesses Lewis’s descent as he struggles to find a place for himself in the desert where he never quite felt at home.

Elegy, Southwest is a novel which entwines a tragic love story with an intelligent and profound consideration of the way we now live alongside environmental breakdown; an elegy for lost love and for the landscape that makes us.]]> 288 Madeleine Watts 1668051621 Pamela 0 to-read 3.80 2025
author: Madeleine Watts
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217387750 The second in a witty, USA Today bestselling series following author Eleanor Dash as she goes from wedding guest to murder mystery investigator at her best friend’s wedding on Catalina Island.

Attending your best friend’s wedding should be a piece of (wedding) cake, but not for Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Because murder seems to follow her every time she goes on vacation and is definitely her uninvited plus-one to the special occasion.

Emma Wood, Eleanor’s best friend since childhood, is starring in the movie adaptation of When in Rome, Eleanor’s first novel. Emma is also marrying Fred Winters, a major movie star and Emma’s co-star, who just happens to be playing Connor Smith, Eleanor’s ex and leading man of the series.

Filming wraps and they invite the whole cast and crew to their wedding at nearby Catalina Island. There may be a storm headed their way—because of course there is—but nothing will stop their nuptials . . . that is until Emma receives a note that says “Someone is going to die at the wedding.�

Eleanor is a professional at this point, and she’ll do everything she can to uncover the murderer so true love can prevail . . . before it’s too late for her and the rest of the storm-trapped wedding party.]]> 352 Catherine Mack 1250326133 Pamela 0 to-read 3.73 2025
author: Catherine Mack
name: Pamela
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 28187 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.]]> 377 Rick Riordan 0786838655 Pamela 5
The basic principal of the series is that the Greek gods of mythology do exist and they exist in our world today. And they are still having relations with humans producing demi-gods or what is known as half-bloods that at the age that their powers start to materialize they are drawn to Camp Half-Blood where they are protected from the monsters that want to destroy them while they are learning the skills that will protect them and possibly make them heroes.

Percy Jackson has no idea that he is a half-blood - never understanding why he gets into so much trouble in school and why trouble always seems to find him. Percy is in 6th grade and on a field trip when things start spiraling out of control faster than usual -- the monsters of the mythology world can smell there is something different about him. It is his friend Grover that has been assigned to get him to Camp Half-Blood and safety. Things don't go so well to plan providing an action-filled road trip and the action doesn't stop until the end of the book.

As Percy is learning who he is and how he fits into his world and the world of Greek mythology -- he is assigned a quest from the Oracle:
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned .
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

So Percy sets off on his quest with two friends to help him (Grover, who turns out to be a satyr, and new friend Annabeth, daughter of Athena)-- to find and return Zeus's lightning bolt that has been stolen from Mount Olympus. And he must do it within the next few days -- before the solstice to stop the gods from going to war and destroying the world as we know it.]]> 4.31 2005
author: Rick Riordan
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: myths, teachers, school, adventure, fantasy, identity, guardian, dyslexia, family, dysfunctional-family, survival, 6th-grade, quest, greek-mythology, problem-solving, prophecy, camp
review:
This is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I have read this book before and remembered I had liked it very much -- so I wanted to read it again to see if I still liked it. I gave it 5 stars -- it did not disappoint. The action and characters kept me wanting to read and before long I was done with this one and on to the next title in the series : THE SEA OF MONSTERS.

The basic principal of the series is that the Greek gods of mythology do exist and they exist in our world today. And they are still having relations with humans producing demi-gods or what is known as half-bloods that at the age that their powers start to materialize they are drawn to Camp Half-Blood where they are protected from the monsters that want to destroy them while they are learning the skills that will protect them and possibly make them heroes.

Percy Jackson has no idea that he is a half-blood - never understanding why he gets into so much trouble in school and why trouble always seems to find him. Percy is in 6th grade and on a field trip when things start spiraling out of control faster than usual -- the monsters of the mythology world can smell there is something different about him. It is his friend Grover that has been assigned to get him to Camp Half-Blood and safety. Things don't go so well to plan providing an action-filled road trip and the action doesn't stop until the end of the book.

As Percy is learning who he is and how he fits into his world and the world of Greek mythology -- he is assigned a quest from the Oracle:
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned .
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

So Percy sets off on his quest with two friends to help him (Grover, who turns out to be a satyr, and new friend Annabeth, daughter of Athena)-- to find and return Zeus's lightning bolt that has been stolen from Mount Olympus. And he must do it within the next few days -- before the solstice to stop the gods from going to war and destroying the world as we know it.
]]> 40727118
But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters--the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia--only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name...the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends--Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson--must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family--one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.]]> 279 Rick Riordan 0120000318 Pamela 5
Another school year has gone by and Percy has almost made it to the end without any major mishaps. That is until some new students show up to a dodgeball game and things turn deadly. Camp Half-Blood friend, Annabeth, arrives suddenly to help Percy defeat the monsters and to share news that bad things are happening at camp. The tree that protects the borders of Camp Half-Blood has been poisoned and is dying. The new quest is to save the tree -- but the quest is given to Clarisse, daughter of Ares. Neither Percy nor Annabeth has confidence in Clarisse to succeed -- plus Percy has been plagued with dreams that their friend Grover is in trouble. So Percy and Annabeth secretly leave Camp to rescue Grover and to find the one thing that can heal the tree and save the Camp.

]]> 4.24 2006
author: Rick Riordan
name: Pamela
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: greek-mythology, school, camp, adventure, fantasy, friends, dyslexia, brothers, family, survival, problem-solving, quest, prophecy
review:
This is the second book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series which is at least 100 pages smaller than the first -- but the action doesn't slow down and in fact leaves a cliffhanger ending.

Another school year has gone by and Percy has almost made it to the end without any major mishaps. That is until some new students show up to a dodgeball game and things turn deadly. Camp Half-Blood friend, Annabeth, arrives suddenly to help Percy defeat the monsters and to share news that bad things are happening at camp. The tree that protects the borders of Camp Half-Blood has been poisoned and is dying. The new quest is to save the tree -- but the quest is given to Clarisse, daughter of Ares. Neither Percy nor Annabeth has confidence in Clarisse to succeed -- plus Percy has been plagued with dreams that their friend Grover is in trouble. So Percy and Annabeth secretly leave Camp to rescue Grover and to find the one thing that can heal the tree and save the Camp.


]]>