2025 reading log
Items in this hypelist
Books
Ship of Destiny: The Liveship Traders
Robin Hobb • 2023
Mad Ship: The Liveship Traders
Robin Hobb • 2023
Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders
Robin Hobb • 2023
The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as “even better than the Farseer Trilogy—I didn’t think that was possible.” Now in a glorious new edition!<br/><br/>Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.<br/><br/>For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea’s young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship—and the Vestrits—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will.<br/><br/>Don’t miss the magic of the Liveship Traders Trilogy:<br/>SHIP OF MAGIC • MAD SHIP • SHIP OF DESTINY
Morning Star
Pierce Brown • 2016
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Red Rising thrilled readers and announced the presence of a talented new author. Golden Son changed the game and took the story of Darrow to the next level. Now comes the exhilarating next chapter in the Red Rising Saga: Morning Star.<br/><br/>ITW THRILLER AWARD FINALIST • “[Brown’s] achievement is in creating an uncomfortably familiar world of flaw, fear, and promise.”—Entertainment Weekly<br/><br/>Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.<br/><br/>Finally, the time has come.<br/><br/>But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender.<br/><br/>Praise for Morning Star<br/><br/>“There is no one writing today who does shameless, Michael Bay–style action set pieces the way Brown does. The battle scenes are kinetic, bloody, breathless, crazy. Everything is on fire all the time.”—NPR<br/><br/>“Morning Star is this trilogy’s Return of the Jedi. . . . The impactful battles that make up most of Morning Star are damn near operatic. . . . It absolutely satisfies.”—Tordotcom<br/><br/>“Excellent . . . Brown’s vivid, first-person prose puts the reader right at the forefront of impassioned speeches, broken families, and engaging battle scenes . . . as this interstellar civil war comes to a most satisfying conclusion.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)<br/><br/>“A page-turning epic filled with twists and turns . . . The conclusion to Brown’s saga is simply stellar.”—Booklist (starred review)<br/><br/>Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:<br/>RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Mitch Albom • 2003
Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"
The Maze Runner
James Dashner • 2010
<b>THE #1 <i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLING MAZE RUNNER SERIES • A teenager with no memory must navigate a deadly maze to survive in book one of this post-apocalyptic phenomenon.</b><br><br><b>“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of <i>Lord of the Flies</i> [and] <i>The Hunger Games</i>” (<i>Entertainment Weekly</i>)</b><br><br>When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.<br> <br>Outside the towering stone walls that surround them is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.<br><br>Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying: <i>Remember. Survive. Run.</i><br><br><b>Look for more books in the blockbuster Maze Runner series:</b><br><b>THE MAZE RUNNER • THE SCORCH TRIALS • THE DEATH CURE • THE KILL ORDER • THE FEVER CODE</b>
The Scorch Trials
James Dashner • 2011
Book two in the blockbuster Maze Runner series that spawned a movie franchise and ushered in a worldwide phenomenon! And don’t miss The Fever Code, the highly-anticipated series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built!<br/><br/>Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.<br/>The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.<br/>There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.<br/>Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.<br/><br/>The Maze Runner and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure are all now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.<br/><br/>Also look for James Dashner’s edge-of-your-seat MORTALITY DOCTRINE series!<br/><br/>Praise for the Maze Runner series:<br/>A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series<br/>A USA Today Bestseller<br/>A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year<br/>An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book<br/>An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick<br/><br/>“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost.” —EW<br/><br/>“Wonderful action writing—fast-paced…but smart and well observed.” —Newsday<br/><br/>“[A] nail-biting must-read.” —Seventeen<br/><br/>“Breathless, cinematic action.” —Publishers Weekly<br/><br/>“Heart pounding to the very last moment.” —Kirkus Reviews<br/><br/>“Exclamation-worthy.” —Romantic Times<br/><br/>“James Dashner’s illuminating prequel [The Kill Order] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner [series] and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred<br/><br/>“Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book.” —Deseret News
The Death Cure
James Dashner • 2011
Don’t miss book three in the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, now a major motion picture starring Dylan O’Brien! WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test. What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say. Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all. The time for lies is over. The first two books, The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, are also #1 worldwide blockbuster movies featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O'Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster! Also look for The Fever Code, the much-buzzed-about series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built, and James Dashner's other bestselling series, the Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives. Praise for James Dashner and the Maze Runner series: A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series A USA Today Bestseller A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick “[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost.” —EW “Wonderful action writing—fast-paced . . . but smart and well observed.” —Newsday “[A] nail-biting must-read.” —Seventeen “Breathless, cinematic action.” —Publishers Weekly “Heart-pounding to the very last moment.” —Kirkus Reviews “Exclamation-worthy.” —Romantic Times “Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book.” —Deseret News
Thirst for Salt
Madelaine Lucas • 2023
A Bustle, LitHub, Debutiful, and NYLON Most Anticipated Book of 2023<br/>A Goodreads Buzziest Book of the New Year<br/><br/>“A love affair so richly and attentively imagined it carries the grace and gravity of memory itself.” ―Leslie Jamison<br/>It’s hard to remember now that I was once that girl, lying in the sand in my red swimsuit and swimming late into the day. Sharkbait, he called me.<br/><br/>It’s in the water where she first sees him: a local man almost twenty years her senior. Adrift in the summer after finishing college, a young woman is on holiday with her mother in an isolated Australian coastal town. Finding herself pulled to Jude, the man in the water, she begins losing herself in the simple, seductive rhythms of his everyday life.<br/>As their relationship deepens, life at Sailors Beach offers her the stability she has been craving as the daughter of two drifters―a loving but impulsive mother and an itinerant father. But the arrival of Maeve, a friend from Jude’s past, threatens to rock their fragile, newfound intimacy. And when she witnesses something she doesn’t fully understand, she finds herself questioning everything―about Jude, about herself, about the life she has and the one she wants.<br/>A magnetic and unforgettable story of desire and its complexities, and a powerful reckoning with memory, loss, and longing, Madelaine Lucas’s debut novel, Thirst for Salt, reveals with stunning, sensual immediacy the way the past can hold us in its thrall, shaping who we are and what we love.
Turtles All the Way Down
John Green • 2019
No Longer Human
Osamu Dazai • 1973
Now in a gift cloth edition, No Longer Human ponders profound alienation Mine has been a life of much shame. I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.<br/>Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. His attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a “clown” to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness. Still one of the ten bestselling books in Japan, No Longer Human is an important and unforgettable modern classic: “The struggle of the individual to fit into a normalizing society remains just as relevant today as it was at the time of writing.” (The Japan Times)
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins • 2009
This Special Edition of <i>The Hunger Games</i> includes the most extensive interview Suzanne Collins has given since the publication of <i>The Hunger Games</i>; an absorbing behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series; and an engaging archival conversation between Suzanne Collins and YA legend Walter Dean Myers on writing about war. The Special Edition answers many questions fans have had over the years, and gives great insight into the creation of this era-defining work.<p></p>In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins • 2010
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.
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins • 2010
The Greatly Anticipated Final Book In The New York Times Bestselling Hunger Games Trilogy By Suzanne Collins. The Capitol Is Angry. The Capitol Wants Revenge. Who Do They Think Should Pay For The Unrest? Katniss Everdeen. The Final Book In The Hunger Games Trilogy By Suzanne Collins Will Have Hearts Racing, Pages Turning, And Everyone Talking About One Of The Biggest And Most Talked-about Books And Authors In Recent Publishing History!!!!
Bones and All
Camille DeAngelis • 2022
Maren Yearly è una giovane donna che desidera ciò che desiderano tutti: vorrebbe essere ammirata e rispettata. Vorrebbe essere amata. Ma Maren ha anche delle esigenze particolari e segrete, che l'hanno costretta a una specie di esilio dal genere umano. Si odia per quella cosa brutta che fa, e per ciò che la cosa brutta ha fatto alla sua famiglia e al suo senso di identità, per come la cosa brutta determina il suo posto nel mondo e il modo in cui le persone la vedono e la giudicano. In fondo, non ha scelto lei di essere così. Perché Maren Yearly non si limita a spezzare cuori: li divora. Letteralmente. L'amore può avere molte forme diverse, ma per Maren finisce sempre nello stesso modo: lei che nasconde le prove e sua madre che carica i bagagli in auto. Ma quando, il giorno dopo il suo sedicesimo compleanno, la madre l'abbandona, Maren decide di andare in cerca del padre che non ha mai conosciuto. E finirà per scoprire molto più di quanto si aspettasse: perché, oltre a suo padre, sta cercando se stessa.
The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka • 2009
"The Metamorphosis" (original German title: "Die Verwandlung") is a short novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It is often cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century and is widely studied in colleges and universities across the western world. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into an insect.
Assassin's Apprentice
Robin Hobb • 2023
“Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb’s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.”—George R. R. Martin<br/><br/>Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.<br/><br/>As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.<br/><br/>Praise for Robin Hobb and Assassin’s Apprentice<br/><br/>“A gleaming debut in the crowded field of epic fantasies . . . a delightful take on the powers and politics behind the throne.”—Publishers Weekly<br/><br/>“This is the kind of book you fall into, and start reading slower as you get to the end, because you don’t want it to be over.”—Steven Brust
Royal Assassin
Robin Hobb • 2002
Assassin's Quest
Robin Hobb • 2014
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R. R. Martin • 2015
<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER • Taking place nearly a century before the events of <i>A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms </i>compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin’s ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire.</b><br><b> </b><br><b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY <i>LOS ANGELES TIMES</i> AND <i>BUZZFEED</i></b><br><b><i> </i></b><br>These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.<br> <br>Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, <i>A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms</i> is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet.<br><br><b>Praise for <i>A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms</i></b><br><br> “Readers who already love Martin and his ability to bring visceral human drama out of any story will be thrilled to find this trilogy brought together and injected with extra life.”<b>—<i>Booklist</i></b><br><br> “The real reason to check out this collection is that it’s simply great storytelling. Martin crafts a living, breathing world in a way few authors can. . . . [Gianni’s illustrations] really bring the events of the novellas to life in beautiful fashion.”<b>—<i>Tech Times<br><br></i></b>“Stirring . . . As Tolkien has his <i>Silmarillion, </i>so [George R. R.] Martin has this trilogy of foundational tales. They succeed on their own, but in addition, they succeed in making fans want more.”<b>—<i>Kirkus Reviews</i> (starred review)</b><br><br> “Pure fantasy adventure, with two of the most likable protagonists George R. R. Martin has ever penned.”<b>—<i>Bustle</i></b><br><br> “A must-read for Martin’s legion of fans . . . a rousing prelude to [his] bestselling Song of Ice and Fire saga . . . rich in human drama and the colorful worldbuilding that distinguishes other books in the series.”<b>—<i>Publishers Weekly</i></b>
Red Rising
Pierce Brown • 2014
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.<br/><br/>“Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field.”—USA Today<br/><br/>ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness<br/><br/>“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”<br/>“I live for you,” I say sadly.<br/>Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”<br/><br/>Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.<br/><br/>But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.<br/><br/>Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.<br/><br/>Praise for Red Rising<br/><br/>“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly<br/><br/>“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler<br/><br/>“Red Rising is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch<br/><br/>Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:<br/>RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER
Golden Son
Pierce Brown • 2015
<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER •<i> Red Rising</i> hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. <i>Golden Son </i>continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom.</b><br><br><b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, <i>BUZZFEED,</i> AND <i>BOOKLIST </i><b>• “Gripping . . . On virtually every level, this is a sequel that hates sequels—a perfect fit for a hero who already defies the tropes. [Grade:] A”—<i>Entertainment Weekly</i></b></b><br><br>As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.<br> <br> A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.<br> <br> He must live for more.<br><br><b>Praise for <i>Golden Son</i></b><br> <b><i> </i></b><br>“Stirring . . . Comparisons to <i>The Hunger Games </i>and<i> Game of Thrones</i> series are inevitable, for this tale has elements of both.”<b><i>—Kirkus Reviews</i></b><br><br>“Brown writes layered, flawed characters . . . but plot is his most breathtaking strength. . . . Every action seems to flow into the next.”<b>—NPR</b><br><br><b>Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:</b><br><b>RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER</b>
