Books I Read
WELCOME to my bookshelves 🤩
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I read many books -- mostly fiction from traditional and self-published authors. But I don't read erotica and horror.
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Since I'm not too fond of stars rating, you won't see them on my bookshelves. But rest assured, the books I read and posted here are three stars and above (in my opinion).
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Also, I provide you with the link to Amazon just in case you want to buy it.
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-- Please read the disclaimer on the footer.
Synopsis:
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The second book in Suzanne Collins's phenomenal and worldwide bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.
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Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion.
The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.
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Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi
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Synopsis:
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He had a strict "no tourists" policy...until she broke all of his rules.When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he's stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless parade of resort visitors who couldn't interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way...
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Two weeks in Alaska isn't just the top item on Zoey Caldwell's bucket list. It's the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she's smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham's world, she may just find there's more to the grumpy local than meets the eye...and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.
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Genre: New Adult Romance
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Synopsis:
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London, 1845: Raised by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Horace Croft after losing her parents to a deadly pandemic, the orphan Nora Beady knows little about conventional life. While other young ladies were raised to busy themselves with needlework and watercolors, Nora was trained to perfect her suturing and anatomical illustrations of dissections.
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Women face dire consequences if caught practicing medicine, but in Croft's private clinic Nora is his most trusted—and secret—assistant. That is until the new surgical resident Dr. Daniel Gibson arrives. Dr. Gibson has no idea that Horace's bright and quiet young ward is a surgeon more qualified and ingenuitive than even himself. In order to protect Dr. Croft and his practice from scandal and collapse Nora must learn to play a new and uncomfortable role—that of a proper young lady.
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But pretense has its limits. Nora cannot turn away and ignore the suffering of patients, even if it means giving Gibson the power to ruin everything she's worked for. And when she makes a discovery that could change the field forever, Nora faces an impossible choice. Remain invisible and let the men around her take credit for her work, or step into the light—even if it means being destroyed by her own legacy.
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Fans of The Other Einstein and The Paris Library will relish this riveting and empowering story about one woman's fight to follow her dreams and build a life—and legacy—beyond what is expected of her.
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Genre: Women Fiction
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Kana's note: I'm not fond of historical fiction but when Libby apps suggested this book, I took it and yes, I can say that this is one of the best historical fiction I've ever read.
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Books. Love. Friendship. Second chances. All can be found at the Printed Letter Bookshop in the small, charming town of Winsome.
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One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly twenty years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt—and the now struggling bookshop left in her care.
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While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas. Reeling from a recent divorce, Janet finds sanctuary within the books and the decadent window displays she creates. Claire, though quieter than her outspoken colleague, feels equally drawn to the daily rhythms of the shop and has found a renewed sense of purpose within its walls.
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When Madeline’s professional life falls apart, and a handsome gardener upends her life, she questions her plans and her future. Has she been too quick to dismiss her aunt’s beloved shop? And even if she has, the women’s best efforts to save it may be too little, too late.
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Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance
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Synopsis:
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The Obstacle is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do.
Its many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), an NBC sportscaster (Michele Tafoya), and the coaches and players of winning teams like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Cubs, and University of Texas men’s basketball team.
The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience. Stoics focus on the things they can control, let go of everything else, and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, tougher. As Marcus Aurelius put it nearly 2000 years ago: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Ryan Holiday shows us how some of the most successful people in history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs—have applied stoicism to overcome difficult or even impossible situations. Their embrace of these principles ultimately mattered more than their natural intelligence, talents, or luck.
If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, this book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era.
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Genre: Non-Fiction
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Kana's note: This is my favorite non-fiction book and have read it twice or three times.
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Synopsis:
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Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.
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With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?
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But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels— and her heart—don’t break in the process.
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Best-selling author Julie Murphy’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is an enchanting story of self-love and believing in the happy ending each and every one of us deserves.
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Genre: Romance Comedy
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Kana's note: I really like this book and read it twice. It's funny and witty. Julie Murphy is one of my favorite authors now.
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Synopsis:
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A move across the country... A dowry that turns into a curse... A marshal that captures her heart...
After losing her mother at the tender age of five, all Rose wanted was the love of her father, not his money or the prominence in society that came with his name. But instead of reaching out and giving her the love and affection she so desperately needed, her father drowned his grief in his work, leaving Rose to the care of his servants and staff.
Rose grows into a beautiful and feisty yet serious young woman, but no matter how hard she tries to ignore the emptiness in her heart, it remains. Then, at her father’s untimely death, Rose is sent from the only home she has ever known in Boston to live with her uncle and his family, whom she hasn’t seen in over twelve years.
Terrified of the reception she’ll receive, Rose makes the journey alone and quickly realizes that her late father’s wealth has made her a target for not just journalists with an eye toward revenge but dowry hunters everywhere.
Will her relatives in Colorado take her in with open arms, or was this arrangement forced on them, and would it turn into another disappointment? And, is Rose’s future already sealed by a parade of lies, or is there hope for a happy ending and the healing of her orphaned heart?
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Genre: Christian Historical Romance
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Synopsis:
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Emelia recently graduated from the class of 1982. Life is sweet with her handsome boyfriend, her forever bestie, and her totally awesome friend Henry.
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But when Emelia learns Jasper cheated on her, she realizes Henry isn't around to cheer her up. Henry is the boy next door type of friend that's always around. When he tells Emelia he has feelings for her, she chooses Jasper over him. Now he has left for Cornell University. The trouble is Henry never showed up.
In a time before the internet and social media, will Emelia find the friend she thought would always be around? And in her search for Henry, will she find herself?
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Genre: New Adult Sweet Romance
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📖📖Support Indie Author📖📖
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Synopsis:
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Nasmi Kol was born a slave. Now, she’s a champion.
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But though she won the seventh game of Headspace, Nasmi has little to celebrate, for her new life may be an even greater challenge. Cast out by her family and world, she has no choice but to take refuge in the orb and become part of the game she hates, traveling from planet to planet to put other alien races through the same gruesome trials she faced.
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As she reluctantly sows chaos on other worlds, Nasmi—now Seven—finds a strange camaraderie among the other champions, each an outcast in their own right. Yet a cruel fate awaits them all, and the orb is full of secrets, hidden even from those who inhabit it.
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To protect her family of champions from the whims of the arena master, Seven must take matters into her own hands and change the course of the games forever. But what is the true cost of power and control?
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The second book in the Headspace series reveals the real story of the arena. Walk the winding halls of the black orb and ask—to what lengths would you go to save the children you love?
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Genre: Dark Sci-fi
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Synopsis:
Tiny Haines, Alaska, is ninety miles north of Juneau, accessible mainly by water or air—and only when the weather is good. There's no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace and funerals are a community affair. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for her local newspaper. If anyone knows the going-on in this close-knit town—from births to weddings to funerals—she does.
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Whether contemplating the mysterious death of eccentric Speedy Joe, who wore nothing but a red union suit and a hat he never took off, not even for a haircut; researching the details of a one-legged lady gold miner's adventurous life; worrying about her son's first goat-hunting expedition; observing the awe-inspiring Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival; or ice skating in the shadow of glacier-studded mountains, Lende's warmhearted style brings us inside her small-town life.
We meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local lumber yard; their five children; and a colorful assortment of quirky friends and neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fishermen, native Tlingit Indians, and volunteer undertakers—as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land.
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Genre: Non-Fiction