Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Alex Rider, teen spy, has always been told he is the spitting image of the father he never knew. But when Alex learns that his father may have been an assassin for the most lethal and powerful terrorist organization in the world, Scorpia, his world shatters. Now Scorpia wants Alex on their side, and Alex no longer has the strength to fight them. That is, until he learns of Scorpia’s latest plot: an operation ... (more)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Book 9

The Miracle at Speedy Motors

by Alexander McCall Smith

In the latest installment of this infinitely enjoyable and best-selling series, Precious Ramotswe is doing what she does best--helping people with their problems and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Mma Ramotswe is busy investigating her latest case: a woman who is looking for her family. The problem is, the woman doesn't know her real name of whether any members of her family are now living. Meanwhile,... (more)

Zenith

by Julie Bertagna

The thrilling sequel to internationally acclaimed Exodus. In this compelling continuation of Julie Bertagna’s timely trilogy, the search for a future remains a terrifying fight for survival. Sixteen-year-old Mara and her ship of refugees are tracking the North Star in search of land in the mountains of Greenland to call home. A Gypsea boy named Tuck, orphaned when Mara’s ship plows through his floating city,... (more)

American Wife

by Curtis Sittenfeld

On what might become one of the most significant days in her husband’s presidency, Alice Blackwell considers the strange and unlikely path that has led her to the White House–and the repercussions of a life lived, as she puts it, “almost in opposition to itself.” A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice learned the virtues of politeness early on from her stolid parents and small Wisconsin hometown. But... (more)

Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg

Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg

by James MacManus

A young Oxford graduate who was caught up in the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and the Chinese Civil war, George Hogg led a group of Chinese children hundreds of miles across 15,000-foot mountains to safety—only to die tragically in early 1945. James MacManus was working as a reporter in Shanghai in 1980s when he heard talk of a statue being up in the remote town of Shandon on the Mongolian border in memory... (more)

Epistulae morales ad Lucilium. (English)

Epistulae morales ad Lucilium. (English)

by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca (c. 4 BC - AD 65) that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped... (more)

Plato, Not Prozac!

by Lou Marinoff

If you're facing a dilemma -- whether it's handling a relationship, living ethically, dealing with a career change, or finding meaning in life -- the world's most important thinkers from centuries past will help guide you toward a solution compatible with your individual beliefs. From Kirkegaard's thoughts on coping with death to the I Ching's guidelines on adapting to change, Plato, Not Prozac! makes philosophy... (more)

Stravaganza: Book 1

Stravaganza: City of Masks

by Mary Hoffman

" A Booklist Editors' Choice " A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber : A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber : A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts

by Julian Rubinstein

Part Pink Panther, part Unbearable Lightness of Being, part Slap Shot, this uproariously funny, exuberantly praised book tells the story of Attila Ambrus, a professional hockey goalkeeper (possibly the worst in the sports history), gravedigger, roulette addict, whiskey drinker (with a fondness for women in leopard-skin hot pants), and native of Transylvania who became Hungarys celebrated gentlemen thief, the most... (more)

Ark Angel : An Alex Rider Adventure (Horowitz, Anthony, Alex Rider Adventure.)

Ark Angel : An Alex Rider Adventure (Horowitz, Anthony, Alex Rider Adventure.)

by Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider is back - and this time there are no limits. Alex Rider is in hospital and determined to put his spying days behind him. But he is forced back into action when the vicious terrorist group Force Three takes him prisoner. Alex makes his escape - yet his most perilous adventure is only just beginning. Alex must stop Force Three in their attempt to destroy Russian billionaire Nikolei Drevin and his... (more)

Q & A: A Novel

by Vikas Swarup

Vikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest. But through a series of exhilarating tales Ram explains to his lawyer how... (more)

Alex Rider: Book 4

Eagle Strike

by Anthony Horowitz

Sir Damian Cray is a philanthropist, peace activist, and the world's most famous pop star. But still it's not enough. He needs more if he is to save the world. Trouble is, only Alex Rider recognizes that it's the world that needs saving from Sir Damian Cray. Underneath the luster of glamour and fame lies a twisted mind, ready to sacrifice the world for his beliefs. But in the past, Alex has always had... (more)

Alex Rider: Book 2

Point Blank

by Anthony Horowitz

When an investigation into a series of mysterious deaths leads agents to an elite prep school for rebellious kids, MI6 assigns Alex Rider to the case. Before he knows it, Alex is hanging out with the sons of the rich and powerful, and something feels wrong. These former juvenile delinquents have turned well-behaved, studious—and identical—overnight. It’s up to Alex to find out who is masterminding this nefarious... (more)

Alex Rider: Book 3

Skeleton Key

by Anthony Horowitz

Working as a secret agent for Britain’s most exclusive agency, Alex Rider has seen it all. He’s been shot at by international terrorists, stood face-to-face with pure evil, and saved the world—twice. But fifteen-year-old Alex is about to face something more dangerous than he can imagine: A man who’s lost everything he cared for—his country, his son—a man who has a nuclear weapon, and will stop at nothing to get... (more)

The Tudors: Book 1

The Constant Princess

by Philippa Gregory

"I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known...and I will be Queen of England." Thus, bestselling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Known to history as the Queen who was pushed off her throne by Anne Boleyn, here is a Katherine the world has forgotten: the enchanting princess that all England loved.... (more)

Reservation Road

by John Burnham Schwartz

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year "A dark and irresistible miracle: a heartbreaking thriller."-- Los Angeles Times "Haunting. . . . A powerful and affecting novel."-- The New York Times A tragic accident sets in motion a cycle of violence and retribution in John Burnham Schwartz's riveting novel Reservation Road . Two haunted men and their families are engulfed by the emotions surrounding an... (more)

The Book Borrower: A Novel

by Alice Mattison

On the first page of The Book Borrower, Toby Ruben and Deborah Laidlaw meet in 1975 in a New York City playground, where the two women are looking after their babies. Deborah lends Toby a book, Trolley Girl, --a memoir about a long ago trolley strike and three Jewish sisters, one a fiery revolutionary--that will disappear and reappear throughout the twenty-two years these women are friends. Through two decades... (more)

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)

by Gavin De Becker

Safety skills for children outside the home Warning signs of sexual abuse How to screen baby-sitters and choose schools Strategies for keeping teenagers safe from violence All parents face the same challenges when it comes to their children's safety: whom to trust, whom to distrust, what to believe, what to doubt, what to fear, and what not to fear. In this empowering book, Gavin de Becker, the nation's... (more)

Stravaganza: Book 2

City of Stars (Stravaganza (Audio))

by Mary Hoffman

The sequel to the international bestseller "City of Masks". The time period is the same - C16 Talia as a parallel world version of Italy - but the setting has moved from Bellezza (Venice) to Remora (Siena). The main character in this book is Georgia - who has a love of horses. She is desperate to buy a little, dusty winged horse that has appeared in a local antique shop. This tiny, winged horse will prove to be... (more)

God Grew Tired Of Us: A Memoir

by John Bul Dau, Michael S. Sweeney

This unforgettable book is the first-person account of a miracle—indeed, a whole series of miracles. A tale of suffering, tragedy, and sorrow redeemed by indomitable resolve and a stubborn refusal to despair, it's set in a Sudan shadowed by unrelenting war and ruthless violence, yet illuminated by faith, generosity, and steadfast commitment to the human spirit's finest instincts. It's also the eloquently... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: january

by Anthony Horowitz

by Alexander McCall Smith

by Julie Bertagna

by Curtis Sittenfeld

by James MacManus

by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

by Lou Marinoff

by Mary Hoffman

by Julian Rubinstein

by Anthony Horowitz

by Vikas Swarup

by Anthony Horowitz

by Anthony Horowitz

by Anthony Horowitz

by Philippa Gregory

by John Burnham Schwartz

by Alice Mattison

by Gavin De Becker

by Mary Hoffman

by John Bul Dau, Michael S. Sweeney