Brittany's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 22 Aug 2024 07:01:14 -0700 60 Brittany's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Heavy Hitter 202921631
Taylor and Travis. Jennifer and A-Rod. Marilyn and Joe. When a professional athlete and a megawatt star fall in love, the world is obsessed . . .

With four chart-topping albums, Lacey Logan is a superstar whose life no longer feels like her own. Her every move is photographed, videoed, and dissected online, and her carefully curated Instagram feed studied by fans worldwide. To maintain her privacy, Lacey skillfully controls her narrative, showing fans and paparazzi what she wants them to see.

But when Lacey discovers her boyfriend is hiding two devastating secrets—a bad cocaine habit and a pregnant girlfriend—she begins to lose confidence and control of her own story. Then big-shouldered baseball player Jimmy Hodges, a former Rookie of the Year when Lacey was in high school, walks into the bar where she’s venting to a friend. With his shaggy beard and unfashionable button-down, Jimmy is the opposite of the picture-perfect guy Lacey thinks she wants. Soon, sparks fly and inhibitions go out the window when Lacey dares to take some chances.

Lacey and Jimmy are polar opposites. But could this be the forever after they both need?]]> 240 Katie Cotugno 0063393956 Brittany 5 3.14 2024 Heavy Hitter
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2024
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/08/22
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]]> Rabbit & Juliet 199635113
But all that changes when the sarcastic, gorgeous, and frustratingly impenetrable Juliet Bergman walks into Rabbit's life. All hard angles and James Dean bravado, Juliet throws Rabbit a life preserver just before her depression threatened to sink her.

Then one morning, Rabbit's ex-best-friend Sarah--Richard's current girlfriend--shares a horrific discovery about Richard and his crew that pitches Rabbit back into darkness. The three girls vow to enact revenge on the boys for what they've been doing to unsuspecting girls at parties. With Juliet leading the charge and demanding blind loyalty from the girls, Rabbit falls harder for her than she thought possible. It isn't until Rabbit is faced with a startling act of violence that she must decide how far she's willing to go--for herself, for Juliet, and for justice--when love and grief threaten to topple everything.]]> 336 Rebecca Stafford 0063351366 Brittany 5 3.67 2024 Rabbit & Juliet
author: Rebecca Stafford
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/07/26
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]]> Still Life 91519
Stephanie Potter gives up a promising academic career to marry Daniel Orton, while her sister, Frederica, enters Cambridge, and her brother, Marcus, begins recovering from a nervous breakdown.]]> 384 A.S. Byatt 0684835037 Brittany 5 3.89 1985 Still Life
author: A.S. Byatt
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1985
rating: 5
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date added: 2024/03/09
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]]> The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1) 59139035 A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.]]> 336 Jane Harper Brittany 0 4.27 2016 The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1)
author: Jane Harper
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/05
date added: 2023/07/05
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]]> Dune (Dune, #1) 43419431 Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 883 Frank Herbert Brittany 0 currently-reading 4.44 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1965
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/01
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]]> The Gabriel Hounds 61431196
A strange new world awaits Charles and Christy beyond the gates of Dar Ibrahim—"Lady Harriet's" ancient, crumbling palace in High Lebanon—where a physician is always in residence and a handful of Arab servants attends to the odd old woman's every need. But there is a very good—very sinister—reason why guests are not welcome at Dar Ibrahim. And the young cousins are about to discover that, as difficult as it is to break into the dark, imposing edifice, it may prove even harder still to escape.]]> 388 Mary Stewart Brittany 0 currently-reading 4.34 1967 The Gabriel Hounds
author: Mary Stewart
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1967
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/31
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> Then She Was Gone 36012399 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell—perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Liane Moriarty.

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

And then she was gone.

Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?]]> 368 Lisa Jewell 1501154664 Brittany 0 currently-reading 4.18 2017 Then She Was Gone
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/05/29
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]]> <![CDATA[Kushiel's Mercy (Imriel's Trilogy, #3)]]> 6569829 An alternate cover of this edition can be found here

From Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of Kushiel's Scion and Kushiel's Justice, comes the final adventure in the Imriel Trilogy.

Having paid dearly for ignoring Elua's edict to love as thou wilt, Imriel and Sidonie have finally come forward to publicly confess their love for each other -- only to watch the news ignite turmoil throughout the land. Those who are old enough cannot forget the misdeeds of Imriel's mother, Melisande, whose self-serving lies plunged their country into war.

In order to quell the uprising, Queen Ysandre hands down a decree: she will not divide the lovers, but neither will she acknowledge them. And if they decide to marry, Sidonie will be disinherited.

That is, unless Imriel can find his mother and bring her back to Terre D'Ange to be executed for treason...]]> 684 Jacqueline Carey Brittany 0 4.51 2008 Kushiel's Mercy (Imriel's Trilogy, #3)
author: Jacqueline Carey
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2023/05/22
date added: 2023/05/22
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]]> <![CDATA[A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes, #1)]]> 38908121 The first book in a witty, suspenseful new series about a brilliant new crime-solving duo: the teen descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. This clever page-turner will appeal to fans of Maureen Johnson and Ally Carter.

Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices—and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not looking for friends.

But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.]]> 330 Brittany Cavallaro Brittany 0 currently-reading 3.87 2016 A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes, #1)
author: Brittany Cavallaro
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/04/27
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]]> 45416596 From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet” (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

“Heartbreaking, yet beautiful” (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is “Tinseltown drama at its finest” (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.]]> 434 Taylor Jenkins Reid Brittany 0 4.46 2017 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2023/04/27
date added: 2023/04/27
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]]> <![CDATA[Wish You Were Here (Emily Maxwell #1)]]> 19896397 Wish You Were Here. A year after the death of her husband, Emily Maxwell gathers her immediate family together at their summer home on Lake Chautauqua in western New York for a final sendoff and to dole out keepsakes before the new owners move in. Joining Emily is her daughter, Meg, fresh from rehab and upset over her imminent divorce, and Meg's children: the emotionally unstable Justin, and Sarah, a teenage beauty learning to use her charms. Ken, Emily's fortyish slacker son, and his wife, Lisa, also bunk down for the week,Ěýbringing along their two kids: the troubled Sam, and Ella, a plain, smart girl who finds herself with a crush on her cousin, Sarah.

O'Nan has a gift for voicing the inner fears that motivate and stifle us, and his characters move and act as members of a polite society--a family even. Yet each is distinctly alone, with voices and turmoil raging inside. The tension between the characters is keenly drawn, and O'Nan perceptively captures the snippets of thought and memory that follow us around. Ken notes "he assumed more than he knew, not only about the world--whose workings would remain closed, forever a mystery--but even those closest to him." Emily, while preparing dinner, finds her late husband's bottle of scotch, and imbibes:

She went to the window over the sink and held it up to the light, long now and mote-struck, casting shadows under the chestnut, firing an amber glow in her hand.... She looked around the kitchen again as if she'd forgotten something but couldn't find what it was.

Wish You Were Here is an excellent character study of a family grudgingly plodding forward while believing the best chance for happiness passed by sometime ago. --Michael Ferch

]]> 530 Stewart O'Nan Brittany 0 currently-reading 3.40 2002 Wish You Were Here (Emily Maxwell #1)
author: Stewart O'Nan
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/04/23
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts]]> 58805668 They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done will guide you through every step of the novel writing process, from getting started on those first pages to the last tips for making your final draft even tighter and stronger. From lauded writer and teacher Matt Bell, Refuse to Be Done is encouraging and intensely practical, focusing always on specific rewriting tasks, techniques, and activities for every stage of the process. You won’t find bromides here about the “the writing Muse.” Instead, Bell breaks down the writing process in three sections. In the first, Bell shares a bounty of tactics, all meant to push you through the initial conception and get words on the page. The second focuses on reworking the narrative through outlining, modeling, and rewriting. The third and final section offers a layered approach to polishing through a checklist of operations, breaking the daunting project of final revisions into many small, achievable tasks.Ěý Whether you are a first time novelist or a veteran writer, you will find an abundance of strategies here to help motivate you and shake up your revision process, allowing you to approach your work, day after day and month after month, with fresh eyes and sharp new tools.]]> 169 Matt Bell 164129342X Brittany 0 currently-reading 4.51 2022 Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts
author: Matt Bell
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/04/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection]]> 6640453 Dr. John E. Sarno's groundbreaking research on TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome) reveals how stress and other psychological factors can cause back pain-and how you can be pain free without drugs, exercise, or surgery.Dr. Sarno's program has helped thousands of patients find relief from chronic back conditions. In this New York Times bestseller, Dr. Sarno teaches you how to identify stress and other psychological factors that cause back pain and demonstrates how to heal yourself--without drugs, surgery or exercise. Find self-motivated and successful people are prone to Tension Myoneural Syndrome (TMS)How anxiety and repressed anger trigger muscle spasmsHow people condition themselves to accept back pain as inevitableWith case histories and the results of in-depth mind-body research, Dr. Sarno reveals how you can recognize the emotional roots of your TMS and sever the connections between mental and physical pain...and start recovering from back pain today.]]> 208 John E. Sarno Brittany 0 currently-reading 4.14 1982 Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection
author: John E. Sarno
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1982
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/04/03
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Banewreaker (The Sundering, #1)]]> 11261393 513 Jacqueline Carey Brittany 0 currently-reading 3.64 2004 Banewreaker (The Sundering, #1)
author: Jacqueline Carey
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2004
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/04/01
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]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)]]> 54479197 Global phenomenon Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, richly imagined #1 bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series continues with the journey of Feyre’s fiery sister, Nesta.

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance—and healing—in each other’s arms.]]> 757 Sarah J. Maas Brittany 0 4.61 2021 A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
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]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 36156268
Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.
Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the far-reaching effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.]]> 272 Sarah J. Maas Brittany 0 currently-reading 3.97 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/24
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> The Good Sister 42379024 An electrifying novel about the unyielding bond between two sisters, which is severely tested when one of them is accused of the worst imaginable crime.

Martha and Becky Blackwater are more than sisters--they're each other's lifelines. When Martha finds herself struggling to balance early motherhood and her growing business, Becky steps in to babysit her niece, Layla, without a second thought, bringing the two women closer than ever. But when Layla is found dead one morning, at only eight weeks old, Becky is charged with the unthinkable: the murder of her sister's child.

Nine months later, Becky is on trial and maintains her innocence--and so does Martha. Unable to shake the feeling that her sister couldn't possibly be guilty, Martha sets out to uncover exactly what happened that night, and how things could have gone so wrong. As the trial progresses, fault lines between the sisters begin to show--revealing cracks deep in their relationship and threatening the family each has worked so hard to build. With incredible empathy and resounding emotional heft, The Good Sister is a powerhouse of a novel that will lead readers to question everything they know about motherhood, family, and the price of forgiveness.]]> 400 Gillian McAllister 0525539409 Brittany 0 currently-reading 3.76 2018 The Good Sister
author: Gillian McAllister
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/22
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]]> The Survivors 53519886 Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets in The Survivors, a thrilling mystery by New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper.

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

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

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

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...]]> 379 Jane Harper 1250232414 Brittany 0 currently-reading 3.94 2020 The Survivors
author: Jane Harper
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/05
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]]> The Lost Man 40969470
The third brother lies dead at their feet.

Something caused Cam, the middle child who had been in charge of the family homestead, to die alone in the middle of nowhere.

So the eldest brother returns with his younger sibling to the family property and those left behind. But the fragile balance of the ranch is threatened. Amidst the grief, suspicion starts to take hold, and the eldest brother begins to wonder if more than one among them is at risk of crumbling as the weight of isolation bears down on them all.

]]> 352 Jane Harper 1250105692 Brittany 0 currently-reading 4.21 2018 The Lost Man
author: Jane Harper
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/04
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> Exiles (Aaron Falk, #3) 60807061
A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

An outstanding novel, a brilliant mystery and a heart-pounding read from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors.]]> 352 Jane Harper 1250874866 Brittany 0 4.19 2022 Exiles (Aaron Falk, #3)
author: Jane Harper
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2023/03/04
date added: 2023/03/04
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]]> Birds of California 59028605
Unlike Fiona, Sam Fox, who played her older brother on the popular television show Birds of California, loves the perks that come with being a successful Hollywood actor: fame, women, parties, money. When his current show gets cancelled and his agent starts to avoid his calls, the desperate actor enthusiastically signs on for a Birds of California revival. But to make it happen, he needs Fiona St. James.

Against her better judgment, Fiona agrees to have lunch with Sam. What happens next takes them both by surprise. Sam is enthralled by Fiona's take-no-prisoners attitude, and Fiona discovers a lovable goofball behind Sam's close-up-ready face. Long drives to the beach, late nights at dive bars... theirs is the kind of kitschy romance Hollywood sells. But just like in the rom-coms Fiona despises, there's a twist that threatens her new love. Sam doesn't know the full story behind her breakdown. What happens when she reveals the truth?

Sparks fly and things get real in this sharply sexy and whip-smart romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a post #metoo Hollywood from New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno--page-turning escapist fun in the spirit of Beach Read, The Kiss Quotient, and Red, White and Royal Blue.]]> 288 Katie Cotugno 0063159147 Brittany 5 3.43 2022 Birds of California
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2022/04/30
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]]> Just Kids 7741657 Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.]]> 306 Patti Smith 0060936223 Brittany 5 all-time-favorites 4.33 2010 Just Kids
author: Patti Smith
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/07/07
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:

]]> The Lightness 40581591 A stylish, stunningly precise, and suspenseful meditation on adolescent desire, female friendship, and the female body that shimmers with rage, wit, and fierce longing—an audacious, darkly observant, and mordantly funny literary debut for fans of Emma Cline, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Jenny Offill.

One year ago, the person Olivia adores most in the world, her father, left home for a meditation retreat in the mountains and never returned. Yearning to make sense of his shocking departure and to escape her overbearing mother—a woman as grounded as her father is mercurial—Olivia runs away from home and retraces his path to a place known as the Levitation Center.

Once there, she enrolls in their summer program for troubled teens, which Olivia refers to as “Buddhist Boot Camp for Bad Girls”. Soon, she finds herself drawn into the company of a close-knit trio of girls determined to transcend their circumstances, by any means necessary. Led by the elusive and beautiful Serena, and her aloof, secretive acolytes, Janet and Laurel, the girls decide this is the summer they will finally achieve enlightenment—and learn to levitate, to defy the weight of their bodies, to experience ultimate lightness.Ěý

But as desire and danger intertwine, and Olivia comes ever closer to discovering what a body—and a girl—is capable of, it becomes increasingly clear that this is an advanced and perilous practice, and there’s a chance not all of them will survive. Set over the course of one fateful summer that unfolds like a fever dream, The Lightness juxtaposes fairy tales with quantum physics, cognitive science with religious fervor, and the passions and obsessions of youth with all of these, to explore concepts as complex as faith and as simple as loving people—even though you don’t, and can’t, know them at all.

]]> 300 Emily Temple 0008332673 Brittany 5 3.56 2020 The Lightness
author: Emily Temple
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/06/01
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Gorgeous, compelling, richly textured. Like reading Megan Abbott doing Renata Adler, only even more original and electric than that. I loved this book.
]]> The Witch Elm 46007673 509 Tana French 0735224641 Brittany 5 3.55 2018 The Witch Elm
author: Tana French
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/03/07
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]]> Station Eleven 21792828 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 354 Emily St. John Mandel Brittany 5 4.13 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/12/23
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]]> People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806750 Brittany 5 3.85 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/16
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]]> The Searcher 52661162
Then a local boy appeals to him for help. His brother is missing, and no one in the village, least of all the police, seems to care. And once again, Cal feels that restless itch.

Something is wrong in this community, and he must find out what, even if it brings trouble to his door.]]> 451 Tana French 073522465X Brittany 5 to-read 3.70 2020 The Searcher
author: Tana French
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows, #2)]]> 40570961
At least Sora understands what they’re up against. Or so she believes, until she overhears the Dragon Prince bargaining with the god of war for immortality and learns that ryuu magic may be a more insidious danger than she realized.

Suddenly, the stakes are higher and even more personal for Sora—not only must she stop a seemingly indestructible Prince Gin, but she must also unravel the secrets of ryuu magic before it is too late for nearly everyone she loves.

And as Sora, Daemon, Fairy, and Broomstick face dangerous obstacles at every turn, the greatest challenge may be discovering who they truly are, and what, if anything, they are capable of.]]> 400 Evelyn Skye 0062643770 Brittany 5 3.77 2020 Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows, #2)
author: Evelyn Skye
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/09/06
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)]]> 35553692 A thrilling new fantasy series full of magic and betrayal—from Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of the Crown’s Game series.

Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigas—marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona.

As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite group—but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, it’s been difficult to make their mark.

So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Sora’s life forever—and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone she’s ever loved.

Love, spies, and adventure abound as Sora and Daemon unravel a complex web of magic and secrets that might tear them—and the entire kingdom—apart forever. ]]> 400 Evelyn Skye 0062643746 Brittany 5 3.37 2019 Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)
author: Evelyn Skye
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/09/06
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Crown's Fate (The Crown's Game, #2)]]> 27211901
Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom.

For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world.

With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.]]> 425 Evelyn Skye 0062422618 Brittany 5 3.66 2017 The Crown's Fate (The Crown's Game, #2)
author: Evelyn Skye
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/09/06
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1)]]> 26156203
And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip-smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love…or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear—the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.]]> 407 Evelyn Skye 0062422588 Brittany 5 3.82 2016 The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1)
author: Evelyn Skye
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2016
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/09/06
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]]> Birdsong 6259 483 Sebastian Faulks 0679776818 Brittany 0 to-read 4.11 1993 Birdsong
author: Sebastian Faulks
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/05/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> H is for Hawk 18803640
When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She buys Mabel for ÂŁ800 on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge. Then she fills the freezer with hawk food and unplugs the phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals.

Destined to be a classic of nature writing, "H is for Hawk" is a record of a spiritual journey - an unflinchingly honest account of Macdonald's struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk's taming and her own untaming. At the same time, it's a kaleidoscopic biography of the brilliant and troubled novelist T. H. White, best known for "The Once and Future King." It's a book about memory, nature and nation, and how it might be possible to try to reconcile death with life and love.]]> 300 Helen Macdonald 0224097008 Brittany 5 3.73 2014 H is for Hawk
author: Helen Macdonald
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/05/04
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]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)]]> 52263433
With the clues leading back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends, to their rival clique, and to the tangle of relationships that bound them all to the murdered boy, the private underworld of teenage girls turns out to be more mysterious and more dangerous than the detectives imagined.

An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.]]> 541 Tana French 0143127519 Brittany 5 3.85 2014 The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)
author: Tana French
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/04
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]]> <![CDATA[The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad, #6)]]> 34267285
Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers lovers’ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed-to-a-shine, and dead in her catalog-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There’s nothing unusual about her—except that Antoinette’s seen her somewhere before.

And that her death won’t stay in its neat by-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn’s boyfriend, fast. There’s a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinetteʼs road. Aislinnʼs friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.

Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but she can’t tell just how far gone she is. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface?]]> 464 Tana French 0143110381 Brittany 4 3.97 2016 The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad, #6)
author: Tana French
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/04/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Broken Harbor (Dublin Murder Squad, #4)]]> 16171207
On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks itʼs going to be an easy solve, but too many small things canʼt be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spainsʼ walls, the files erased from the familyʼs computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the houseʼs locks. And this neighborhood—once called Broken Harbor—holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister, Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.]]> 450 Tana French Brittany 5 3.96 2012 Broken Harbor (Dublin Murder Squad, #4)
author: Tana French
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2012
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/04/04
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]]> Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]> 371 Emily Henry 1984806734 Brittany 5 3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/04/01
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]]> Writers & Lovers 52715989 Euphoria, Lily King returns with an unforgettable portrait of an artist as a young woman.

Blindsided by her mother's sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. Her mail consists of wedding invitations and final notices from debt collectors. A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she's been writing for six years. At thirty-one, Casey is still clutching onto something nearly all her old friends have let go of: the determination to live a creative life. When she falls for two very different men at the same time, her world fractures even more. Casey's fight to fulfill her creative ambitions and balance the conflicting demands of art and life is challenged in ways that push her to the brink.

Writers & Lovers follows Casey--a smart and achingly vulnerable protagonist--in the last days of a long youth, a time when every element of her life comes to a crisis. Written with King's trademark humor, heart, and intelligence, Writers & Lovers is a transfixing novel that explores the terrifying and exhilarating leap between the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another.]]> 324 Lily King 0802148530 Brittany 0 to-read 3.99 2020 Writers & Lovers
author: Lily King
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/03/26
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]]> Trust Exercise 40046059
In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving “Brotherhood of the Arts,” two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school’s walls—until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true—though it’s not false, either. It takes until the book’s stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place—revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence.

As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.]]> 257 Susan Choi 1250309883 Brittany 5 3.12 2019 Trust Exercise
author: Susan Choi
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.12
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/03/24
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]]> Alone Out Here 48506354 What do you stand for, when you're one of the last left standing?

The year is 2072. Soon a volcanic eruption will trigger catastrophic devastation, and the only way out is up.

While the world’s leaders, scientists, and engineers oversee the frantic production of a space fleet meant to save humankind, their children are brought in for a weekend of touring the Lazarus, a high-tech prototype spaceship. But when the apocalypse arrives months ahead of schedule, First Daughter Leigh Chen and a handful of teens from the tour are the only ones to escape the planet. This is the new world: a starship loaded with a catalog of human artifacts, a frozen menagerie of animal DNA, and fifty-three terrified survivors. From the panic arises a coalition of leaders, spearheaded by the pilot’s enigmatic daughter, Eli, who takes the wheel in their hunt for a habitable planet. But as isolation presses in, their uneasy peace begins to fracture. The struggle for control will mean the difference between survival and oblivion, and Leigh must decide whether to stand on the side of the mission or of her own humanity.

With aching poignancy and tense, heart-in-your-mouth action, this enthralling saga will stay with readers long after the final page.]]> 12 Riley Redgate Brittany 0 to-read 3.74 2022 Alone Out Here
author: Riley Redgate
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/03/17
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]]> You Say It First 51822300
Colby is stuck in a rut, reeling from a family tragedy and working a dead-end job—unsure what his future holds, or if he even cares. The last thing he has time for is some privileged rich girl preaching the sanctity of the political process. So he says the worst thing he can think of and hangs up.

But things don’t end there.…

That night on the phone winds up being the first in a series of candid, sometimes heated, always surprising conversations that lead to a long-distance friendship and then—slowly—to something more. Across state lines and phone lines, Meg and Colby form a once-in-a-lifetime connection. But in the end, are they just too different to make it work?

You Say It First is a propulsive, layered novel about how sometimes the person who has the least in common with us can be the one who changes us most.]]> 368 Katie Cotugno 0062674129 Brittany 0 to-read 3.34 2020 You Say It First
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/02/27
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]]> Grown Ups 49931310
Jenny McLaine’s life is falling apart. Her friendships are flagging. Her body has failed her. She’s just lost her column at The Foof because she isn’t the fierce voice new feminism needs. Her ex has gotten together with another woman. And worst of all: Jenny’s mother is about to move in. Having left home at eighteen to remake herself as a self-sufficient millennial, Jenny is now in her thirties and nothing is as she thought it would be. Least of all adulthood.

Told in live-wire prose, texts, emails, script dialogue, and social media messages, Grown Ups is a neurotic dramedy of 21st-century manners for the digital age. It reckons with what it means to exist in a woman’s body: to sing and dance and work and mother and sparkle and equalize and not complain and be beautiful and love your imperfections and stay strong and show your vulnerability and bake and box…

But, despite our impossible expectations of women, Emma Jane Unsworth never lets Jenny off the hook. Jenny’s life is falling apart at her own hands and whether or not she has help from her mother or her friends, Jenny is the only one who will be able to pick up the pieces and learn how to, more or less, grow up. Or will she?]]> 352 Emma Jane Unsworth 198214193X Brittany 0 to-read 3.16 2020 Grown Ups
author: Emma Jane Unsworth
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/02/17
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]]> <![CDATA[The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz]]> 51227088 The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and The Devil in the White City delivers a startlingly fresh portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz

On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons (30,000 of them Londoners) and destroying two million homes. It was up to Churchill to hold the country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally--that she was willing to fight to the end.

In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless." It is a story of political brinksmanship but also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill's prime-ministerial country house, Chequers, and his wartime residence, Ditchley, where Churchill and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest. Drawing on a wealth of untapped sources, including recently declassified files, intelligence reports, and personal diaries only now available, Larson provides a new lens on London's darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their daughters, Sarah, Diana, and the youngest, Mary, who chafes against her parents' wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; her illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the cadre of close advisors who comprised Churchill's "Secret Circle," including his dangerously observant private secretary, John Colville; newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook; and the Rasputin-like Federick Lindemann.

The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today's political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when--in the face of unrelenting horror--Churchill's eloquence, strategic brilliance, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.]]> 585 Erik Larson Brittany 0 to-read 4.28 2020 The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
author: Erik Larson
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/02/17
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]]> The Dutch House 44318414
The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.]]> 337 Ann Patchett 0062963678 Brittany 0 to-read 4.08 2019 The Dutch House
author: Ann Patchett
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/02/17
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]]> Marilou Is Everywhere 36222278 Consumed by the longing for a different life, a teenager flees her family and carefully slips into another -- replacing a girl whose own sudden disappearance still haunts the town.

Fourteen-year-old Cindy and her two older brothers live in rural Pennsylvania, in a house with occasional electricity, two fierce dogs, one book, and a mother who comes and goes for months at a time. Deprived of adult supervision, the siblings rely on one another for nourishment of all kinds. As Cindy's brothers take on new responsibilities for her care, the shadow of danger looms larger and the status quo no longer seems tolerable.

So when a glamorous teen from a more affluent, cultured home goes missing, Cindy escapes her own family's poverty and slips into the missing teen's life. As Jude Vanderjohn, Cindy is suddenly surrounded by books and art, by new foods and traditions, and most important, by a startling sense of possibility. In her borrowed life she also finds herself accepting the confused love of a mother who is constitutionally incapable of grasping what has happened to her real daughter. As Cindy experiences overwhelming maternal love for the first time, she must reckon with her own deceits and, in the process, learn what it means to be a daughter, a sister, and a neighbor.

Marilou Is Everywhere is a powerful, propulsive portrait of an overlooked girl who finds for the first time that her choices matter.]]> 276 Sarah Elaine Smith 0525535241 Brittany 5 to-read 3.39 2019 Marilou Is Everywhere
author: Sarah Elaine Smith
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/02/17
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]]> Inheritors 48635386 Inheritors paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of its characters as they grapple with the legacies of loss, imperialism, and war.

Written from myriad perspectives and in a wide range of styles, each of these interconnected stories is designed to speak to the others, contesting assumptions and illuminating the complicated ways we experience, interpret, and pass on our personal and shared histories. A retired doctor, for example, is forced to confront the horrific moral consequences of his wartime actions. An elderly woman subjects herself to an interview, gradually revealing a fifty-year old murder and its shattering aftermath. And in the last days of a doomed war, a prodigal son who enlisted against his parents' wishes survives the American invasion of his island outpost, only to be asked for a sacrifice more daunting than any he imagined.]]> 288 Asako Serizawa 0385545371 Brittany 0 to-read 3.80 2020 Inheritors
author: Asako Serizawa
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/02/17
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness]]> 33516728
The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness is a memoir with a mission, to help the millions of (mostly) women who suffer from unnamed or misunderstood conditions.

Ramey's pursuit of a diagnosis and cure for her own mysterious illness is a medical mystery that she says reveals a new understanding of today's chronic illnesses as ecological in nature, driven by modern changes to the basic foundations of health, from the quality of our sleep, diet, and social connection to the state of our microbiomes.]]> 432 Sarah Ramey 0385534078 Brittany 0 to-read 3.67 2020 The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness
author: Sarah Ramey
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/02/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Blood Countess (Lady Slayers, #1)]]> 43908877 A historical YA horror novel based on the infamous real-life inspiration for Countess Dracula

In 16th century Hungary, Anna Darvulia has just begun working as a scullery maid for the young and glamorous Countess Elizabeth Báthory. When Elizabeth takes a liking to Anna, she’s vaulted to the dream role of chambermaid, a far cry from the filthy servants’ quarters below. She receives wages generous enough to provide for her family, and the Countess begins to groom Anna as her friend and confidante. It’s not long before Anna falls completely under the Countess’s spell—and the Countess takes full advantage. Isolated from her former friends, family, and fiancé, Anna realizes she’s not a friend but a prisoner of the increasingly cruel Elizabeth. Then come the murders, and Anna knows it’s only a matter of time before the Blood Countess turns on her, too.]]> 293 Lana Popović 1419738860 Brittany 5 3.46 2020 Blood Countess (Lady Slayers, #1)
author: Lana Popović
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/20
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy, #1)]]> 31373184 The dreamers walk among us . . . and so do the dreamed. Those who dream cannot stop dreaming – they can only try to control it. Those who are dreamed cannot have their own lives – they will sleep forever if their dreamers die.

And then there are those who are drawn to the dreamers. To use them. To trap them. To kill them before their dreams destroy us all.

Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.

Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . .]]> 472 Maggie Stiefvater 1338188321 Brittany 5 4.24 2019 Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy, #1)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/11/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1)]]> 40037479 1 A little girl disappears in the night.
2 A beautiful young office worker falls to a maniac's attack.
3 A new mother is overwhelmed by demands from her baby and husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.
Result : Startling connections and discoveries emerge. . . .]]> 434 Kate Atkinson Brittany 5 3.84 2004 Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1)
author: Kate Atkinson
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/23
date added: 2019/06/23
shelves:
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]]> Dual Citizens 41880605 Following The Missing Person and Inside, Alix Ohlin's third novel is a masterful achievement: a joint coming-of-age story and an achingly poignant portrait of the strange, painful, ultimately life-sustaining bonds between sisters.

Lark and Robin are half-sisters whose similarities end at being named for birds. While Lark is shy and studious, Robin is wild and artistic. Raised in Montreal by their disinterested single mother, they form a fierce team in childhood despite these differences. As they grow up, Lark excels at school and Robin becomes an extraordinary pianist. At seventeen, Lark flees to America to attend college, where she finds her calling in documentary films, and her sister soon joins her.

Later, in New York City, the sisters find themselves tested: Lark struggles with self-doubt, and Robin chafes against the demands of Juilliard. Under pressure, their bond grows strained and ultimately broken, and their paths diverge. Lark leaves New York when she meets Lawrence Wheelock, a renowned filmmaker who becomes both her employer and occasional lover, while Robin returns to Canada. When Wheelock denies Lark what she hopes for most of all--a child--she is forced to re-examine a life marked by unrealized ambitions and thwarted desires. And as she takes charge of her destiny, Lark discovers that despite their complicated, oftentimes painful relationship, there is only one person she can truly rely on: her sister.

In this gripping, unforgettable novel about motherhood, sisterhood, desire, and self-knowledge, Alix Ohlin traces the rich and complex path towards fulfillment as an artist and a human being, capturing the peculiar language of sisters and making visible the imperceptible strings that bind us to the ones we love--or have loved--for good.]]> 288 Alix Ohlin 0525521895 Brittany 0 to-read 3.67 2019 Dual Citizens
author: Alix Ohlin
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/06/18
shelves: to-read
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]]> Make/Shift 40587453 189 Joe Sacksteder 194644832X Brittany 5 4.54 Make/Shift
author: Joe Sacksteder
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.54
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/06/18
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review:

]]> Normal People 37539457
A year later, they're both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.]]> 266 Sally Rooney 0571334644 Brittany 5 3.93 2018 Normal People
author: Sally Rooney
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/08
shelves:
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]]> Cape May 40121926 Cape May explores the social and sexual mores of 1950s America through the eyes of a newly married couple from the genteel south corrupted by sophisticated New England urbanites.

Late September 1957. Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon only to find the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara’s lover; and Alma, Max’s aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn.

The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences.

Erotic and moving, this is a novel about marriage, love and sexuality, and the lifelong repercussions that meeting a group of debauched cosmopolitans has on a new marriage.]]> 256 Chip Cheek 125029715X Brittany 5 2.97 2019 Cape May
author: Chip Cheek
name: Brittany
average rating: 2.97
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/03
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]]> When the Sky Fell on Splendor 40390513
In the wake of the tragedy, Franny found solace in a group of friends whose experiences mirrored her own. The group calls themselves The Ordinary, and they spend their free time investigating local ghost stories and legends, filming their exploits for their small following of YouTube fans. It's silly, it's fun, and it keeps them from dwelling on the sadness that surrounds them.

Until one evening, when the strange and dangerous thing they film isn't fiction--it's a bright light, something massive hurtling toward them from the sky. And when it crashes and the teens go to investigate...everything changes.]]> 384 Emily Henry Brittany 5 3.22 2019 When the Sky Fell on Splendor
author: Emily Henry
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/03/12
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This was such an amazing story about friendship and family and what happens after the worst possible thing happens. I loved this book so, so much. It's like the Super 8 / Stranger Things -- but make it more magic -- book of my dreams.
]]> <![CDATA[Gloss (Wisconsin Poetry Series)]]> 43216881 104 Rebecca Hazelton 0299321649 Brittany 5 4.37 2019 Gloss (Wisconsin Poetry Series)
author: Rebecca Hazelton
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/03/05
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]]> Fire Sermon 35412371 224 Jamie Quatro 0802127045 Brittany 5 3.52 2018 Fire Sermon
author: Jamie Quatro
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/12/12
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]]> Sadie 34810320 A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.]]> 308 Courtney Summers 1250105714 Brittany 5 4.04 2018 Sadie
author: Courtney Summers
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/11/20
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]]> The Echo Room 33803106 The only thing worse than being locked in is facing what you locked out.

Rett Ward knows how to hide. He's had six years of practice at Walling Home, the state-run boarding school where he learned how to keep his head down to survive.

But when Rett wakes up locked in a small depot with no memory of how he got there, he can't hide. Not from the stranger in the next room. Or from the fact that there's someone else's blood on his jumpsuit.

Worse, every time he tries to escape, he wakes up right back where he started. Same day, same stranger, same bloodstained jumpsuit.

As memories start to surface, Rett realizes that the logo on the walls is familiar, the stranger isn't a stranger, and the blood on his jumpsuit belongs to someone--or something--banging on the door to get in.]]> 320 Parker Peevyhouse 0765399415 Brittany 5 3.35 2018 The Echo Room
author: Parker Peevyhouse
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/11
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]]> Spinning Silver 36896898 Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into a glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.]]> 465 Naomi Novik Brittany 5 4.20 2018 Spinning Silver
author: Naomi Novik
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)]]> 29588376 ASIN B000JMKNJ2 moved to the more recent edition

An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.]]> 752 Scott Lynch Brittany 5 4.31 2006 The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2018/08/19
date added: 2018/08/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles, #1)]]> 17312156 Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.

Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

Act fast! The first printing of the hardcover includes a collector’s edition poster!]]> 465 Tamora Pierce 0375847111 Brittany 0 to-read 4.06 2018 Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles, #1)
author: Tamora Pierce
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> You Will Know Me 25251757 You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of desire, jealousy, and ambition.]]> 345 Megan Abbott 031623107X Brittany 5 3.42 2016 You Will Know Me
author: Megan Abbott
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/19
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]]> Give Me Your Hand 29569206 A mesmerizing psychological thriller about how a secret can bind two friends together forever...or tear them apart.

Kit Owens harbored only modest ambitions for herself when the mysterious Diane Fleming appeared in her high school chemistry class. But Diane's academic brilliance lit a fire in Kit, and the two developed an unlikely friendship. Until Diane shared a secret that changed everything between them.

More than a decade later, Kit thinks she's put Diane behind her forever and she's begun to fulfill the scientific dreams Diane awakened in her. But the past comes roaring back when she discovers that Diane is her competition for a position both women covet, taking part in groundbreaking new research led by their idol. Soon enough, the two former friends find themselves locked in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that threatens to destroy them both.]]> 352 Megan Abbott 031654728X Brittany 5 3.30 2018 Give Me Your Hand
author: Megan Abbott
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee]]> 40645629 A contemporary novel about two best friends who must make tough decisions about their futures--and the TV show they host--in their senior year of high school.

Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six.

But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show's guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder.

Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he'll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too.

As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous...and momentous.]]> 400 Jeff Zentner 1524720208 Brittany 5 3.96 2019 Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee
author: Jeff Zentner
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/13
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]]> 9 Days and 9 Nights 35068736 99 Days.

Molly Barlow isn’t that girl anymore. A business major at her college in Boston, she’s reinvented herself after everything that went down a year ago . . . after all the people she hurt and the family she tore apart.

Slowly, life is getting back to normal. Molly has just said “I love you” to her new boyfriend, Ian, and they are off on a romantic European vacation together, starting with scenic London. But there on a Tube platform, the past catches up to her in the form of Gabe, her ex, traveling on his own parallel vacation with new girlfriend Sadie.

After comparing itineraries, Ian ends up extending an invite for Gabe and Sadie to join them on the next leg of their trip, to Ireland. Sadie, who’s dying to go there, jumps at the prospect. And Molly and Gabe can’t bring themselves to tell the truth about who they once were to each other to their new significant others.

Now Molly has to spend nine days and nine nights with the boy she once loved, the boy whose heart she shredded, without Ian knowing. Will she make it through as new, improved Molly, or will everything that happened between her and Gabe come rushing back?]]> 263 Katie Cotugno 0062674110 Brittany 5 3.64 2018 9 Days and 9 Nights
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/07/01
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]]> Never-Contented Things 39863312 Seductive. Cruel. Bored.
Be wary of…

Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries ― until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them.

First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price ― and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom.]]> 368 Sarah Porter 0765396734 Brittany 5 3.01 2019 Never-Contented Things
author: Sarah Porter
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.01
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/05/03
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]]> Paris by the Book 35450129 A missing person, a grieving family, a curious clue: a half-finished manuscript set in Paris. Heading off in search of its author, a mother and her daughters find themselves in France, rescuing a failing bookstore and drawing closer to unexpected truths.

Once a week, I chase men who are not my husband….

When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah, their daughters, and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris.

Hoping to uncover clues—and her husband—Leah sets off for France with her girls. Upon their arrival, she discovers an unfinished manuscript, one Robert had been writing without her knowledge…and that he had set in Paris. The Eady women follow the path of the manuscript to a small, floundering English-language bookstore whose weary proprietor is eager to sell. The whole store? Today? Yes, but Leah’s biggest surprise comes when she hears herself accepting the offer on the spot.

As the family settles into their new Parisian life, they can’t help but trace the literary paths of some beloved Parisian classics, including Madeline and The Red Balloon, hoping more clues arise. But a series of startling discoveries forces Leah to consider that she may not be ready for what solving this mystery might do to her family—and the Paris she thought she knew.

At once haunting and charming, Paris by the Book follows one woman’s journey as her story is being rewritten, exploring the power of family and the magic that hides within the pages of a book.]]> 344 Liam Callanan 1101986271 Brittany 5 3.12 2018 Paris by the Book
author: Liam Callanan
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.12
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/03/27
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]]> <![CDATA[The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)]]> 34275232
Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.]]> 359 Melissa Albert 1250147905 Brittany 5 3.55 2018 The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)
author: Melissa Albert
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/03/27
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]]> The Heart's Invisible Furies 33253215 real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.

At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from – and over his three score years and ten, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.]]> 582 John Boyne Brittany 5 4.51 2017 The Heart's Invisible Furies
author: John Boyne
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/02/28
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]]> The Immortalists 30288282 If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?

It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.

The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.

A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.]]> 346 Chloe Benjamin 0735213186 Brittany 5 all-time-favorites 3.68 2018 The Immortalists
author: Chloe Benjamin
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/12/30
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:
Incredible. I'll save my full review for now, but I can't wait until this is out in the world!
]]> Top Ten 33799302
10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met.
9. Then there was our awkward phase.
8. When you were in love with me but never told me…
7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life.
6. Through terrible fights…
5. And emotional makeups.
4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken.
3. …but at times, you were also the one breaking it.
2. Above all, you helped me make sense of the world.
1. Now, as we head off to college—how am I possibly going to live without you?]]> 320 Katie Cotugno 0062418300 Brittany 5 3.29 2017 Top Ten
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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date added: 2017/10/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Top Ten: A Contemporary Young Adult Romance Story of High School Graduation, Friendship, and Change]]> 34034451
Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of best friends. Prickly, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ultra-popular Ryan is a hockey star who can get any girl he wants—and frequently does.

But somehow their relationship just works; from dorky Monopoly nights to rowdy house parties to the top ten lists they make about everything under the sun.

Now, on the night of high school graduation, everything is suddenly changing—in their lives, and in their relationship. As they try to figure out what they mean to each other and where to go from here, they make a final top ten this time, counting down the top ten moments of their friendship.]]> 368 Katie Cotugno 0062418327 Brittany 5 Loved it

Just so amazing and smart and heartfelt. Gorgeously written. I loved these characters, especially prickly, lovely Gabby, and loved reading their story.]]> 3.36 2017 Top Ten: A Contemporary Young Adult Romance Story of High School Graduation, Friendship, and Change
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/03
date added: 2017/10/03
shelves:
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Loved it

Just so amazing and smart and heartfelt. Gorgeously written. I loved these characters, especially prickly, lovely Gabby, and loved reading their story.
]]> Fireworks 29523625
It was always meant to be Olivia. She was the talented one, the one who had been training to be a star her whole life. Her best friend, Dana, was the level-headed one, always on the sidelines, cheering her best friend along.

But everything changes when Dana tags along with Olivia to Orlando for the weekend, where superproducer Guy Monroe is holding auditions for a new singing group, and Dana is discovered too. Dana, who’s never sung more than Olivia’s backup. Dana, who wasn’t even looking for fame. Next thing she knows, she and Olivia are training to be pop stars, and Dana is falling for Alex, the earnest, endlessly talented boy who’s destined to be the next big thing.

It should be a dream come true, but as the days of grueling practice and constant competition take their toll, things between Olivia and Dana start to shift . . . and there’s only room at the top for one girl. For Olivia, it’s her chance at her dream. For Dana, it’s a chance to escape a future that seems to be closing in on her. And for these lifelong best friends, it’s the adventure of a lifetime—if they can make it through.

Set in evocative 1990s Orlando, New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno’s Fireworks brings to life the complexity of friendship, the excitement of first love, and the feeling of being on the verge of greatness.]]> 336 Katie Cotugno 0062660241 Brittany 5 3.36 2017 Fireworks
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/07/03
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]]> How to Love 17332564
Three years later there's a new love in Reena's life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena's gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she's finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as suddenly as he disappeared Sawyer returns. Reena doesn't want anything to do with him, though she'd be lying if she said his being back wasn't stirring something in her. After everything that's happened, can Reena let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?]]> 389 Katie Cotugno 006221635X Brittany 5 3.68 2013 How to Love
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/05/23
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]]> 99 Days 22836575
Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.]]> 384 Katie Cotugno 0062216384 Brittany 5 3.31 2015 99 Days
author: Katie Cotugno
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/05/23
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]]> A Million Junes 30763950
Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June—an O’Donnell to her core—never questioned her late father’s deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O’Donnells and the Angerts may have mythic legacies, but for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them.

As Saul and June’s connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers seem to be conspiring to reveal the truth about the harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations. Now June must question everything she knows about her family and the father she adored, and she must decide whether it’s finally time for her—and all the O’Donnells before her—to let go.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0448493969 Brittany 5 3.80 2017 A Million Junes
author: Emily Henry
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/05/09
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review:
Emily Henry will make you cry, laugh, turn pages obsessively, spend your hours away from this book dreaming about it. She has that deft lyrical touch in her writing and that amazing knack for writing both relationships and friendships--especially female ones. This is a book I wanted to linger in. An achingly romantic book about grief and love and growing up. The question is how soon I can reread it.
]]> Ramona Blue 31449227
Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.]]> 408 Julie Murphy 0062418351 Brittany 5 3.90 2017 Ramona Blue
author: Julie Murphy
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/05/08
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]]> Goodbye Days 30649795 What if you could spend one last day with someone you lost?

One day Carver Briggs had it all—three best friends, a supportive family, and a reputation as a talented writer at his high school, Nashville Academy for the Arts.

The next day he lost it all when he sent a simple text to his friend Mars, right before Mars, Eli, and Blake were killed in a car crash.

Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident, and he’s not the only one. Eli’s twin sister is trying to freeze him out of school with her death-ray stare. And Mars’s father, a powerful judge, is pressuring the district attorney to open a criminal investigation into Carver’s actions.

Luckily, Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli’s girlfriend, the only person to stand by him at school; Dr. Mendez, his new therapist; and Blake’s grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a Goodbye Day with her to share their memories and say a proper goodbye to his friend.

Soon the other families are asking for a Goodbye Day with Carver, but he’s unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these Goodbye Days bring Carver one step closer to a complete breakdown or—even worse—prison?]]> 399 Jeff Zentner 0553524062 Brittany 5 4.09 2017 Goodbye Days
author: Jeff Zentner
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/23
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review:
I very much don't know where to start with how wonderful this book is--how true the narrative voice is, grieving and funny and foul-mouthed and wise; how well Zentner draws his female characters, from the badass older sister Georgia to the complexities of his maybe-love-interest, Jesmyn, and how her life and Carver's intersect; and how intelligently, both here and in The Serpent King, Zentner draws portraits of some different kinds of southern families, all flawed and lovely and, in this book, impossibly sad. Bonus points go to my all-time favorite grandma in YA lit, Grandma Betsy, and the epic, epic tears I cried over her on my plane ride, finishing this book. A stunner.
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with the Red Balloon (The Balloonmakers, #1)]]> 34448522 2018 Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Teen Readers

When sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she's caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall―but even to the balloon makers, Ellie's time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything―including her only way home―to stop the process.]]> 288 Katherine Locke 0807529370 Brittany 0 to-read 3.71 2017 The Girl with the Red Balloon (The Balloonmakers, #1)
author: Katherine Locke
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dreamology 25817310
But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. Real Max is nothing like Dream Max. He’s stubborn and complicated. And he has a whole life Alice isn’t a part of. Getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

Alarmingly, when their dreams start to bleed into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough?]]> 329 Lucy Keating 0062380001 Brittany 5 3.57 2016 Dreamology
author: Lucy Keating
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Blackhearts (Blackhearts, #1) 21936937
Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.]]> 384 Nicole Castroman 1481432699 Brittany 5 to-read 3.70 2016 Blackhearts (Blackhearts, #1)
author: Nicole Castroman
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black Bird of the Gallows (Black Birds of the Gallows, #1)]]> 33509076 A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.]]> 309 Meg Kassel 1633758141 Brittany 0 to-read 3.72 2017 Black Bird of the Gallows (Black Birds of the Gallows, #1)
author: Meg Kassel
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily]]> 33413929
When Abelard posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise online, their mutual affinity for ancient love letters connects them. The two fall for each other. Hard. But is it enough to bridge their differences in person?

This hilarious, heartbreaking story of human connection between two neurodivergent teens creates characters that will stay with you long after you finish reading.]]> 339 Laura Creedle 0544932056 Brittany 0 to-read 3.83 2017 The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily
author: Laura Creedle
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Memory Trees 33830397 The Memory Trees is a dark magical realism novel about a mysterious family legacy, a centuries-old feud, and a tragic loss that resurfaces when sixteen-year-old Sorrow returns to her mother’s family orchard for the summer.

Sorrow Lovegood’s life has been shaped by the stories of the women who came before her: brave, resilient women who settled long ago on a mercurial apple orchard in Vermont. The land has been passed down through generations, and Sorrow and her family take pride in its strange history. Their offbeat habits may be ridiculed by other townspeople—especially their neighbors, the Abrams family—but for the first eight years of her life, the orchard is Sorrow’s whole world.

Then one winter night everything changes. Sorrow’s sister Patience is tragically killed. Their mother suffers a mental breakdown. Sorrow is sent to live with her dad in Miami, away from the only home she’s ever known.

Now sixteen, Sorrow’s memories of her life in Vermont are maddeningly hazy; even the details of her sister’s death are unclear. She returns to the orchard for the summer, determined to learn more about her troubled childhood and the family she left eight years ago. Why has her mother kept her distance over the years? What actually happened the night Patience died? Is the orchard trying to tell her something, or is she just imagining things?]]> 320 Kali Wallace 0062366238 Brittany 0 to-read 3.72 2017 The Memory Trees
author: Kali Wallace
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)]]> 18626895 464 Robin Hobb Brittany 0 4.19 1995 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at: 2017/01/18
date added: 2017/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard, #3)]]> 17697801
Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body—though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean’s imploring — and the Bondsmage’s mention of a woman from Locke’s past...Sabetha. She is the love of his life, his equal in skill and wit, and now, his greatest rival.

Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha — or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.]]> 754 Scott Lynch 0553905589 Brittany 0 4.28 2013 The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastard, #3)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2017/01/08
date added: 2017/01/08
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)]]> 8176890 Librarian note: Older cover of B000UDNBS0.

After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke Lamora and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can't rest for long---and they are soon back doing what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves.

This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele - and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior...and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house's cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire.Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors...straight to Requin's teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb - until they are closer to the spoils than ever.

But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo's secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough.]]> 786 Scott Lynch Brittany 0 4.26 2007 Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)
author: Scott Lynch
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at: 2017/01/06
date added: 2017/01/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After, #2)]]> 22007852 Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and ... and ...?

After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough. She's inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement.

Not if Rafe Brandon can help it. A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother—even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself.

So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride's cold feet?
● He starts with flowers. A wedding can't have too many flowers. Or harps. Or cakes.
● He lets her know she'll make a beautiful, desirable bride—and tries not to picture her as his.
● He doesn't kiss her.
● If he kisses her, he definitely doesn't kiss her again.
● When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown. And vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off.
● And no matter what—he doesn't fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own.]]> 390 Tessa Dare Brittany 0 4.05 2014 Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2016/12/29
date added: 2016/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Last Seen Leaving 25036310
Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.]]> 336 Caleb Roehrig 1250085624 Brittany 5 3.73 2016 Last Seen Leaving
author: Caleb Roehrig
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/12/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Girls in the Moon 29243059
Everyone in Phoebe Ferris’s life tells a different version of the truth. Her mother, Meg, ex–rock star and professional question evader, shares only the end of the story—the post-fame calm that Phoebe’s always known. Her sister, Luna, indie-rock darling of Brooklyn, preaches a stormy truth of her own making, selectively ignoring the facts she doesn’t like. And her father, Kieran, the cofounder of Meg’s beloved band, hasn’t said anything at all since he stopped calling three years ago.

But Phoebe, a budding poet in search of an identity to call her own, is tired of half-truths and vague explanations. When she visits Luna in New York, she’s determined to find out how she fits in to this family of storytellers, and to maybe even continue her own tale—the one with the musician boy she’s been secretly writing for months. Told in alternating chapters, Phoebe’s first adventure flows as the story of Meg and Kieran’s romance ebbs, leaving behind only a time-worn, precious pearl of truth about her family’s past—and leaving Phoebe to take a leap into her own unknown future.]]> 352 Janet McNally 0062436244 Brittany 5 3.67 2016 Girls in the Moon
author: Janet McNally
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/12/26
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review:
I loved this book. GIRLS IN THE MOON is a story more than anything about mothers and daughters--Meg Ferris, former indie rock star, and her daughters Luna and Phoebe. We get the book from Phoebe's perspective, which I loved--despite not inheriting any of her family's musical genes, she's a budding poet/songwriter, and the sentences we get in this book are beautiful and evocative without ever calling too much attention to themselves. I loved how Phoebe described her week in New York, going to look for her father (who's stopped calling) and her sister Luna (who might be following too closely in her mother's footsteps)--I was almost forcibly reminded of what it was like visiting friends in New York as a teenager, the music-box magic of the city, and Phoebe's smart, observant narration is the perfect tour guide for that experience. There are beautifully drawn relationships in this book, and McNally lets them unfold naturally and slowly, letting the characters talk around each other and make mistakes while still ultimately caring for each other at heart. A wonderful read, and highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)]]> 28678119 This a previously published edition of ASIN B01DT9ZWNI.

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

These Royals will ruin you…

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

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

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

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.Ěý]]> 370 Erin Watt Brittany 0 3.91 2016 Paper Princess (The Royals, #1)
author: Erin Watt
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2016/12/20
date added: 2016/12/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Vassa in the Night 28220892 arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.

In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling away again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair…]]> 296 Sarah Porter 0765380544 Brittany 5 3.44 2016 Vassa in the Night
author: Sarah Porter
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/12/13
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire, #1)]]> 23203252 I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves?]]> 416 Jessica Cluess 0553535919 Brittany 5 3.73 2016 A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire, #1)
author: Jessica Cluess
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/11/25
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review:
Complicated characters, Victorian feminism, a cool, multi-layered magical caste system, and a plot that clips along beautifully. Can't wait for the sequel. 10/10, would Victorian Chthulu feminist Harry Potter all day long again
]]> <![CDATA[Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim, #3)]]> 28953487 The “powerful and emotionally-charged”* fantasy series from the author of the Sevenwaters novels continues, as Blackthorn and Grim face haunting secrets and old adversaries...
Ěý
Feather bright and feather fine, None shall harm this child of mine...
Ěý
Healer Blackthorn knows all too well the rules of her bond to the fey: seek no vengeance, help any who ask, do only good. But after the recent ordeal she and her companion, Grim, have suffered, she knows she cannot let go of her quest to bring justice to the man who ruined her life.
Ěý
Despite her personal struggles, Blackthorn agrees to help the princess of Dalriada in taking care of a troubled young girl who has recently been brought to court, while Grim is sent to the girl’s home at Wolf Glen to aid her wealthy father with a strange task—repairing a broken-down house deep in the woods. It doesn’t take Grim long to realize that everything in Wolf Glen is not as it seems—the place is full of perilous secrets and deadly lies...
Ěý
Back at Winterfalls, the evil touch of Blackthorn’s sworn enemy reopens old wounds and fuels her long-simmering passion for justice. With danger on two fronts, Blackthorn and Grim are faced with a heartbreaking choice—to stand once again by each other’s side or to fight their battles alone...]]> 445 Juliet Marillier 0698139240 Brittany 0 4.54 2016 Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim, #3)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2016/11/18
date added: 2016/11/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Like a Wildfire (Hibiscus Daughter, #1)]]> 32051720
But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever?]]> 405 Lana Popović 006243683X Brittany 5 to-read 3.52 2017 Wicked Like a Wildfire (Hibiscus Daughter, #1)
author: Lana Popović
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Closer to the Chest (The Herald Spy, #3)]]> 28534084 New York Times-bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's Herald Spy series, set in the beloved fantasy world of Valdemar

Herald Mags, the King of Valdemar’s Herald-Spy, has been developing a clandestine network of young informants who operate not only on the streets of the capital city of Haven, but also in the Great Halls and kitchens of the wealthy and highborn. In his own established alternate personas, Mags observes the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep Haven and the Kingdom safe.

His wife Amily, is growing into her position as the King’s Own Herald, though she is irritated to encounter many who still consider her father, Herald Nikolas, to be the real King’s Own. Nonetheless, she finds it increasingly useful to be underestimated, for there are dark things stirring in the shadows of Haven and up on the Hill.

Someone has discovered many secrets of the women of the Court and the Collegia—and is using those secrets to terrorize and bully them. Someone is targeting the religious houses of women, too, leaving behind destruction and obscene ravings.

But who? Someone at the Court? A disgruntled Palace servant? One of the members of the Collegia? Someone in the patriarchal sect of the god Sethor? Could the villain be a woman? And what is this person hoping to achieve? It isn’t blackmail, for the letters demand nothing; the aim seems to be the victims’ panic and despair. But why?

Mags and Amily take steps to minimize the damage while using both magic and wits to find the evildoer. But just as they appear to be on the verge of success, the letter-writer tires of terror and is now out for blood.

Mags and Amily will have to track down someone who leaves few clues behind and thwart whatever plans have been set in motion, and quickly—before terror turns to murder.]]> 381 Mercedes Lackey 0698164164 Brittany 0 4.17 2016 Closer to the Chest (The Herald Spy, #3)
author: Mercedes Lackey
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2016/10/24
date added: 2016/10/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Winter People 18007535
Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she's not the only person looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.]]> 317 Jennifer McMahon 0385538499 Brittany 0 to-read 3.80 2014 The Winter People
author: Jennifer McMahon
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Never Let Me Go 6334 288 Kazuo Ishiguro 1400078776 Brittany 5 all-time-favorites 3.85 2005 Never Let Me Go
author: Kazuo Ishiguro
name: Brittany
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/10/22
shelves: all-time-favorites
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scales of Gold (The House of Niccolò, #4)]]> 112079 ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý
The year 1464 finds Nicholas back in Venice. Plagued by enemies bent on dissolving his assets and smearing his character, he sets sail for Africa, legendary location of the Fountain of Youth, home to a descendant of Sheba and Solomon, and the source of gold in such abundance that men prefer to barter in shells. He will learn firsthand the brutality and grandeur of the Dark Continent, from the horror of the slave trade to the austere nobility of Islamic Timbuktu. He will discover, too, the charms of the beautiful Gelis van Borselen--a woman whose passion for Nicholas is rivaled only by her desire to punish him for his role in her sister s death. Erotic and lush with detail, Scales of Gold embraces the complexity of the Renaissance, where mercantile adventure couples with more personal quests behind the silken curtains of the Age of Discovery.]]> 544 Dorothy Dunnett 0375704809 Brittany 0 to-read 4.48 1991 Scales of Gold (The House of Niccolò, #4)
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Brittany
average rating: 4.48
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>