Megan's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:26:40 -0800 60 Megan's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Psychology of Final Fantasy: Surpassing The Limit Break]]> 53379551
From its initial release in 1987, Final Fantasy has gone on to become one of the most beloved series of role-playing games in history. With narratives revolving around grandiose stories of good versus evil, Final Fantasy has allowed us, as players, to witness heroic battles, experience hard-won victories, and create treasured friendships for almost 40 years.

The Psychology of Final Fantasy guides gamers on a real-world quest of self-discovery so that they can surpass their own limit break. And, as part of this examination, psychologists, clinicians, video game researchers, professors, and enthusiasts who love this franchise ask:

How does the storyline in Final Fantasy grab and keep our attention for so many hours of gameplay?
Why do the symbols in the game, such as crystals, magic, and weapons, hold meaning about our own psychological inner workings?
What are the feminine warrior and archetypes found in the game and how are they living in all of our everyday lives?
How does playing Final Fantasy connect us with a larger sense of spiritual guidance as to who we are?
Why is it that, by creating a group, we become whole more than we do when playing as individuals?
How do the musical interludes affect our psyche and push us to become better versions of ourselves?
Think you know Final Fantasy? The Psychology of Final Fantasy explores how the game resonates with a player's psychological drive toward an emotional sense of wholeness, bonding, and completion as they take part in this epic quest.]]> 256 Anthony M. Bean 1734866004 Megan 0 currently-reading 3.70 The Psychology of Final Fantasy: Surpassing The Limit Break
author: Anthony M. Bean
name: Megan
average rating: 3.70
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> Hello Beautiful 61771675
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?]]> 416 Ann Napolitano Megan 0 currently-reading 4.14 2023 Hello Beautiful
author: Ann Napolitano
name: Megan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Next Year in Havana (The Perez Family, #1)]]> 34374628
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.]]> 356 Chanel Cleeton 0399586687 Megan 0 currently-reading 3.90 2018 Next Year in Havana (The Perez Family, #1)
author: Chanel Cleeton
name: Megan
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Malibu Rising 55404546 Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.]]> 369 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798657 Megan 5 4.02 2021 Malibu Rising
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
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]]> Happy People Are Annoying 57293647 A wonderfully candid memoir from one of the most recognizable faces of a generation, actor, writer, Youtuber, and television superstar, Josh Peck. In his warm and inspiring book, Josh reflects on the many stumbles and silver linings of his life and traces a zigzagging path to redemption. Written with such impressive detail and aching honesty, Happy People are Annoying is full of surprising life lessons for anyone seeking to accept their past and make peace with the complicated face in the mirror.

Josh Peck rose to near-instant fame when he starred for four seasons as the comedic center of Nickelodeon's hit show Drake & Josh. However, while he tried to maintain his role as the funniest, happiest kid in every room, Josh struggled alone with the kind of rising anger and plummeting confidence that quietly took over his life.

For the first time, Josh reflects on his late teens and early twenties. Raised by a single mother, and coming of age under a spotlight that could be both invigorating and cruel, Josh filled the cratering hole in his self-worth with copious amounts of food, television, drugs, and all of the other trappings of young stardom. Until he realized the only person standing in his way...was himself. Today, with a string of lead roles on hit television shows and movies, and one of the most enviable and dedicated fanbases on the internet, Josh Peck is more than happy, he's finally, enthusiastically content.

Happy People are Annoying is the culmination of years of learning, growing, and finding bright spots in the scary parts of life. Written with the kind of humor, strength of character, and unwavering self-awareness only someone who has mastered their ego can muster, this memoir reminds us of the life-changing freedom on the other side of acceptance.]]> 272 Josh Peck 0063073633 Megan 3 4.05 2022 Happy People Are Annoying
author: Josh Peck
name: Megan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/06/20
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]]> The Tobacco Wives 58262041
“Myers brilliantly seduces us with her setting—a North Carolina town of beautiful socialites, opulent dresses, and elegant soirees—before revealing a terrible secret that threatens the entire community. This is a story of courage, of women willing to take a stand in the face of corporate greed, and most definitely a tale for our times.” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

Maddie Sykes is a burgeoning seamstress who’s just arrived in Bright Leaf, North Carolina—the tobacco capital of the South—where her aunt has a thriving sewing business. After years of war rations and shortages, Bright Leaf is a prosperous wonderland in full technicolor bloom, and Maddie is dazzled by the bustle of the crisply uniformed female factory workers, the palatial homes, and, most of all, her aunt’s glossiest clientele: the wives of the powerful tobacco executives.

When a series of unexpected events thrusts Maddie into the role of lead dressmaker for the town’s most influential women, she scrambles to produce their ornate gowns for the biggest party of the season. But she soon learns that Bright Leaf isn’t quite the carefree paradise that it seems: A trail of misfortune follows many of the women, including substantial health problems. Although Maddie is quick to believe that this is a coincidence, she inadvertently uncovers evidence that suggests otherwise.

Maddie wants to report what she knows, but in a town where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive, she doesn’t know who she can trust—and fears that exposing the truth may destroy the lives of the proud, strong women with whom she has forged strong bonds.

Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human, emotionally satisfying, and dramatic novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.]]> 344 Adele Myers 0063082934 Megan 3 3.77 2022 The Tobacco Wives
author: Adele Myers
name: Megan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/20
date added: 2024/05/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Dungeons & Dragons 5e édition Player’s Handbook - Manuel des joueurs Version Française]]> 49848298 Préparez-vous, une grande aventure vous attend.

Les Player's Handbook est l'ouvrage de référence pour tout joueur de DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. Il contient des règles pour créer et faire évoluer son personnage, définir son historique et ses talents, et gérer l'exploration, les combats, l'équipement, les sorts et plus encore.

Utilisez ce livre pour concevoir des personnages passionnants appartenant aux classes et races emblématiques de D&D.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS vous emporte dans un monde d'aventure où vous explorerez des ruines antiques et de périlleux donjons. Affrontez des monstres alors que vous cherchez des trésors légendaires et gagnez en expérience et en puissance lors de vos pérégrinations dans les étendues sauvages en compagnie de vos amis.

Le monde a besoin de héros, répondrez-vous à son appel?]]> 320 James Wyatt 1945625309 Megan 4 4.22 2014 Dungeons & Dragons 5e édition Player’s Handbook - Manuel des joueurs Version Française
author: James Wyatt
name: Megan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/04
date added: 2024/02/04
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]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (The Jaipur Trilogy, #2)]]> 55004546
Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth. As a former street child, he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies.

In New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi’s intriguing new novel, henna artist Lakshmi arranges for her protégé, Malik, to intern at the Jaipur Palace in this tale rich in character, atmosphere, and lavish storytelling.]]> 384 Alka Joshi 0778331857 Megan 0 currently-reading 4.02 2021 The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (The Jaipur Trilogy, #2)
author: Alka Joshi
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/11
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> Counting the Cost 167770288
Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines. She didn’t protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.

But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore. For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members — they weren’t willing to rock the boat. But now they’re raising a family of their own, and they’re done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.]]> 287 Jill Duggar Megan 3 4.01 2023 Counting the Cost
author: Jill Duggar
name: Megan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/21
date added: 2023/12/21
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]]> Demon Copperhead 60194162 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780063251922.

"Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

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

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver Megan 0 currently-reading 4.46 2022 Demon Copperhead
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: Megan
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/15
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> All Good People Here 60142750 In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor—and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later.

You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January—and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?]]> 312 Ashley Flowers 0593496477 Megan 3 3.81 2022 All Good People Here
author: Ashley Flowers
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/14
date added: 2023/09/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Art of Doing Nothing: How the Dutch Unwind with Niksen]]> 57431777
Plagued—as we are!—by nonstop pings and notifications, we have lost the knack of zoning out. Kicking back. Slacking off. Even when pandemic-induced lockdowns forcibly cleared our calendars, many who thought I’m free! filled their days with Netflix and doomscrolling. How can we reclaim our free time (planned or not) to truly rest and reset?The Dutch have it figured with niksen. Perhaps their best-kept lifestyle secret, niksen is the art of doing, well, nothing. It’s the opposite of productivity, and it’s incredibly good for your . . .MIND—it makes you calmer.BODY—it offers rest on hectic days.CREATIVITY—it clears a space for brilliant ideas.WALLET—it’s free!If you’re waiting for an invitation to go lie down in the sunshine, this book is it.]]> 160 Maartje Willems Megan 4 3.37 The Lost Art of Doing Nothing: How the Dutch Unwind with Niksen
author: Maartje Willems
name: Megan
average rating: 3.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/03
date added: 2023/08/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Perfumist of Paris (The Jaipur Trilogy, #3)]]> 61062499
When her friend’s grandfather offered her a job at his parfumerie, she quickly discovered she had a talent—she could find the perfect fragrance for any customer who walked in the door. Now, ten years later, she’s working for a master perfumer, helping to design completely new fragrances for clients and building her career one scent at a time. She only wishes Pierre could understand her need to work. She feels his frustration, but she can’t give up this thing that drives her.

Tasked with her first major project, Radha travels to India, where she enlists the help of her sister, Lakshmi, and the courtesans of Agra—women who use the power of fragrance to seduce, tease and entice. She’s on the cusp of a breakthrough when she finds out the son she never told her husband about is heading to Paris to find her—upending her carefully managed world and threatening to destroy a vulnerable marriage.

The final chapter in Alka Joshi’s New York Times bestselling Jaipur trilogy takes readers to 1970s Paris, where Radha’s budding career as a perfumer must compete with the demands of her family and the secrets of her past.]]> 368 Alka Joshi 0778386147 Megan 4 4.08 2023 The Perfumist of Paris (The Jaipur Trilogy, #3)
author: Alka Joshi
name: Megan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/27
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood]]> 29780253
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.]]> 289 Trevor Noah 0385689225 Megan 4 4.48 2016 Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
author: Trevor Noah
name: Megan
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2023/07/09
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable]]> 24892832
In a covetous quest to attain the power that men had, women were advised to work like men, talk like men, party like men, and have sex like men.ĚýThere’s just one women aren’t men. Instead of feeling happy with their newfound freedoms, females today are tied up in knots, trying to strike a balance between their natural, feminine and traditional desires and what modern society dictates—and demands—through the commandments of feminism.Ěý

Revealing the mass confusion this has caused among both sexes, Tantaros argues that decades of social and economic progress haven’t brought women the peace and contentedness they were told they'd gain fromĚýtheir new opportunities.ĚýThe pressure both to have it all and to put forth the perfectly post-worthy, filtered life forĚýsocial media and societyĚýat large has left women feeling twisted. Meanwhile, in theirĚýrightful quest for equality, women have promoted themselves at the expense of their maleĚýcounterparts, leaving both genders frayed and frustrated.Ěý

In this candid and humorous romp throughĚýthe American cultural landscape, Tantaros reveals how gaining respect in the office - where women earned it - made them stop demanding it where they really wanted in their love lives. The impact of this power trade has been felt in every way, from sex to salaries, to dating and marriage, to fertility and female friendships, to the personal details they share with each other. ĚýAs a result, we've lost the traditional virtues and values that we all want, regardless of our intimacy, authenticity,Ěýkindness,Ěýrespect, discretion, and above all commitment.Ěý

With scathing wit -- andĚýinsights born of personal experience -- Tantaros explores how women have taken guys off the hook in dating (much to their own detriment) and exposes how we’ve become a nation averse to intimacy and preoccupied with porn, one that has traded kindness for control, intimacy for sexting, and monogamy for polygamy.Ěý Sorry romance. Sorry decency and manners. Long talks overĚýtheĚýtelephone have been supplanted by the "belfie." ĚýAll this indicates a culture that's devolving, not evolving.Ěý And it’s only getting worse.Ěý

Tied Up in Knots is a no-holds-barred gut check for the sexes and a wake-up call for a society that has decayed -- faster than anyone thought possible. ĚýIt’s time to remember what we all really want out of work, love and life. Only then canĚýwe finally begin untying those knots.]]> 229 Andrea Tantaros 0062351885 Megan 1 3.42 2015 Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable
author: Andrea Tantaros
name: Megan
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at: 2017/11/13
date added: 2023/07/07
shelves:
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]]> Evvie Drake Starts Over 40514431
Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.]]> 289 Linda Holmes 0525619240 Megan 4 3.80 2019 Evvie Drake Starts Over
author: Linda Holmes
name: Megan
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/12
date added: 2023/06/12
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us]]> 59575939 A grand tour through the hidden realms of animal senses that will transform the way you perceive the world --from the Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of I Contain Multitudes.

The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into a previously unfathomable dimension--the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.

We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth's magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and humans that wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile's scaly face is as sensitive as a lover's fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries which lie unsolved.

In An Immense World, author and acclaimed science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. Because in order to understand our world we don't need to travel to other places; we need to see through other eyes.]]> 464 Ed Yong Megan 4 4.46 2022 An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
author: Ed Yong
name: Megan
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/03
date added: 2023/06/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia]]> 40536236 Guns, Germs, and Steel and Simon Winchester’s Pacific, a thrilling intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.

For more than a millennium, Polynesians have occupied the remotest islands in the Pacific Ocean, a vast triangle stretching from Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island. Until the arrival of European explorers they were the only people to have ever lived there. Both the most closely related and the most widely dispersed people in the world before the era of mass migration, Polynesians can trace their roots to a group of epic voyagers who ventured out into the unknown in one of the greatest adventures in human history.

How did the earliest Polynesians find and colonize these far-flung islands? How did a people without writing or metal tools conquer the largest ocean in the world? This conundrum, which came to be known as the Problem of Polynesian Origins, emerged in the eighteenth century as one of the great geographical mysteries of mankind.

For Christina Thompson, this mystery is personal: her Maori husband and their sons descend directly from these ancient navigators. In Sea People, Thompson explores the fascinating story of these ancestors, as well as those of the many sailors, linguists, archaeologists, folklorists, biologists, and geographers who have puzzled over this history for three hundred years. A masterful mix of history, geography, anthropology, and the science of navigation, Sea People combines the thrill of exploration with the drama of discovery in a vivid tour of one of the most captivating regions in the world.

Sea People includes an 8-page photo insert, illustrations throughout, and 2 endpaper maps.]]> 365 Christina Thompson 0062060872 Megan 5 4.21 2019 Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia
author: Christina Thompson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/19
date added: 2023/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> The Winners (Beartown, #3) 60318890
As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?]]> 671 Fredrik Backman Megan 4 4.45 2022 The Winners (Beartown, #3)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Megan
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/16
date added: 2023/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA["Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility]]> 44149974
“Don’t You Know Who I Am?” has become the mantra of the famous and infamous, the entitled and the insecure. It’s the tagline of the modern narcissist.

Health and wellness campaigns preach avoidance of unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyles, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, but rarely preach avoidance of unhealthy, difficult or toxic people. Yet the health benefits of removing toxic people from your life may have far greater benefits to both physical and psychological health. We need to learn to be better gatekeepers for our minds, bodies, and souls.

Narcissism, entitlement, and incivility have become the new world order, and we are all in trouble. They are not only normalized but also increasingly incentivized. They are manifestations of pathological insecurity—insecurities that are experienced at both the individual and societal level. The paradox is that we value these patterns. We venerate them through social media, mainstream media, and consumerism, and they are endemic in political, corporate, academic, and media leaders.

There are few lives untouched by narcissists. These relationships infect those who are in them with self-doubt, despair, confusion, anxiety, depression, and the chronic feeling of being “not enough,” all of which make it so difficult to step away and set boundaries. The illusion of hope and the fantasy of redemption can result in years of second chances, and despondency when change never comes.

It’s time for a wake-up call. It’s time to stem the tide of narcissism, entitlement, and antagonism, and take our lives back.Ěý]]> 400 Ramani Durvasula 1682617521 Megan 0 currently-reading 4.37 "Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility
author: Ramani Durvasula
name: Megan
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You]]> 923950
Most of us feel overstimulated every once in a while, but for the HSP, it's a way of life. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Elaine Aron, a clinical psychologist, workshop leader, and an HSP herself, shows you how to identify this trait in yourself and make the most of it in everyday situations. Drawing on her many years of research and hundreds of interviews, she shows how you can better understand yourself and your trait to create a fuller, richer life.]]> 251 Elaine N. Aron 0553062182 Megan 3 3.86 1996 The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
author: Elaine N. Aron
name: Megan
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/17
date added: 2022/06/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity]]> 58537365 Celebrating special interests Cultivating Autistic relationships Reframing Autistic stereotypes And rediscovering your valuesIt’s time to honor the needs, diversity, and unique strengths of Autistic people so that they no longer have to mask—and it’s time for greater public acceptance and accommodation of difference. In embracing neurodiversity, we can all reap the rewards of nonconformity and learn to live authentically, Autistic and neurotypical people alike.]]> 304 Devon Price 0593235231 Megan 5 4.37 2022 Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
author: Devon Price
name: Megan
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/01
date added: 2022/05/01
shelves:
review:

]]> The Whisper Man 41940236 In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town: Featherbank.

But Featherbank has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man. And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window.]]> 355 Alex North 1250317991 Megan 2 4.02 2019 The Whisper Man
author: Alex North
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2022/03/09
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive]]> 43782400 The mental well-being of children and adults is shockingly poor. Marc Brackett, author of Permission to Feel, knows why. And he knows what we can do.
"We have a crisis on our hands, and its victims are our children."

Marc Brackett is a professor in Yale University's Child Study Center and founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In his 25 years as an emotion scientist, he has developed a remarkably effective plan to improve the lives of children and adults - a blueprint for understanding our emotions and using them wisely so that they help, rather than hinder, our success and well-being. The core of his approach is a legacy from his childhood, from an astute uncle who gave him permission to feel. He was the first adult who managed to see Marc, listen to him, and recognize the suffering, bullying, and abuse he'd endured. And that was the beginning of Marc's awareness that what he was going through was temporary. He wasn't alone, he wasn't stuck on a timeline, and he wasn't "wrong" to feel scared, isolated, and angry. Now, best of all, he could do something about it.

In the decades since, Marc has led large research teams and raised tens of millions of dollars to investigate the roots of emotional well-being. His prescription for healthy children (and their parents, teachers, and schools) is a system called RULER, a high-impact and fast-effect approach to understanding and mastering emotions that has already transformed the thousands of schools that have adopted it. RULER has been proven to reduce stress and burnout, improve school climate, and enhance academic achievement. This book is the culmination of Marc's development of RULER and his way to share the strategies and skills with readers around the world. It is tested, and it works.

This book combines rigor, science, passion and inspiration in equal parts. Too many children and adults are suffering; they are ashamed of their feelings and emotionally unskilled, but they don't have to be. Marc Brackett's life mission is to reverse this course, and this book can show you how.]]> 304 Marc Brackett 1250212847 Megan 4 4.17 2019 Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive
author: Marc Brackett
name: Megan
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/05
date added: 2022/03/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why Smart People Hurt: A Guide for the Bright, the Sensitive, and the Creative]]> 17864236
Specifically, the challenges that smart people face, including:
- "racing brain syndrome"
- living in an anti-intellectual culture
- finding ideas worth loving
- dealing with boredom and hypersensitivity
- finding meaning in their lives and their work
- struggling to achieve success

In "Why Smart People Hurt," psychologist Dr. Eric Maisel draws on his many years of work with the best and the brightest to pinpoint these often devastating challenges and offer solutions based on the groundbreaking principles and practices of natural psychology.

His thoughtful strategies include using logic and creativity to cope with the problems of having a brain that goes into overdrive at the drop of a hat. With a series of questions at the end of each chapter, he guides the reader to create his or her own roadmap to a calm and meaningful life.

"Why Smart People Hurt" is a must-read for parents of gifted children as well as the millions of smart and creative people that are searching for a more meaningful life.]]> 230 Eric Maisel 1573246263 Megan 3 3.18 2013 Why Smart People Hurt: A Guide for the Bright, the Sensitive, and the Creative
author: Eric Maisel
name: Megan
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/24
date added: 2021/12/24
shelves:
review:
This was an interesting read. I feel like it requires discernment though. Most of what he writes is directly related to his views on natural psychology, which isn't my thing, and I found myself irritated at times. Still, there were many areas I could personally reflect on and found those aspects beneficial. I also think it's valuable to read books by people you don't necessarily agree with. So, I found that this book was a good exercise in my listening skills.
]]> <![CDATA[We Have Always Lived in the Castle]]> 89724 Shirley Jackson's beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family's dark secret.

Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. This edition features an afterword by Jonathan Lethem.]]> 152 Shirley Jackson 0143039970 Megan 3 3.93 1962 We Have Always Lived in the Castle
author: Shirley Jackson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1962
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/20
date added: 2021/10/20
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]]> <![CDATA[The Narrow Road to the Deep North]]> 17905709
Richard Flanagan's story — of Dorrigo Evans, an Australian doctor haunted by a love affair with his uncle's wife — journeys from the caves of Tasmanian trappers in the early twentieth century to a crumbling pre-war beachside hotel, from a Thai jungle prison to a Japanese snow festival, from the Changi gallows to a chance meeting of lovers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Taking its title from 17th-century haiku poet Basho's travel journal, The Narrow Road to the Deep North is about the impossibility of love. At its heart is one day in a Japanese slave labour camp in August 1943. As the day builds to its horrific climax, Dorrigo Evans battles and fails in his quest to save the lives of his fellow POWs, a man is killed for no reason, and a love story unfolds.]]> 467 Richard Flanagan Megan 2 4.02 2013 The Narrow Road to the Deep North
author: Richard Flanagan
name: Megan
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2016/11/03
date added: 2021/10/07
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]]> <![CDATA[The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires]]> 44074800 Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.]]> 410 Grady Hendrix Megan 4 3.78 2020 The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Megan
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/23
date added: 2021/10/07
shelves:
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]]> Ask Again, Yes 42201996
Ask Again, Yes is a moving novel about two families, the bond between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.]]> 388 Mary Beth Keane 1982106980 Megan 3 3.92 2019 Ask Again, Yes
author: Mary Beth Keane
name: Megan
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/16
date added: 2021/10/07
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]]> My Monticello 56347314
Tough-minded, vulnerable, and brave, Jocelyn Nicole Johnson’s precisely imagined debut explores burdened inheritances and extraordinary pursuits of belonging. Set in the near future, the eponymous novella, “My Monticello,” tells of a diverse group of Charlottesville neighbors fleeing violent white supremacists. Led by Da’Naisha, a young Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, they seek refuge in Jefferson’s historic plantation home in a desperate attempt to outlive the long-foretold racial and environmental unravelling within the nation.

In “Control Negro,” hailed by Roxane Gay as “one hell of story,” a university professor devotes himself to the study of racism and the development of ACMs (average American Caucasian males) by clinically observing his own son from birth in order to “painstakingly mark the route of this Black child too, one whom I could prove was so strikingly decent and true that America could not find fault in him unless we as a nation had projected it there.” Johnson’s characters all seek out home as a place and an internal state, whether in the form of a Nigerian widower who immigrates to a meager existence in the city of Alexandria, finding himself adrift; a young mixed-race woman who adopts a new tongue and name to escape the landscapes of rural Virginia and her family; or a single mother who seeks salvation through “Buying a House Ahead of the Apocalypse.”

United by these characters’ relentless struggles against reality and fate, My Monticello is a formidable book that bears witness to this country’s legacies and announces the arrival of a wildly original new voice in American fiction.]]> 224 Jocelyn Nicole Johnson 1250807158 Megan 0 to-read 3.90 2021 My Monticello
author: Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> Circe 35959740
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 Megan 5 4.22 2018 Circe
author: Madeline Miller
name: Megan
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/07
date added: 2021/10/07
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Foundations for Clinical Mental Health Counseling: An Introduction to the Profession]]> 33516247 368 Mark S. Gerig 0134384776 Megan 2 3.53 2006 Foundations for Clinical Mental Health Counseling: An Introduction to the Profession
author: Mark S. Gerig
name: Megan
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2019/12/10
date added: 2021/09/10
shelves:
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]]> The Last Thing He Told Me 54981009
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a U.S. marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.]]> 307 Laura Dave 1501171348 Megan 2 3.78 2021 The Last Thing He Told Me
author: Laura Dave
name: Megan
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/06/28
date added: 2021/06/28
shelves:
review:
If I had read the description/back cover of the book, I probably would have determined it wasn't for me right away. So, I wouldn't necessarily let my rating deter anyone else from reading it if you think it's up your alley. Just wasn't up mine.
]]> <![CDATA[Designing and Managing Programs: An Effectiveness-Based Approach (SAGE Sourcebooks for the Human Services)]]> 29420809 288 Peter M. Kettner 1483388328 Megan 3 3.67 1990 Designing and Managing Programs: An Effectiveness-Based Approach (SAGE Sourcebooks for the Human Services)
author: Peter M. Kettner
name: Megan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/09
date added: 2021/06/09
shelves:
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]]> Whisper Network 41555931
But the world has changed, and the women are watching this promotion differently. This time, when they find out Ames is making an inappropriate move on a colleague, they aren’t willing to let it go. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough.

Sloane and her colleagues’ decision to take a stand sets in motion a catastrophic shift in the office. Lies will be uncovered. Secrets will be exposed. And not everyone will survive. All of their lives—as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries—will change dramatically as a result.

"If only you had listened to us,” they tell us on page one of Chandler Baker's Whisper Network, “none of this would have happened."]]> 352 Chandler Baker 1250319471 Megan 3 3.55 2019 Whisper Network
author: Chandler Baker
name: Megan
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/08
date added: 2021/06/08
shelves:
review:

]]> One Life 53387955
“Rapinoe's 'signature pose'Ěýfrom the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup is synonymous to the feeling we got when finishing this book:Ěýheart full, arms wide and ready to takeĚýup space in this world.”— USA Today Ěý
Ěý
Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup champion, reveals for the first time her life both on and off the field. Guided by her personal journey into social justice, brimming with humor, humanity, and joy, she urges all of us to ask ourselves, What will you do with your one life?

Only four years old when she kicked her first soccer ball, Megan Rapinoe developed a love – and clear talent – for the game at a young age. But it was her parents who taught her that winning was much less important than how she lived her life. From childhood on, Rapinoe always did what she could to stand up for what was right—even if it meant going up against people who disagreed.

InĚý One Life , Megan Rapinoe invites readers on a remarkable journey, looking back on both her victories and her failures, and pulls back the curtain on events we know only from the headlines. After the 2011 World Cup, discouraged by how few athletes were open about their sexuality, Rapinoe decided to come out publicly as gay and use her platform to advocate for marriage equality. Recognizing the power she had to bring attention to critical issues, in 2016 she took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick to protest racial injustice and police brutality—the first high-profile white athlete to do so. The backlash was immediate, but it couldn’t compare to the overwhelming support. Rapinoe became a force of change.Ěý

Here for the first time, Rapinoe reflects upon some of the most pivotal moments in her life and career – from her realization in college that she was gay, through the disputes with soccer coaches and officials over her decision to kneel, to the first time she met her now-fiancĂ© WNBA champion Sue Bird, and up through suing the US Soccer Federation over gender discrimination and equal pay. Throughout, Rapinoe makes clear the obligation we all have to speak up, and the impact each of us can have on our communities. Deeply personal and inspiring,Ěý One LifeĚý reveals that real, concrete change lies within all of us, and asks: If we all have the same resource—this one precious life, made up of the decisions we make every day—what are you going to do?Ěý
Ěý
" One Life Ěýmakes it clear that Rapinoe’s greatest accomplishments may ultimately come away from the soccer pitch. She’s a new kind of American hero."— San Francisco Chronicle Ěý]]> 224 Megan Rapinoe 1984881167 Megan 5 4.19 2020 One Life
author: Megan Rapinoe
name: Megan
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/20
date added: 2021/04/20
shelves:
review:
If I was being a more objective reviewer, I would still rank this book well. I think it's well written and there are clear themes throughout the length of this book. So, I would definitely recommend it even with my bias. But I love Megan Rapinoe and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. I could not give it anything less than 5 stars.
]]> Plain Bad Heroines 50496875
Over a century later, the now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news when wunderkind writer, Merritt Emmons, publishes a breakout book celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the “haunted and cursed” Gilded-Age institution. Her bestselling book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation starring celebrity actor and lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill-fated heroine Flo, opposite B-list actress and former child star Audrey Wells as Clara. But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled—or perhaps just grimly exploited—and soon it’s impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.

A story within a story within a story and featuring black-and-white period illustrations.]]> 640 Emily M. Danforth 0062942859 Megan 2 3.64 2020 Plain Bad Heroines
author: Emily M. Danforth
name: Megan
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/04/05
date added: 2021/04/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[But You're Still So Young: How Thirtysomethings Are Redefining Adulthood]]> 54331263 From the author of Text Me When You Get Home, an investigation into what it means to be in your thirties, and to navigate some of the biggest milestones of adult life . . . and how it is more okay than ever to not have every box checked off

On Kayleen Schaefer's birthday she went dancing with friends, they broke a table, and she turned thirty standing on the sidewalk outside a club she got kicked out of.

Sociologists have identified the five markers of adulthood as: finishing school, leaving home, marriage, gaining financial independence, and having kids. But the signifiers of being in our thirties today are not the same--repeated economic upheaval, rising debt, decreasing marriage rates, fertility treatments, and a more open-minded society have all led to a shifting timeline. Americans are taking major life steps later, switching careers with unprecedented frequency, and exercising increased freedom and creativity in their decisions about how to shape their lives. So why are we measuring adulthood by the same metrics that were relied upon fifty years ago?

BUT YOU'RE STILL SO YOUNG is cleverly structured around these five major life events. For each milestone, the book highlights men and women from various backgrounds, from around the country, and delves into their experiences navigating an ever-changing financial landscape and evolving societal expectations. The thirtysomethings in this book envisioned their thirties differently than how they are actually living them. He thought he would be done with his degree, she thought she'd be married, they thought they'd be famous comedians, and everyone thought they would have more money.

Kayleen uses her smart narrative framing, research skills, and relatable voice and her own story to show how the thirties have changed from the cultural stereotypes around them, and how they are a radically different experience for Americans now than it was for any other generation. And as she and her sources show, not being able to do everything isn't a sign of a life gone wrong. Being open to going sideways or upside down or backward, means it has gone right: you found meaning and value in many different ways of living.]]> 240 Kayleen Schaefer 1524744832 Megan 0 to-read 3.30 2021 But You're Still So Young: How Thirtysomethings Are Redefining Adulthood
author: Kayleen Schaefer
name: Megan
average rating: 3.30
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Only Good Indians 52180399 The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.]]> 305 Stephen Graham Jones 1982136456 Megan 2 3.68 2020 The Only Good Indians
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Megan
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/03/03
date added: 2021/03/03
shelves:
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]]> The Beauty of Your Face 45894170
A uniquely American story told in powerful, evocative prose, The Beauty of Your Face navigates a country growing ever more divided. Afaf Rahman, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is the principal of Nurrideen School for Girls, a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs. One morning, a shooter—radicalized by the online alt-right—attacks the school.

As Afaf listens to his terrifying progress, we are swept back through her memories: the bigotry she faced as a child, her mother’s dreams of returning to Palestine, and the devastating disappearance of her older sister that tore her family apart. Still, there is the sweetness of the music from her father’s oud, and the hope and community Afaf finally finds in Islam.

The Beauty of Your Face is a profound and poignant exploration of one woman’s life in a nation at odds with its ideals.]]> 312 Sahar Mustafah 1324003383 Megan 0 to-read 4.17 2020 The Beauty of Your Face
author: Sahar Mustafah
name: Megan
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Gifts of Imperfection 7015403 New York Times best seller, Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor and thought leader on vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame, shares ten guideposts on the power of Wholehearted living—a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.]]> 137 Brené Brown 159285849X Megan 3 4.25 2010 The Gifts of Imperfection
author: Brené Brown
name: Megan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2021/02/05
date added: 2021/02/05
shelves:
review:
This was a very good book. The reason why it's ranked as 3 instead of higher is because I think my expectations were off. I've heard so many rave reviews of Brene Brown, and I think I was expecting to hear new, mind-blowing information. The information she gave was very solid, but I have heard it before. This may be due to being in the counseling field. And I'm sure I'm learning from professors or counselors who have either read her stuff before or learned similar principles in their experience. So, I would still definitely recommend this to someone else.
]]> <![CDATA[I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness]]> 35883430 From a powerful new voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up Black, Christian, and female in middle-class white America.

Austin Channing Brown's first encounter with a racialized America came at age 7, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, "I had to learn what it means to love blackness," a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America's racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.

In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value "diversity" in their mission statements, I'm Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America's social fabric--from Black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.

For readers who have engaged with America's legacy on race through the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Eric Dyson, I'm Still Here is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God's ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness--if we let it--can save us all.]]> 185 Austin Channing Brown Megan 5 4.36 2018 I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
author: Austin Channing Brown
name: Megan
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/01/28
date added: 2021/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents]]> 23129659 If you grew up with an emotionally immature, unavailable, or selfish parent, you may have lingering feelings of anger, loneliness, betrayal, or abandonment. You may recall your childhood as a time when your emotional needs were not met, when your feelings were dismissed, or when you took on adult levels of responsibility in an effort to compensate for your parent’s behavior. These wounds can be healed, and you can move forward in your life.

In this breakthrough book, clinical psychologist Lindsay Gibson exposes the destructive nature of parents who are emotionally immature or unavailable. You will see how these parents create a sense of neglect, and discover ways to heal from the pain and confusion caused by your childhood. By freeing yourself from your parents’ emotional immaturity, you can recover your true nature, control how you react to them, and avoid disappointment. Finally, you’ll learn how to create positive, new relationships so you can build a better life.

Discover the four types of difficult parents:



The emotional parent instills feelings of instability and anxiety

The driven parent stays busy trying to perfect everything and everyone

The passive parent avoids dealing with anything upsetting

The rejecting parent is withdrawn, dismissive, and derogatory
Ěý]]> 201 Lindsay C. Gibson 1626251703 Megan 4 4.36 2015 Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents
author: Lindsay C. Gibson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/22
date added: 2021/01/22
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents]]> 51152447 The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.”

In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.]]> 544 Isabel Wilkerson 0593230256 Megan 5 4.52 2020 Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
author: Isabel Wilkerson
name: Megan
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/18
date added: 2020/12/18
shelves:
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]]> Mexican Gothic 53152636
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And NoemĂ­, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 320 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 0525620788 Megan 5 3.66 2020 Mexican Gothic
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Megan
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/21
date added: 2020/11/21
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]]> Anxious People 49127718 A poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined

Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.

Includes short story - The Last Round of Golf]]> 336 Fredrik Backman 198216963X Megan 5 4.17 2019 Anxious People
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Megan
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/30
date added: 2020/10/30
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]]> The Vanishing Half 51791252
Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.]]> 343 Brit Bennett 0525536299 Megan 4 4.11 2020 The Vanishing Half
author: Brit Bennett
name: Megan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/01
date added: 2020/09/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)]]> 11021899 242 Mindy Kaling Megan 0 to-read 3.91 2011 Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
author: Mindy Kaling
name: Megan
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/08/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 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 Megan 2 3.99 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Megan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2020/07/28
date added: 2020/08/14
shelves:
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]]> All Adults Here 51907346
Astrid’s youngest son is drifting and unfocused, making parenting mistakes of his own. Her daughter is intentionally pregnant yet struggling to give up her own adolescence. And her eldest seems to measure his adult life according to standards no one else shares. But who gets to decide, so many years later, which long-ago lapses were the ones that mattered? Who decides which apologies really count? It might be that only Astrid’s thirteen-year-old granddaughter and her new friend really understand the courage it takes to tell the truth to the people you love the most.

In All Adults Here, Emma Straub’s unique alchemy of wisdom, humor, and insight come together in a deeply satisfying story about adult siblings, aging parents, high school boyfriends, middle school mean girls, the lifelong effects of birth order, and all the other things that follow us into adulthood, whether we like them to or not.]]> 356 Emma Straub 1594634696 Megan 3 3.54 2020 All Adults Here
author: Emma Straub
name: Megan
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/08/14
date added: 2020/08/14
shelves:
review:

]]> The Last House Guest 42190273
Littleport, Maine, has always felt like two separate towns: an ideal vacation enclave for the wealthy, whose summer homes line the coastline; and a simple harbor community for the year-round residents whose livelihoods rely on service to the visitors.

Typically, fierce friendships never develop between a local and a summer girl—but that’s just what happens with visitor Sadie Loman and Littleport resident Avery Greer. Each summer for almost a decade, the girls are inseparable—until Sadie is found dead. While the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can’t help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie’s brother, Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name, before the facts get twisted against her.
The Last House Guest is a smart, twisty read that brilliantly explores the elusive nature of memory and the complexities of female friendships.]]> 368 Megan Miranda 1786492911 Megan 3 3.58 2019 The Last House Guest
author: Megan Miranda
name: Megan
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/21
date added: 2020/07/21
shelves:
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]]> Alphabet Weekends 44312 425 Elizabeth Noble 0061122181 Megan 3 3.59 2000 Alphabet Weekends
author: Elizabeth Noble
name: Megan
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Bling 317584 449 Erica Kennedy 1401359671 Megan 0 3.46 2004 Bling
author: Erica Kennedy
name: Megan
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Tucker Max, #1)]]> 9010 The Book That Inspired The Movie

My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead. But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way: I share my adventures with the world. —from the Introduction

Actual reader feedback:

"I find it truly appalling that there are people in the world like you. You are a disgusting, vile, repulsive, repugnant, foul creature. Because of you, I don't believe in God anymore. No just God would allow someone like you to exist."

"I'll stay with God as my lord, but you are my savior. I just finished reading your brilliant stories, and I laughed so hard I almost vomited. I want to bring that kind of joy to people. You're an artist of the highest order and a true humanitarian to boot. I'm in both shock and awe at how much I want to be you."

Now with 16 Pages of Photos and a New Introduction

]]> 277 Tucker Max 0806527285 Megan 0 3.49 2006 I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (Tucker Max, #1)
author: Tucker Max
name: Megan
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
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]]> The Last Summer of You and Me 296302 306 Ann Brashares 1594489173 Megan 4 3.60 2007 The Last Summer of You and Me
author: Ann Brashares
name: Megan
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Gods in Alabama 223462 306 Joshilyn Jackson 0446694533 Megan 3 3.86 2005 Gods in Alabama
author: Joshilyn Jackson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Bitch Posse 133720
The Bitch Posse is an anthem for friendships that defy society's approval or disapproval. It's a novel of secrets, courage, sacrifice, and hope against the odds. It is both a journey back to being a girl on the verge of adulthood, and a journey forward, showing how the events of our past can unearth the best in us today.

Dare to jump in.

"The Bitch Posse is a riveting and emotionally charged read. No fluff here."

--Chicago Tribune]]> 341 Martha O'Connor 0312333935 Megan 3 3.48 2005 The Bitch Posse
author: Martha O'Connor
name: Megan
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
shelves:
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]]> Prep 9844 Prep, is an insightful, achingly funny coming-of-age story as well as a brilliant dissection of class, race, and gender in a hothouse of adolescent angst and ambition.

Lee Fiora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when her father drops her off in front of her dorm at the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. She leaves her animated, affectionate family in South Bend, Indiana, at least in part because of the boarding school’s glossy brochure, in which boys in sweaters chat in front of old brick buildings, girls in kilts hold lacrosse sticks on pristinely mown athletic fields, and everyone sings hymns in chapel.

As Lee soon learns, Ault is a cloistered world of jaded, attractive teenagers who spend summers on Nantucket and speak in their own clever shorthand. Both intimidated and fascinated by her classmates, Lee becomes a shrewd observer of–and, ultimately, a participant in–their rituals and mores. As a scholarship student, she constantly feels like an outsider and is both drawn to and repelled by other loners. By the time she’s a senior, Lee has created a hard-won place for herself at Ault. But when her behavior takes a self-destructive and highly public turn, her carefully crafted identity within the community is shattered.

Ultimately, Lee’s experiences–complicated relationships with teachers; intense friendships with other girls; an all-consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush; conflicts with her parents, from whom Lee feels increasingly distant, coalesce into a singular portrait of the painful and thrilling adolescence universal to us all.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 420 Curtis Sittenfeld 081297235X Megan 3 3.44 2005 Prep
author: Curtis Sittenfeld
name: Megan
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/07/12
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]]> <![CDATA[The Henna Artist (The Jaipur Trilogy, #1)]]> 50607466 Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.]]> 384 Alka Joshi 0778310205 Megan 5 4.14 2020 The Henna Artist (The Jaipur Trilogy, #1)
author: Alka Joshi
name: Megan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/10
date added: 2020/06/10
shelves:
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]]> Such a Fun Age 43923951 Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone family, and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times.]]> 310 Kiley Reid 052554190X Megan 4 3.76 2019 Such a Fun Age
author: Kiley Reid
name: Megan
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/01
date added: 2020/06/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Megan 0 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Megan
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Where the Crawdads Sing 36809135
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]> 384 Delia Owens 0735219117 Megan 5 4.35 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: Megan
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/19
date added: 2020/05/19
shelves:
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]]> Daisy Jones & The Six 40597810 Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.]]> 368 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798622 Megan 3 4.20 2019 Daisy Jones & The Six
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Megan
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/09
date added: 2020/05/09
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]]> <![CDATA[Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis]]> 27161156 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062300546.

Hillbilly Elegy recounts J.D. Vance's powerful origin story...

From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate now serving as a U.S. Senator from Ohio and the Republican Vice Presidential candidate for the 2024 election, an incisive account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America's white working class.

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.

The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.'s grandparents were "dirt poor and in love," and moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.'s grandparents, aunt, uncle, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.

A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.]]> 264 J.D. Vance Megan 4 3.81 2016 Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
author: J.D. Vance
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/15
date added: 2020/04/15
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism]]> 43708708 7 Robin DiAngelo 0807071161 Megan 4 4.14 2018 White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
author: Robin DiAngelo
name: Megan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/06
date added: 2020/04/06
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Buried Dreams: From Devastating Loss to Unimaginable Hope]]> 38532302 256 Lindsey R Dennis 1501869116 Megan 5 4.61 Buried Dreams: From Devastating Loss to Unimaginable Hope
author: Lindsey R Dennis
name: Megan
average rating: 4.61
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/08
date added: 2020/03/08
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]]> <![CDATA[Gospel in Life Study Guide: Grace Changes Everything]]> 19102802 241 Timothy J. Keller 0310692032 Megan 5 christian-leadership 4.30 2010 Gospel in Life Study Guide: Grace Changes Everything
author: Timothy J. Keller
name: Megan
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2015/04/28
date added: 2020/02/17
shelves: christian-leadership
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction]]> 617702 In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts begins by introducing us to many of Dr. Maté's most dire patients who steal, cheat, sell sex, and otherwise harm themselves for their next hit. Maté looks to the root causes of addiction, applying a clinical and psychological view to the physical manifestation and offering some enlightening answers for why people inflict such catastrophe on themselves.

Finally, he takes aim at the hugely ineffectual, largely U.S.-led War on Drugs (and its worldwide followers), challenging the wisdom of fighting drugs instead of aiding the addicts, and showing how controversial measures such as safe injection sites are measurably more successful at reducing drug-related crime and the spread of disease than anything most major governments have going. It's not easy reading, but we ignore his arguments at our peril. When it comes to combating the drug trade and the ravages of addiction, society can use all the help it can get. --Kim Hughes]]> 480 Gabor Maté 0676977405 Megan 5 4.49 2007 In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
author: Gabor Maté
name: Megan
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/10
date added: 2019/12/10
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]]> Assholes: A Theory 13517138 On Bullshit, philosopher Aaron James has done just that, providing us all** (in Aristotelian terms) with some much-needed catharsis.

*Unless you happen to be Donald Trump or Kanye West or Dick Cheney, in which case you may take it personally.

**Unless you are a real asshole yourself.]]> 208 Aaron James 0385535651 Megan 2 3.11 2012 Assholes: A Theory
author: Aaron James
name: Megan
average rating: 3.11
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2019/09/28
date added: 2019/09/28
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide]]> 41068144 The instant #1 New York Times and USA Today best seller by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the voices behind the hit podcast My Favorite Murder now available in paperback. Includes special bonus material!

Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation.

In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being â€nice’ or â€helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.]]> 304 Karen Kilgariff Megan 5 4.07 2019 Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide
author: Karen Kilgariff
name: Megan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/21
date added: 2019/09/21
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)]]> 33566873 Better Than Before and The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin reveals the one simple question that will transform what you do at home, at work, and in life.

During her multibook investigation into understanding human nature, Gretchen Rubin realized that by asking the seemingly dry question "How do I respond to expectations?" we gain explosive self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so using this framework allows us to make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress, and engage more effectively.

More than 600,000 people have taken her online quiz, and managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people make significant, lasting change.

The Four Tendencies hold practical answers if you've ever thought...

· People can rely on me, but I can't rely on myself.
· How can I help someone to follow good advice?
· People say I ask too many questions.
· How do I work with someone who refuses to do what I ask or who keeps telling me what to do?

With sharp insight, compelling research, and hilarious examples, The Four Tendencies will help you get happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. It's far easier to succeed when you know what works for you.]]> 7 Gretchen Rubin 0525496289 Megan 3 3.81 2017 The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)
author: Gretchen Rubin
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/14
date added: 2019/09/14
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope]]> 43808723 From the author of the international mega-bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck comes a counterintuitive guide to the problems of hope.

We live in an interesting time. Materially, everything is the best it’s ever been—we are freer, healthier and wealthier than any people in human history. Yet, somehow everything seems to be irreparably and horribly f*cked—the planet is warming, governments are failing, economies are collapsing, and everyone is perpetually offended on Twitter. At this moment in history, when we have access to technology, education and communication our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, so many of us come back to an overriding feeling of hopelessness.

What’s going on? If anyone can put a name to our current malaise and help fix it, it’s Mark Manson. In 2016, Manson published The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, a book that brilliantly gave shape to the ever-present, low-level hum of anxiety that permeates modern living. He showed us that technology had made it too easy to care about the wrong things, that our culture had convinced us that the world owed us something when it didn’t—and worst of all, that our modern and maddening urge to always find happiness only served to make us unhappier. Instead, the “subtle art” of that title turned out to be a bold challenge: to choose your struggle; to narrow and focus and find the pain you want to sustain. The result was a book that became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies worldwide while becoming the #1 bestseller in 13 different countries.

Now, in Everthing Is F*cked, Manson turns his gaze from the inevitable flaws within each individual self to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research on these topics, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he dissects religion and politics and the uncomfortable ways they have come to resemble one another. He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself.

With his usual mix of erudition and where-the-f*ck-did-that-come-from humor, Manson takes us by the collar and challenges us to be more honest with ourselves and connected with the world in ways we probably haven’t considered before. It’s another counterintuitive romp through the pain in our hearts and the stress of our soul. One of the great modern writers has produced another book that will set the agenda for years to come.]]> 288 Mark Manson 0062955934 Megan 2 3.67 2019 Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope
author: Mark Manson
name: Megan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/09/14
date added: 2019/09/14
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]]> Calypso 38348476
If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.

When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.

With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny--it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet--and it just might be his very best.]]> 272 David Sedaris 0316392359 Megan 5 4.11 2018 Calypso
author: David Sedaris
name: Megan
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/28
date added: 2019/08/26
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]]> <![CDATA[I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer]]> 35068432
"You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark."

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.]]> 352 Michelle McNamara 0062319809 Megan 3 4.12 2018 I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
author: Michelle McNamara
name: Megan
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/08/25
date added: 2019/08/25
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]]> <![CDATA[The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery]]> 28268515 Ignorance is bliss except in self-awareness...

What you don't know about yourself can hurt you and your relationships―and even keep you in the shallows with God. Do you want help figuring out who you are and why you're stuck in the same ruts? The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system with an uncanny accuracy in describing how human beings are wired, both positively and negatively.

In The Road Back to You Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile forge a unique approach―a practical, comprehensive way of accessing Enneagram wisdom and exploring its connections with Christian spirituality for a deeper knowledge of ourselves, compassion for others, and love for God. Witty and filled with stories, this book allows you to peek inside each of the nine Enneagram types, keeping you turning the pages long after you have read the chapter about your own number. Not only will you learn more about yourself, but you will also start to see the world through other people's eyes, understanding how and why people think, feel, and act the way they do. Beginning with changes you can start making today, the wisdom of the Enneagram can help take you further along into who you really are―leading you into places of spiritual discovery you would never have found on your own, and paving the way to the wiser, more compassionate person you want to become.]]> 238 Ian Morgan Cron 0830846190 Megan 4 4.20 2016 The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
author: Ian Morgan Cron
name: Megan
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/17
date added: 2019/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt Is Not the Enemy of Faith]]> 23214144
Instead of making Himself smaller, God invites us into a larger faith. One that has room for questions, victories, failures, and mystery. Because belief in an infinite God by finite humans is an act of exploration ... a process of learning—and then embracing—what we can’t learn but can trust.

Discover the God who not only desires our belief but actually welcomes our curiosity.
]]> 176 Barnabas Piper 1434706923 Megan 5 4.12 2015 Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt Is Not the Enemy of Faith
author: Barnabas Piper
name: Megan
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/21
date added: 2019/08/01
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]]> We Were Liars 16143347 A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.]]> 242 E. Lockhart 0385741278 Megan 2 3.65 2014 We Were Liars
author: E. Lockhart
name: Megan
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2019/07/12
date added: 2019/07/12
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]]> Rogues 20168816 New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin and award-winning editor Gardner Dozois is filled with subtle shades of gray. Twenty-one all-original stories, by an all-star list of contributors, will delight and astonish you in equal measure with their cunning twists and dazzling reversals. And George R.R. Martin himself offers a brand-new A Game of Thrones tale chronicling one of the biggest rogues in the entire history of Ice and Fire.

Follow along with the likes of Gillian Flynn, Joe Abercrombie, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Cherie Priest, Garth Nix, and Connie Willis, as well as other masters of literary sleight-of-hand, in this rogues gallery of stories that will plunder your heart — and yet leave you all the richer for it.

Contents:
- Tough Times All Over by Joe Abercrombie (a Red Country story)
- What Do You Do? (aka The Grownup) by Gillian Flynn
- The Inn of the Seven Blessings by Matthew Hughes
- Bent Twig by Joe R. Lansdale (a Hap and Leonard story)
- Tawny Petticoats by Michael Swanwick
- Provenance by David Ball
- The Roaring Twenties by Carrie Vaughn
- A Year and a Day in Old Theradane by Scott Lynch
- Bad Brass by Bradley Denton
- Heavy Metal by Cherie Priest
- The Meaning of Love by Daniel Abraham
- A Better Way to Die by Paul Cornell (a Jonathan Hamilton story)
- Ill Seen in Tyre by Steven Saylor
- A Cargo of Ivories by Garth Nix (a Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz story)
- Diamonds From Tequila by Walter Jon Williams (a Dagmar story)
- The Caravan to Nowhere by Phyllis Eisenstein (a Tales of Alaric the Minstrel story)
- The Curious Affair of the Dead Wives by Lisa Tuttle
- How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman (a Neverwhere story)
- Now Showing by Connie Willis
- The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss (a Kingkiller Chronicle story)
- The Rogue Prince, or, A King’s Brother by George R.R. Martin (a Song of Ice and Fire story)

]]> 806 George R.R. Martin 0345537262 Megan 4 3.91 2014 Rogues
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Megan
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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date added: 2019/06/21
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]]> Warriors 6714177 Warriors: "People have been telling stories about warriors for as long as they have been telling stories. Since Homer first sang the wrath of Achilles and the ancient Sumerians set down their tales of Gilgamesh, warriors, soldiers, and fighters have fascinated us; they are a part of every culture, every literary tradition, every genre. All Quiet on the Western Front, From Here to Eternity, and The Red Badge of Courage have become part of our literary canon, taught in classrooms all around the country and the world.
Our contributors make up an all-star lineup of award-winning and bestselling writers, representing a dozen different publishers and as many genres. We asked each of them for the same thing — a story about a warrior. Some chose to write in the genre they're best known for. Some decided to try something different. You will find warriors of every shape, size, and color in these pages, warriors from every epoch of human history, from yesterday and today and tomorrow, and from worlds that never were. Some of the stories will make you sad, some will make you laugh, and many will keep you on the edge of your seat."

Every story in this volume appears here for the first time. Included are a long novella from the world of Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, a new tale of Lord John by Diana Gabaldon, an Emberverse story by S.M. Stirling, a Forever Peace sory by Joe Haldeman, and a long story of humanity at bay by David Weber. Also present are original tales by David Ball, Peter S. Beagle, Lawrence Block, Gardner Dozois, Robin Hobb, Cecelia Holland, Joe R. Lansdale, David Morrell, Naomi Novik, James Rollins, Steven Saylor, Robert Silverberg, Carrie Vaughn, Howard Waldrop, and Tad Williams.

Many of these writers are bestsellers. All of them are storytellers of the highest quality. Together they make a volume of unforgettable reading.

Contents:
- Introduction: Stories from the Spinner Rack by George R.R. Martin
- The King of Norway by Cecelia Holland
- Forever Bound by Joe Haldeman
- The Triumph by Robin Hobb
- Clean Slate by Lawrence Block
- And Ministers of Grace by Tad Williams
- Soldierin' by Joe R. Lansdale
- Dirae by Peter S. Beagle
- The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon
- Seven Years from Home by Naomi Novik
- The Eagle and the Rabbit by Steven Saylor
- The Pit by James Rollins
- Out of the Dark by David Weber
- The Girls from Avenger by Carrie Vaughn
- Ancient Ways by S.M. Stirling
- Ninieslando by Howard Waldrop
- Recidivist by Gardner Dozois
- My Name is Legion by David Morrell
- Defenders of the Frontier by Robert Silverberg
- The Scroll by David Ball
- The Mystery Knight: A Tale of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin]]> 736 George R.R. Martin 0765320487 Megan 3 3.81 2010 Warriors
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 3
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]]> Everything I Never Told You 18693763
Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous in any setting.

When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who observes far more than anyone realises and who may be the only one who knows what really happened.

Everything I Never Told You is a gripping page-turner, about secrets, love, longing, lies and race.

Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.]]> 297 Celeste Ng 159420571X Megan 4 3.81 2014 Everything I Never Told You
author: Celeste Ng
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/13
date added: 2019/06/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life]]> 30746902 Ěý
Not so fast. Just because we grow up doesn’t mean we should lose our wonder at the world, or the people around us. When we do, we lose so much because curious is how God made us to be.
Ěý
Without curiosity a Christian’s life is incomplete. His relationship with God is incomplete. His connections to others are incomplete. He doesn’t know how to interact with the world around him—politics, media, art, entertainment, science, and so much more simply fly past or overwhelm him. Without curiosity he can never discover deep things, deep connections God tucked below the banal surface of life.
Ěý
Author Barnabas Piper explores what curiosity is, and how it affects relationships. What if people so sought to learn about each other that the most unlikely people became advocates and friends?
Ěý
It would be transformative, and it would stem from curiosity.]]> 176 Barnabas Piper 1433691922 Megan 0 to-read 4.07 2017 The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life
author: Barnabas Piper
name: Megan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/06/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy]]> 39182384 An angry prophet. A feared and loathsome enemy. A devastating storm. And the surprising message of a merciful God to his people.

The story of Jonah is one of the most well-known parables in the Bible. It is also the most misunderstood. Many people, even those who are nonreligious, are familiar with Jonah: A rebellious prophet who defies God and is swallowed by a whale. But there's much more to Jonah's story than most of us realize.

In The Prodigal Prophet, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller reveals the hidden depths within the book of Jonah. Keller makes the case that Jonah was one of the worst prophets in the entire Bible. And yet there are unmistakably clear connections between Jonah, the prodigal son, and Jesus. Jesus in fact saw himself in Jonah. How could one of the most defiant and disobedient prophets in the Bible be compared to Jesus?

Jonah's journey also doesn't end when he is freed from the belly of the fish. There is an entire second half to his story--but it is left unresolved within the text of the Bible. Why does the book of Jonah end on what is essentially a cliffhanger? In these pages, Timothy Keller provides an answer to the extraordinary conclusion of this biblical parable--and shares the powerful Christian message at the heart of Jonah's story.]]> 5 Timothy J. Keller 0525641629 Megan 4 4.46 2018 The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy
author: Timothy J. Keller
name: Megan
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/28
date added: 2019/05/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Learning the Art of Helping: Building Blocks and Techniques (5th Edition) (The Merrill Counseling)]]> 13660956 416 Mark E. Young 0132627507 Megan 1 4.01 1997 Learning the Art of Helping: Building Blocks and Techniques (5th Edition) (The Merrill Counseling)
author: Mark E. Young
name: Megan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1997
rating: 1
read at: 2019/04/17
date added: 2019/04/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice]]> 1860891
"This edition adds the latest hot button issues in the multicultural world. The authors have skillfully and sensitively added the latest evidence-based knowledge of critical problems that can surface in counseling/therapy, including 'microaggressions,'interethnic relationships, Middle Eastern issues, and immigration/refugee complexities. Everything you ever wanted to know about multicultural counseling is included in this edition. It continues to be the standard for any mental health professional treating persons from racial/ethnic minority populations....It is authoritative, illuminating, and clinically compelling."
-Melba Vasquez, PhD, ABPP

Independent Practice, Austin, Texas

"This book is the one to read. It has invaluable information that is current, is extremely well written, and stands out from the other books in the field. The book touches the reader on multiple levels, bringing in personal stories, pushing one's thinking, and very clearly linking theory, history, policies, contemporary trends, and practice. Absolutely outstanding-don't miss it!"
-Fred Bemak, EdD, Professor and Director of the Diversity Research and Action Center Graduate School of Education, George Mason University

Completely updated, the most widely used and critically acclaimed text on multicultural counseling, Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, Fifth Edition offers students and professionals essential and thought-provoking material on the theory, research, and practice of multicultural counseling.

Authors Derald Wing Sue and David Sue-pioneers in this field-define and analyze the meaning of diversity and multiculturalism and include coverage of racial/ethnic minority groups as well as multiracial individuals, women, gays and lesbians, the elderly, and those with disabilities. The Fifth Edition of this classic resource introduces new research and concepts, discusses future directions in the field, and includes updated references.

New and important highlights include:
*

Opening personal narratives in Chapter 1 that present poignant journeys in cultural competence
*

Cutting-edge material related to the most recent research, theoretical formulations, and practice implications
*

Discussion of unconscious and subtle manifestations of racial, gender, and sexual orientation bias and discriminationknown as microaggressions
*

Coverage of social justice counseling
*

Content on minority group therapists
*

Attention to counseling and special circumstances involving racial/ethnic populations

With its unique conceptual framework for multicultural therapy, Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice, Fifth Edition remains the best source of real-world counseling preparation for students as well as the most enlightened, influential guide for professionals.]]> 552 Derald Wing Sue 0470086327 Megan 3 3.70 1981 Counseling the Culturally Diverse: Theory and Practice
author: Derald Wing Sue
name: Megan
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1981
rating: 3
read at: 2019/04/17
date added: 2019/04/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches]]> 130731 "Creswell's Research Design is an accessible and useful book that stimulates students through walk through experiences, use of exercises, and production of actual writing samples. It is a book that models the types of issues that best suit different approaches and allows students to understand when to use mixed methods. Furthermore, its focus on theory and paradigms is done in a way that helps students decode their meaning."
--MARTHA MONTERO-SIEBURTH, University of Massachusetts, Boston

New to the Second Edition:


Because mixed methods research has come into its own since the publication of the first edition, every chapter now shows how to implement a mixed methods design in your proposal or plan as well as showing how to implement qualitative and quantitative approaches Ethical issues that may arise in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods designs have been added to a new section in Chapter 3 Writing tips and considerations have been expanded and moved to the first part of the book to get your research plan started in the right direction The latest developments in qualitative inquiry, including advocacy, participatory, and emancipatory approaches have been added to Chapter 10 Mixed methods procedures (Chapter 11) show readers how to identify types of mixed methods strategy, select data collection and analysis approaches, and plan the overall structure of the study]]> 246 John W. Creswell 0761924426 Megan 3 3.84 1994 Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
author: John W. Creswell
name: Megan
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2019/04/17
date added: 2019/04/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]> 41899 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them resides on almost every wizarding household in the country. Now, for a limited period only, Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats, and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to improving and saving the lives of children around the world, which means that the dollars and Galleons you exchange for it will do magic beyond the powers of any wizard. If you feel that this is insufficient reason to part with your money, I can only hope most sincerel that passing wizards feel more charitable if they ever see you being attacked by a Manticore.

-Albus Dumbledore

]]> 128 Newt Scamander 0439321603 Megan 2 3.95 2001 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
author: Newt Scamander
name: Megan
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 2019/01/07
date added: 2019/01/18
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]]> <![CDATA[One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories]]> 18007533 The Office (US version): a story collection that was "workshopped" at comedy clubs and bookstores on both coasts.

B.J. Novak's One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories is an endlessly entertaining, surprisingly sensitive, and startlingly original debut collection that signals the arrival of a welcome new voice in American fiction.

Across a dazzling range of subjects, themes, tones, and narrative voices, Novak's assured prose and expansive imagination introduce readers to people, places, and premises that are hilarious, insightful, provocative, and moving-often at the same time.

In One More Thing, a boy wins a $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes - only to discover that claiming the winnings may unravel his family. A woman sets out to seduce motivational speaker Tony Robbins - turning for help to the famed motivator himself. A school principal unveils a bold plan to permanently abolish arithmetic. An acclaimed ambulance driver seeks the courage to follow his heart and throw it all away to be a singer-songwriter. Author John Grisham contemplates a monumental typo. A new arrival in heaven, overwhelmed by infinite options, procrastinates over his long-ago promise to visit his grandmother. We meet a vengeance-minded hare, obsessed with scoring a rematch against the tortoise who ruined his life; and post-college friends who debate how to stage an intervention in the era of Facebook. We learn why wearing a red t-shirt every day is the key to finding love; how February got its name; and why the stock market is sometimes just... down.

Finding inspiration in questions from the nature of perfection to the icing on carrot cake, from the deeply familiar to the intoxicatingly imaginative, One More Thing finds its heart in the most human of phenomena: love, fear, family, ambition, and the inner stirring for the one elusive element that might make a person complete. The stories in this collection are like nothing else, but they have one thing in common: they share the playful humor, deep heart, inquisitive mind, and altogether electrifying spirit of a writer with a fierce devotion to the entertainment of the reader.]]> 288 B.J. Novak 0385351836 Megan 3 3.67 2014 One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
author: B.J. Novak
name: Megan
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/18
date added: 2019/01/18
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]]> Robin 36609155 From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff, the definitive biography of Robin Williams – a compelling portrait of one of America’s most beloved and misunderstood entertainers.

From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations – all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed.

But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’s comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt, which he drew upon in his comedy and in celebrated films like Dead Poets Society; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Fisher King; Aladdin; and Mrs. Doubtfire, where he showcased his limitless gift for improvisation to bring to life a wide range of characters. And in Good Will Hunting he gave an intense and controlled performance that revealed the true range of his talent.

Itzkoff also shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction and depression – topics he discussed openly while performing and during interviews – and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew. Drawing on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, as well as extensive archival research, Robin is a fresh and original look at a man whose work touched so many lives.]]> 527 Dave Itzkoff 1627794255 Megan 0 to-read 4.10 2018 Robin
author: Dave Itzkoff
name: Megan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/01/04
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]]> Us Against You (Beartown, #2) 36373463
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.

As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.
]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1501160796 Megan 5 4.34 2017 Us Against You (Beartown, #2)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Megan
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/16
date added: 2018/12/16
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]]> <![CDATA[NPR Funniest Driveway Moments: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go]]> 2352198
A "driveway moment" is when you're so captivated by a story on NPR that you stay in your car to hear it to the end—even if you're sitting in your own driveway. Some are serious, some are touching, and some, like the stories included here, are very, very funny.

Literate, intelligent, and droll, each tale is worth hearing again and again, and now you don't have to stay in your car.

NPR Funniest Driveway Moments includes stories and interviews from your favorite NPR commentators and guests such as David Sedaris, Sarah Silverman, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Dame Edna, Larry David, Darryl Littleton, Justice Stephen Breyer, Jonathan Winters, Phyllis Diller, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, and more.]]> 2 National Public Radio 1598876244 Megan 3 3.21 2008 NPR Funniest Driveway Moments: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go
author: National Public Radio
name: Megan
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/10
date added: 2018/12/10
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]]> Experiencing the Lifespan 6764527

In 2007, Janet Belsky's Experiencing the Lifespan was published to widespread instructor and student acclaim, ultimately winning the 2008 Textbook Excellence Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association. ĚýNow that breakthrough text returns in a rigorously updated edition that explores the lifespan by combining the latest research with a practicing psychologist's understanding of people, and a teacher's understanding of students and classroom dynamics.Ěý And again, all of this in the right number of pages to fit comfortably in a single term course.ĚýĚý]]> 475 Janet Belsky 1429219505 Megan 3 3.76 2006 Experiencing the Lifespan
author: Janet Belsky
name: Megan
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/01
date added: 2018/12/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Family Therapy: History, Theory, And Practice]]> 2443430 514 Samuel T. Gladding 0131725637 Megan 4 3.71 Family Therapy: History, Theory, And Practice
author: Samuel T. Gladding
name: Megan
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/01
date added: 2018/12/01
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]]> <![CDATA[Counseling Assessment and Evaluation: Fundamentals of Applied Practice (Counseling and Professional Identity)]]> 24690319
Ěý

Counseling Assessment and Evaluation is part of the SAGE Counseling and Professional Identity Series, which targets specific competencies identified by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs).]]> 582 JOSH WATSON 1483322165 Megan 3 3.29 2014 Counseling Assessment and Evaluation: Fundamentals of Applied Practice (Counseling and Professional Identity)
author: JOSH WATSON
name: Megan
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2018/05/03
date added: 2018/05/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Career Theory and Practice: Learning Through Case Studies]]> 24124215 Career Theory and Learning Through Case Studies links major career development and choice theories to a fictional case client. Authors Jane L. Swanson and Nadya A. Fouad use this case study approach throughout the book to provide an integrative thread that illustrates similarities and differences between the featured theories. The Third Edition has been updated and substantially expanded to be a primary text for a graduate course in Career Development and Counseling. "Jane L. Swanson and Nadya A. Fouad do a masterful job of bringing theory to life through the lived stories of actual career clients. I very much appreciated the book's format, the examples, the discussion questions, and the richly developed case examples." --Mary J. Heppner, University of Missouri, Columbia, commenting on the First Edition "The case study method is very effective. Students can see firsthand how the theories are interpreted and applied. Often they get a better understanding of their own lives and career history." --Anne Zachmeyer, Rochester Institute of Technology "Theory discussion is complete and usable for students; the quality of the text is strong." --Meredith J. Drew, Centenary College]]> 518 Swanson Jane L. 1483323293 Megan 3 3.71 1999 Career Theory and Practice: Learning Through Case Studies
author: Swanson Jane L.
name: Megan
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2018/05/03
date added: 2018/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Treating Those with Mental Disorders: A Comprehensive Approach to Case Conceptualization and Treatment]]> 20783481 The Enhanced Pearson eText provides a rich, interactive learning environment designed to improve student mastery of content. The Enhanced Pearson eText *The Enhanced eText features are only available in the Pearson eText format. They are not available in third-party eTexts or downloads. *The Pearson eText App is available on Google Play and in the App Store. It requires Android OS 3.1-4, a 7” or 10” tablet, or iPad iOS 5.0 or later.]]> 576 Victoria E. Kress 0133740722 Megan 3 4.08 2014 Treating Those with Mental Disorders: A Comprehensive Approach to Case Conceptualization and Treatment
author: Victoria E. Kress
name: Megan
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2018/05/03
date added: 2018/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Beartown (Beartown, #1) 33413128
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.]]> 432 Fredrik Backman Megan 5 4.27 2016 Beartown (Beartown, #1)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Megan
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2018/03/31
date added: 2018/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Finding I AM: How Jesus Fully Satisfies the Cry of Your Heart]]> 33626748
Join Lysa TerKeurst on the streets of Israel to explore the seven I AM statements of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. Through this interactive, in-depth study we will be trading feelings of emptiness and depletion for the fullness of knowing who Jesus is like never before.

Features:
- Leader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groups
- Five weeks of personal study segments to complete between six weeks of group sessions
- Four days, with an optional fifth day, of study within each week of personal study

Benefits:
- Find freedom in difficult circumstances by learning how to shift from "slave mentality" to "set free mentality"
- Discover how Jesus is the key to satisfaction by learning the crucial significance behind each of His I AM statements
- Trade feelings of emptiness for the fullness of knowing who Jesus is
- Grow in biblical literacy with this exploration of the Gospel of John]]> 176 Lysa TerKeurst 1430053526 Megan 4 4.44 2017 Finding I AM: How Jesus Fully Satisfies the Cry of Your Heart
author: Lysa TerKeurst
name: Megan
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/10
date added: 2018/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> A Man Called Ove 18774964
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.]]> 337 Fredrik Backman 1476738017 Megan 4 4.35 2012 A Man Called Ove
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Megan
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2018/03/12
date added: 2018/03/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Little Fires Everywhere 34273236
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother–daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town – and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost . . .]]> 338 Celeste Ng 0735224293 Megan 5 4.05 2017 Little Fires Everywhere
author: Celeste Ng
name: Megan
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/02/22
date added: 2018/02/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living]]> 27840585 Instead of pushing for perfection

A few years ago, I found myself exhausted and isolated, my soul and body sick. I was tired of being tired, burned out on busy. And, it seemed almost everyone I talked with was in the same boat: longing for connection, meaning, depth, but settling for busy.

I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, writer, and I know all too well that settling feeling. But over the course of the last few years, I’ve learned a way to live, marked by grace, love, rest, and play. And it’s changing everything.

Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.

Written in Shauna’s warm and vulnerable style, this collection of essays focuses on the most important transformation in her life, and maybe yours too: leaving behind busyness and frantic living and rediscovering the person you were made to be. Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection.

Shauna offers an honest account of what led her to begin this journey, and a compelling vision for an entirely new way to live: soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people that matter most to us.

In these pages, you’ll be invited to consider the landscape of your own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.]]> 240 Shauna Niequist 0310342996 Megan 5 3.81 2016 Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
author: Shauna Niequist
name: Megan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/29
date added: 2018/01/29
shelves:
review:

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