Books Ive Actually Read
Explore a curated list of books I've actually read, featuring gripping fiction from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, timeless classics like *To Kill a Mockingbird*, and YA favorites from Nancy Farmer and Scott Westerfeld.
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The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption, and it is also about the power of fathers over sons鈥攖heir love, their sacrifices, their lies. The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner tells a sweeping story of family, love, and friendship against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, bringing to mind the large canvases of the Russian writers of the nineteenth century. But just as it is old-fashioned in its narration, it is contemporary in its subject-the devastating history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years. As emotionally gripping as it is tender, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful debut.
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Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson's award-winning, highly acclaimed, and controversial novel about a teenager who chooses not to speak rather than to give voice to what really happened to her marks ten years in print with this special anniversary edition. Bonus material created for this edition includes a new introduction and afterword from the author, resources, and discussion guide. Will also include a preview of Anderson's newest book, Wintergirls. The quintessential edition for all fans of this powerfully moving book.
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The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
This modern classic takes on an iron-fisted drug lord, clones bred for their organs, and what it means to be human. Winner of the National Book Award as well as Newbery and Printz Honors. Matteo Alacr谩n was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patr贸n, lord of a country called Opium鈥攁 strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt鈥檚 first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster鈥攅xcept for El Patr贸n. El Patr贸n loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patr贸n鈥檚 power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacr谩n Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn鈥檛 even suspect.
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The Chronicles of Narnia (adult)
by C. S. Lewis
Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil -- what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is the lion, the witch and the wardrobe, written in 1949 by C. S. Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia. For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a world where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations. This edition presents all seven books -- unabridged -- in one impressive volume. The books are presented here according to Lewis's preferred order, each chapter graced with an illustration by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. This edition also contains C. S. Lewis's essay "On Three Ways of Writing for Children," in which he explains precisely how the magic of Narnia and the realm of fantasy appeal not only to children but to discerning readers of all ages. Deceptively simple and direct, The Chronicles of Narnia continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to all readers, even fifty years after the books were first published.
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A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
by Lemony Snicket
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odour. In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy. Ages 10+
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The Sea of Trolls
by Nancy Farmer
Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. "It seems that things are stirring across the water," the Bard had warned. "Ships are being built, swords are being forged." "Is that bad?" Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers. "Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them." The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow named Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings. Award-winner Nancy Farmer has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than "Just say no to pillaging."
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Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 (Dear America)
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No summary available.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic. Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.
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Got Fangs?
by Katie Maxwell
The first book of a new paranormal series by the bestselling author of The Taming of the Dru follows a girl, stuck in the middle of Hungary with her mother, who meets Benedikt--a vampire with a cool motorcycle. Original.
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Burnt Offerings
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita Blake is a vampire hunter. But when someone else sets his sights on her prey, she must save them both from the inferno.
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Blue Moon
by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter backlist lights up the night. In her eighth adventure, Anita Blake can't turn her back on a former lover during the full moon. Especially since he's behind bars-and he's a werewolf...
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Obsidian Butterfly. (Anita Blake
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Edward, a hit man who specializes in monsters, calls vampire hunter Anita Blake to help him hunt down the greatest evil she has ever encountered. Something that kills and maims and vanishes into the night--something Anita will have to face alone.
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Bloody Bones
by Laurell K. Hamilton
For the first time in trade paperback: the fifth novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Laurell K. Hamilton. When Branson, Missouri, is hit with a death wave 'four unsolved murders' it doesn't take an expert to realize that all is not well. But luckily for the locals, Anita Blake is an expert in the kinds of preternatural goings-on that have everyone spooked. And she's got an 'in' with the creature that can make sense of the slayings-the sexy master vampire known as Jean-Claude.
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The Killing Dance
by Laurell K. Hamilton
In the sixth adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Anita Blake鈥檚 unique skills make her a wanted woman鈥攂y vampire, by werewolf, and by a hit man... Though she鈥檚 dating a vampire and a werewolf, Anita is keeping them at arm鈥檚 length. Which isn鈥檛 easy considering that Jean-Claude is the master vampire of St. Louis and Richard Zeeman is the sexiest junior high school teacher she鈥檚 ever seen. Just to complicate Anita鈥檚 already messy life, someone has put a price on her head. Love cannot save her this time, so she turns to Edward, hit man extraordinaire for help. But finding the person behind it won鈥檛 be easy, because she鈥檚 made a lot of enemies鈥攈uman and otherwise.
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The Laughing Corpse
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Animator and vampire hunter Anita Blake is about to discover that some secrets are better left buried鈥攁nd some people better off dead.
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Narcissus in Chains
by Laurell K. Hamilton
In her tenth adventure, nothing can save vampire hunter Anita Blake from a twist of fate that draws her ever closer to the brink of humanity.
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Circus of the Damned
by Laurell K. Hamilton
When a powerful centuries-old vampire hits Anita Blake's town, a battle of the undead ensues.
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The Lunatic Cafe
by Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita has fallen for the leader of a local pack of werewolves. She's survived a lot, but this love thing may kill her yet.