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My Bookshelf
43
items I read a lot and I do a very poor job of keeping track of the many books I get through each year. While I tend to lean towards quick-paced romance (contemporary, historical, or fantasy!), I do occasionally pick up meatier books. What can I say? I lik...
Hope you find something here that might (re)spark that love of reading!
Hope you find something here that might (re)spark that love of reading!
Sections
9
Read and would re-read: Romance Fiction
Read and would re-read: Literary Fiction
Read and would re-read: Historical Fiction
Read and would re-read: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Read and would re-read: Non-fiction
To be read: Romance Fiction
Read and would re-read: Romance Fiction
Family, Romance, Hijinks | Book #1 |
If you've never had a meddling family that means well, this book is a crash course lesson. Mix together 1 (accidental) murder, 2 thousand wedding guests, a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family, and 4 meddling Asia...
If you've never had a meddling family that means well, this book is a crash course lesson. Mix together 1 (accidental) murder, 2 thousand wedding guests, a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family, and 4 meddling Asia...
Dial A for Aunties - Jesse Q. Sutanto
Hometown Romance | Bellinger Sisters #1
Spoiled party girl goes back to her roots and visits her deceased dad's hometown to refurbish and reopen the bar he used to own. Along the way, meets a reticent king crab fisherman and melts his tough exterior enough for him to take a second chance a...
Spoiled party girl goes back to her roots and visits her deceased dad's hometown to refurbish and reopen the bar he used to own. Along the way, meets a reticent king crab fisherman and melts his tough exterior enough for him to take a second chance a...
It Happened One Summer - Tessa Bailey
Hometown Romance | Bellinger Sisters, #2 |
Follow the younger Bellinger sister as she returns to the small fishing town and rekindles her friendship (and maybe romance) with the town's playboy. He learns to take things seriously in order to win her over.
Follow the younger Bellinger sister as she returns to the small fishing town and rekindles her friendship (and maybe romance) with the town's playboy. He learns to take things seriously in order to win her over.
Hook, Line, and Sinker - Tessa Bailey
Contemporary romance | Non-white author | Non-white lead characters | Rajes #1
The first in a series about the Rajes family - immigrant Indian family descended from royalty who have built new lives in San Francisco. A fresh new take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice featuring a brilliant neurosurgeon who judges an up-and-com...
The first in a series about the Rajes family - immigrant Indian family descended from royalty who have built new lives in San Francisco. A fresh new take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice featuring a brilliant neurosurgeon who judges an up-and-com...
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors - Sonali Dev
Contemporary romance | Non-white author | Non-white lead characters | Rajes #2
A fresh new take on Jane Austen's Persuasion featuring a chef who is trying to save her father's restaurant and prove to her estranged mother that she isn't a screw-up. She is asked to join a new reality TV show teaming chefs and celebrities and is p...
A fresh new take on Jane Austen's Persuasion featuring a chef who is trying to save her father's restaurant and prove to her estranged mother that she isn't a screw-up. She is asked to join a new reality TV show teaming chefs and celebrities and is p...
Recipe for Persuasion: A Novel - Sonali Dev
Contemporary romance | Non-white author | Non-white lead characters | Rajes #3
A fresh take on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility featuring a high achieving son who is California's first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate. A hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, and he can't get back on the campaign trail w...
A fresh take on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility featuring a high achieving son who is California's first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate. A hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, and he can't get back on the campaign trail w...
Incense and Sensibility: A Novel - Sonali Dev
Contemporary romance | Non-white author | Non-white lead characters | Rajes #4
A fresh take on Jane Austen's Emma featuring the youngest Raje whose life has always been charmed and Naina who was in a 10-year-long fake relationship with the other Raje son. Two passionate people with ideas to solve major problems in the world end...
A fresh take on Jane Austen's Emma featuring the youngest Raje whose life has always been charmed and Naina who was in a 10-year-long fake relationship with the other Raje son. Two passionate people with ideas to solve major problems in the world end...
The Emma Project: A Novel - Sonali Dev
Magic versus science. But also family secrets. To be fair, it was a little slow and jumps quickly but I thought the world building was so interesting. It reminds me a lot of the Iron Seas series in terms of the way it builds on a crumbled Europe (Eur...
Cold Magic (Spiritwalker Trilogy #1)
Read and would re-read: Literary Fiction
Resilience, love and the lack of love, and changing expectations | standalone novel
One of the books that I actually had to buy for my bookshelf (and not just rent!). For the girls who refuse to dumb themselves down to meet societal expectations. Early 1960s female chemist finds herself the host of a television cooking show and ends...
One of the books that I actually had to buy for my bookshelf (and not just rent!). For the girls who refuse to dumb themselves down to meet societal expectations. Early 1960s female chemist finds herself the host of a television cooking show and ends...
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
Family, Feel Good | standalone novel
Former sitcom star (and proud gay uncle of niece and nephew) is suddenly forced to become the primary guardian after tragedy. His unique lifestyle creates a season of healing both for himself and the kids, and helps to redefine the meaning of family.
Former sitcom star (and proud gay uncle of niece and nephew) is suddenly forced to become the primary guardian after tragedy. His unique lifestyle creates a season of healing both for himself and the kids, and helps to redefine the meaning of family.
The Guncle - Steven Rowley
Read and would re-read: Historical Fiction
Historical fiction | WW2
Three women's lives converge during WW2: an American socialite who works at the French consulate, a Polish teenager who is part of the underground resistance, and an ambitious young German doctor who answers an ad for a government medical position. T...
Beautifully written, I was immediately immersed into each of their lives and how they come together.
Three women's lives converge during WW2: an American socialite who works at the French consulate, a Polish teenager who is part of the underground resistance, and an ambitious young German doctor who answers an ad for a government medical position. T...
Beautifully written, I was immediately immersed into each of their lives and how they come together.
Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly
Historical fiction | WW2 | female lead
A British spy plane (pilot and passenger are best friends) crashes in Nazi-occupied France. “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo and weaves her confession. With each scrap of paper, she uncovers her past, her friendship with the pilot Maddie, her view...
Beautifully written, weaving between Maddie and Verity's perspectives, and made me sob at the end.
A British spy plane (pilot and passenger are best friends) crashes in Nazi-occupied France. “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo and weaves her confession. With each scrap of paper, she uncovers her past, her friendship with the pilot Maddie, her view...
Beautifully written, weaving between Maddie and Verity's perspectives, and made me sob at the end.
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
Historical fiction | WW2 | Female lead
Loosely connected to Code Name Verity. American ATA pilot is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbruck. She finds hope and courage from her fellow prisoners.
More fictionalized but touches on some of the crimes committed on other prisoners at Ravensbruck
Loosely connected to Code Name Verity. American ATA pilot is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbruck. She finds hope and courage from her fellow prisoners.
More fictionalized but touches on some of the crimes committed on other prisoners at Ravensbruck
Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein
Historical fiction | Pre-WW2 | Female lead
The prequel to Code Name Verity, you learn more about “Verity” before she becomes a spy. Made me sob as I learned more about this character.
The prequel to Code Name Verity, you learn more about “Verity” before she becomes a spy. Made me sob as I learned more about this character.
The Pearl Thief - Elizabeth Wein
Historical fiction | Mystery | WW2 | Female lead | Maggie Hope Series #1
Would highly recommend this series to anyone who is looking for another historical fiction / mystery. The books move at a great pace but allow for enough character development of both major and minor that you're affected by their journey in the books...
Would highly recommend this series to anyone who is looking for another historical fiction / mystery. The books move at a great pace but allow for enough character development of both major and minor that you're affected by their journey in the books...
Mr. Churchill's Secretary - Susan Elia MacNeal
Read and would re-read: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Fantasy | Warrior Queen | Alternative Viewpoints | The Seven Realms Series
Fantastic world building and two very compelling leads that switch off telling the story from their perspective. Fantastic example of two star-crossed lives. Raisa Ana'Marianna is a heroine you can root for the entire series. Start with The Demon Kin...
Fantastic world building and two very compelling leads that switch off telling the story from their perspective. Fantastic example of two star-crossed lives. Raisa Ana'Marianna is a heroine you can root for the entire series. Start with The Demon Kin...
The Seven Realms: The Complete Series - Cinda Williams Chima
Fantasy | Strong female lead | A Woman in a Man's World | Tortall Universe | Protector of the Small Series
My first Tamora Pierce book, actually purchased at an airport bookstore, that led me to finding my absolute favorite author ever.
Definitely also get the rest of the quartet:
Page
Squire
Lady Knight
My first Tamora Pierce book, actually purchased at an airport bookstore, that led me to finding my absolute favorite author ever.
Definitely also get the rest of the quartet:
Page
Squire
Lady Knight
First Test - Tamora Pierce
Loved this book - the trilogy had fantastic character development and the ending made me sob (pulled out so much of my emotion)
Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox Series #1)
This book started a little slow and I had so many more questions than I had answers at first, however, by about halfway through, I was pretty invested. By about halfway through the series, I was absolutely hooked and invested in every character who h...
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass Series #1)
Read and would re-read: Non-fiction
Entertaining non fiction | Business | Movies and Entertainment Really interesting read to get a behind the scenes look at the development of some of your favorite movies... Also presents interesting examples about how to infuse more creativity in the work you do and how to create a work environment that fosters...
Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull
Nonfiction | Indigenous Wisdom | Nature | Interconnectedness with Environment I actually didn't read this book, it was one that I listened to as an audiobook narrated by the author. While I typically dislike audiobooks, I do enjoy them for nonfiction...
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Self-Improvement | Easy-to-follow I really liked how Designing Your Life takes design thinking and makes it applicable to everyday life. It's an easy read but thought provoking and I would recommend shelling out a little more for the accompanying wor...
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life - Bill Burnett, Dave Evans
The companion workbook to Designing Your Life so you can follow along.
The Designing Your Life Workbook - Bill Burnett, Dave Evans
Anatomy | Self-Improvement | Sexual Health | Female Empowerment
If your public school sex ed was anything like mine, this is an eye opening book. It covers the physical and emotional aspects of our wonderful, amazing sexual organs that are too often buried under social stigma. Knowing thyself is so important - an...
If your public school sex ed was anything like mine, this is an eye opening book. It covers the physical and emotional aspects of our wonderful, amazing sexual organs that are too often buried under social stigma. Knowing thyself is so important - an...
Come As You Are: Revised and Updated - Emily Nagoski, Ph.D.
Social Justice | Worldviews | Anti-racism
I actually didn't read this book, but instead listened to the audio book which was read by the author. I would recommend doing the same because the words have extra power when its read by its writer and you can hear how he pronounces them when emphas...
Really interesting read and very thought provoking - led to some deep introspection. I read this in the summer of 2020 shortly after there was a large focus and presence on the US and the way it deals with its racist past.
I actually didn't read this book, but instead listened to the audio book which was read by the author. I would recommend doing the same because the words have extra power when its read by its writer and you can hear how he pronounces them when emphas...
Really interesting read and very thought provoking - led to some deep introspection. I read this in the summer of 2020 shortly after there was a large focus and presence on the US and the way it deals with its racist past.
How to Be an Antiracist -Ibram X. Kendi
To be read: Romance Fiction
Contemporary Romance | South Asian Family
From Barnes and Noble:
This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun.
From Barnes and Noble:
This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun.
Sari, Not Sari - Sonya Singh
Romance | Contemporary
From Barnes and Noble:
What she doesn't know about love could fill a book. With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie's more than good. She's killing it. Then she’s give...
From Barnes and Noble:
What she doesn't know about love could fill a book. With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie's more than good. She's killing it. Then she’s give...
By Any Other Name - Lauren Kate
Romance | Fiction |
From Barnes & Noble:
Glamorous enough to enchant any reader, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a glimpse into the life of a Hollywood starlet better known for her romantic endeavors off the screen. At the heart of this scandalous novel is the bond between two lovers f...
From Barnes & Noble:
Glamorous enough to enchant any reader, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a glimpse into the life of a Hollywood starlet better known for her romantic endeavors off the screen. At the heart of this scandalous novel is the bond between two lovers f...
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Contemporary romance | Magic | Lighthearted romance | #1 in series
From Barnes & Noble:
Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch—daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family "feedback," Danica made a pact with her cousin: they'll...
From Barnes & Noble:
Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch—daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family "feedback," Danica made a pact with her cousin: they'll...
Witch Please - Ann Aguirre
Contemporary romance | Magic | Lighthearted romance | #2 in series
From Barnes & Noble:
Clementine Waterhouse is a perfectly logical witch. She doesn't tumble headlong into love. Rather she weighs the pros and cons and decides if a relationship is worth pursuing. At least that's always been her modus operandi before. Clem prefers being ...
From Barnes & Noble:
Clementine Waterhouse is a perfectly logical witch. She doesn't tumble headlong into love. Rather she weighs the pros and cons and decides if a relationship is worth pursuing. At least that's always been her modus operandi before. Clem prefers being ...
Boss Witch - Ann Aguirre, Paperback
Historical Fiction | Bolshevik Revolution
From Barnes and Noble:
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has neve...
From Barnes and Noble:
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has neve...
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
To be read: Literary Fiction
Historical fiction | Family saga | Korean Americans
From Barnes & Noble:
In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant—and that her lover is married—she ...
From Barnes & Noble:
In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant—and that her lover is married—she ...
Pachinko - Min Jin Lee
Contemporary fiction | Chinese Americans | Family Secrets
From Barnes & Noble:
Set in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises. After years of chasing the American dream, the Zhen family...
From Barnes & Noble:
Set in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises. After years of chasing the American dream, the Zhen family...
What We Were Promised - Lucy Tan
Literary Fiction | Family | Adventure
From Barnes & Noble:
The paranoid and brilliant inventor Allie Fox uproots his family from their New England farm to live in the Honduran jungle, determined to build a civilization better than the one they've left. An individualist, Allie sees modern America as wasteful,...
From Barnes & Noble:
The paranoid and brilliant inventor Allie Fox uproots his family from their New England farm to live in the Honduran jungle, determined to build a civilization better than the one they've left. An individualist, Allie sees modern America as wasteful,...
The Mosquito Coast - Paul Theroux
To be read: Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction | WW1 |
From Barnes & Noble:
Superintendent of Nurses Julia Stimson must recruit sixty-four nurses to relieve the battle-worn British, months before American troops are ready to be deployed. She knows that the young nurses serving near the front lines of will face a challenging ...
From Barnes & Noble:
Superintendent of Nurses Julia Stimson must recruit sixty-four nurses to relieve the battle-worn British, months before American troops are ready to be deployed. She knows that the young nurses serving near the front lines of will face a challenging ...
The War Nurse: A Novel - Tracy Enerson Wood
Historical fiction | Irish Revolution | Mystery
From Barnes & Noble:
A producer at the BBC and mother to a new baby, Tessa is at work in Belfast one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground in the two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, but they never really went away,...
From Barnes & Noble:
A producer at the BBC and mother to a new baby, Tessa is at work in Belfast one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground in the two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, but they never really went away,...
Northern Spy: A Novel - Flynn Berry
Historical fiction | WW2 | Based on true story
From Barnes & Noble:
Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have the perfect life with her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into the city, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, ...
Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, ...
From Barnes & Noble:
Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have the perfect life with her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into the city, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, ...
Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, ...
The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles
Historical fiction | WW2 | Children of the Holocaust
From Barnes & Noble:
Berlin, 1939. Before everything changed, Hannah Rosenthal lived a charmed life. But now the streets of Berlin are draped in ominous flags; her family’s fine possessions are hauled away; and they are no longer welcome in the places they once considere...
New York, 2014. On her twelfth birthday, Anna Rosen receives a mysterious package from an unknown relative in Cuba, her great-aunt Hannah. Its contents inspire Anna and her mother to travel to Havana to learn the truth about their family’s mysterious...
From Barnes & Noble:
Berlin, 1939. Before everything changed, Hannah Rosenthal lived a charmed life. But now the streets of Berlin are draped in ominous flags; her family’s fine possessions are hauled away; and they are no longer welcome in the places they once considere...
New York, 2014. On her twelfth birthday, Anna Rosen receives a mysterious package from an unknown relative in Cuba, her great-aunt Hannah. Its contents inspire Anna and her mother to travel to Havana to learn the truth about their family’s mysterious...
The German Girl - Armando Lucas Correa
Historical Fiction | WW2 | Children of the Holocaust
From Barnes & Noble:
In 1936, the Nazi are little more than loud, brutish bores to fifteen-year old Stephan Neuman, the son of a wealthy and influential Jewish family and budding playwright whose playground extends from Vienna’s streets to its intricate underground tunne...
From Barnes & Noble:
In 1936, the Nazi are little more than loud, brutish bores to fifteen-year old Stephan Neuman, the son of a wealthy and influential Jewish family and budding playwright whose playground extends from Vienna’s streets to its intricate underground tunne...
The Last Train to London: A Novel
To be read: Non-fiction
Entertaining Non-Fiction | History | Iceland
From Barnes & Noble:
The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nati...
From Barnes & Noble:
The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nati...
How Iceland Changed the World - Egill Bjarnason
Entertaining non-fiction | Cultural terrorism
From Barnes & Noble:
In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that ...
“Part history, part scholarly adventure story, and part journalist survey...Joshua Hammer writes with verve and expertise” (The New York Times Book Review) about how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one o...
From Barnes & Noble:
In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that ...
“Part history, part scholarly adventure story, and part journalist survey...Joshua Hammer writes with verve and expertise” (The New York Times Book Review) about how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one o...
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu - Joshua Hammer
Entertaining non-fiction | Somali piracy crisis
From Barnes & Noble:
All would still be there, were it not for Colonel John Steed, a retired British military attaché, who launched his own private mission to free them. At 65, Colonel Steed was hardly an ideal saviour. With no experience in hostage negotiations and no m...
From Barnes & Noble:
All would still be there, were it not for Colonel John Steed, a retired British military attaché, who launched his own private mission to free them. At 65, Colonel Steed was hardly an ideal saviour. With no experience in hostage negotiations and no m...
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Colin Freeman
I've been thinking a lot about financial freedom and literacy, and I really appreciated Ramit's show on Netflix as an introduction. I don't know yet that I agree with his entire method, but I'm open to exploring the workbook and working through it fi...
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: The Journal: No Complicated Math. No More Procrastinating. Design Your Rich Life Today.