Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Throughout his career, Chris Bohjalian has earned a reputation for writing novels that examine some of the most important issues of our time. With Midwives , he explored the literal and metaphoric place of birth in our culture. In The Buffalo Soldier , he introduced us to one of contemporary literature’s most beloved foster children. And in Before You Know Kindness , he plumbed animal rights, gun control, and... (more)

The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel

by Ronlyn Domingue

New Orleans, 1920s. Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies in a tragic accident. In an instant, she leaves behind her one true love and her dream of becoming a doctor -- but somehow, she still remains. Immediately after her death, Razi chooses to stay between -- a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it. From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates... (more)

The Man of My Dreams: A Novel

by Curtis Sittenfeld

“Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn’t exist to accommodate you, which, in Hannah’s observation, is something a lot of people struggle to understand well into adulthood.”–from The Man of My Dreams In her acclaimed debut novel, Prep , Curtis Sittenfeld created a touchstone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of adolescence. Her prose is as intensely realistic and... (more)

The Book of Lost Things

by John Connolly

New York Times bestselling author John Connolly's unique imagination takes readers through the end of innocence into adulthood and beyond in this dark and triumphantly creative novel of grief and loss, loyalty and love, and the redemptive power of stories. High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But... (more)

The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel

The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel

by Carolly Erickson

Imagine that, on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her lifefrom her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution. Carolly Erickson takes the reader deep into the psyche of... (more)

Rosie Dunne

or, Where Rainbows End

by Cecelia Ahern

Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way . . . From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right. Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until... (more)

The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

Text: english

Dedication

by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

What if your ex was famous and adored by millions? What would you do if you had one chance to make him regret his entire existence? How much would you risk? Kate Hollis's ex-boyfriend's face plasters newsstands and TV, the Internet, and the multiplex. Jake Sharpe is one of the biggest recording stars on the planet, and every song he's famous for is about Kate. For over a decade his soundtrack has chased her --... (more)

Austenland: A Novel

by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice , is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer... (more)

Shadow Children (Boxed Set): Among the Hidden; Among the Impostors; Among the Betrayed; Among the Barons

Shadow Children (Boxed Set): Among the Hidden; Among the Impostors; Among the Betrayed; Among the Barons

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Imagine a world where families are allowed only two children. Illegal third children -- shadow children -- must live in hiding. If they are discovered, there is only one punishment: Death. The boxed set of the first four books in the chilling sequence includes: Among the Hidden An ALA Best Book for Young Adults An ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers An American Booksellers Association... (more)

Book of Ember: Book 1

The City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and... (more)

The Dresden Files: Book 1

Storm Front

by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden--Wizard Lost items found. Paranormal investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment. Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday"... (more)

The Tudors: Book 3

The Boleyn Inheritance

by Philippa Gregory

THREE WOMEN WHO SHARE ONE FATE: THE BOLEYN INHERITANCE ANNE OF CLEVES She runs from her tiny country, her hateful mother, and her abusive brother to a throne whose last three occupants are dead. King Henry VIII, her new husband, instantly dislikes her. Without friends, family, or even an understanding of the language being spoken around her, she must literally save her neck in a court ruled by a deadly game of... (more)

When Madeline Was Young: A Novel

by Jane Hamilton

Jane Hamilton, award-winning author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World , is back in top form with a richly textured novel about a tragic accident and its effects on two generations of a family. When Aaron Maciver’s beautiful young wife, Madeline, suffers brain damage in a bike accident, she is left with the intellectual powers of a six-year-old. In the years that follow, Aaron and his second wife care... (more)

Cage of Stars

by Jacquelyn Mitchard

DESCRIPTION: 12-year-old Veronica Swan's idyllic life in a close-knit Mormon community is shattered when her two younger sisters are brutally murdered. Although her parents find the strength to forgive the deranged killer, Scott Early, Veronica cannot do the same. Years later, she sets out alone to avenge her sisters' deaths, dropping her identity and severing ties in the process. As she closes in on Early,... (more)

The Coma

by Alex Garland

After being attacked on the Underground, Carl awakens from a coma to a life that seems strange and unfamiliar. He arrives at his friends' house without knowing how he got there. Nor do they. He seems to be having an affair with his secretary which is exciting, but unlikely. Further unsettled by leaps in logic and time, Carl wonders if he's actually reacting to the outside world, or if he's terribly mistaken. So... (more)

The Glass Castle

A Memoir

by Jeannette Walls

Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In The Glass Castle , Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's childrearing... (more)

Rise and Shine: A Novel

by Anna Quindlen

From Anna Quindlen, acclaimed author of Blessings, Black and Blue, and One True Thing , a superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most. It’s an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice’s perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of Rise and Shine , the country’s highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial... (more)

The Reading Group: A Novel (P.S.)

by Elizabeth Noble

The Reading Group follows the trials and tribulations of a group of women who meet regularly to read and discuss books.Over the course of a year, each of these women become intertwined, both in the books they read and within each other's lives. Inspired by a shared desire for conversation, a good book and a glass of wine-Clare, Harriet, Nicole, Polly, and Susan undergo startling revelations and transformations... (more)

The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood

The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood

by Sy Montgomery

“Christopher Hogwood came home on my lap in a shoebox. He was a creature who would prove in many ways to be more human than I am.” –from The Good Good Pig A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own among wild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always felt more comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladly opened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away from... (more)

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by Chris Bohjalian