2025 reads
Items in this hypelist
5 stars
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
Azar Nafisi · 2008
4 stars
Kaikeyi: A Novel
Vaishnavi Patel · 2022
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • "MYTHIC RETELLING AT ITS BEST." (R. F. Kuang, author of Yellowface) • A 2023 IGNYTE AWARD FINALIST • A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK<br/><br/>“With a graceful, measured elegance” (New York Times), this lyrical novel reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the ancient epic the Ramayana, giving voice to an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.<br/>I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.<br/>So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on legends of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.<br/>Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.<br/>But as the evil from her childhood tales threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak—and what legacy she intends to leave behind.<br/>PRAISE FOR KAIKEYI<br/>"Patel resets the balance of power, creating an unforgettable heroine who understands that it isn’t necessarily kings or gods who change history." –Washington Post<br/>"Easily earns its place on shelves alongside Madeline Miller’s Circe." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)<br/>"Utterly captivating from start to finish." ―Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart<br/>"Brave, compassionate and powerful." ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne<br/>"A lyrical and evocative retelling, full of power and grace." ―Ava Reid, author of Juniper & Thorn<br/>"Compulsively readable and infinitely compassionate." ―Roshani Chokshi, author of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride<br/>"A thought-provoking, nuanced new look at one of humanity’s most foundational stories." —Shannon Chakraborty, author of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
Girl, Interrupted
Susanna Kaysen · 2013
30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. Her memoir of the next two years is a "poignant, honest ... triumphantly funny ... and heartbreaking story" (The New York Times Book Review). WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR The ward for teenage girls in the McLean psychiatric hospital was as renowned for its famous clientele—Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles—as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary. Kaysen's memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a "parallel universe" set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.
The Ballad Of Song Birds And Snakes
Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)
Suzanne Collins · 2025
3 stars
Glorious Exploits: A Novel
Ferdia Lennon · 2025
unrateable
Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates · 2015
tbr
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini · 2008
The Library at Mount Char
Scott Hawkins · 2016
“Wholly original . . . the work of the newest major talent in fantasy.”—The Wall Street Journal<br/><br/>“Freakishly compelling . . . through heart-thumping acts of violence and laugh-out-loud moments, this book practically dares you to keep reading.”—Atlanta Magazine<br/><br/>A missing God.<br/>A library with the secrets to the universe.<br/>A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.<br/><br/>Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.<br/><br/>After all, she was a normal American herself once.<br/><br/>That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.<br/><br/>In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.<br/><br/>Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.<br/><br/>As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.<br/><br/>But Carolyn has accounted for this.<br/><br/>And Carolyn has a plan.<br/><br/>The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.<br/><br/>Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling—and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.<br/><br/>Praise for The Library at Mount Char<br/><br/>An engrossing fantasy world full of supernatural beings and gruesome consequences."—Boston Globe<br/><br/>"Vivid . . . the dialogue sings . . . you'll spend equal time shuddering and chortling."—Dallas Morning News"
All Men Are Mortal
Simone de Beauvoir · 1992
The Hour of the Star
Clarice Lispector · 2011
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Jeanette Winterson · 1997
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, Book 1)
Maggie Stiefvater · 2012
Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle)
Tracy Deonn · 2022
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Richard Rothstein · 2018
Clytemnestra: A Novel
Costanza Casati · 2023
