Club
House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City
introduction “House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City” marks the start of an exciting new series from acclaimed author Sarah J. Maas, known for her action-packed plots, complex characters, and intricately constructed worlds. This book, the first in the "Crescent City" series, introduces us to Bryce Quinlan, a young woman who is half-Fae and half-human, whose seemingly perfect life is shattered by a tragedy that leaves her devastated and with a burning desire for revenge. In a contemporary world where magic, danger and romance intertwine, Bryce embarks on a mission to find the person responsible for his friends' deaths, with the help of Hunt Athalar, a fallen angel seeking his own redemption. This article explores the central themes, memorable characters, and fascinating world of "House of Earth and Blood," breaking down the elements that make it a must-read book for modern fantasy fans.
By vanesa storiesabout a year ago in BookClub
The Secret Library of Emberwood
In the heart of Emberwood, a small, quaint town nestled between rolling hills and dense forests, there was a legend that every child in the town grew up hearing. It was said that hidden somewhere in the vast, mysterious Emberwood Forest was a secret library—a library that contained every book ever written and every book that would ever be written. But there was more to the legend: this library was enchanted. The books within its walls were said to come alive, their stories unfolding in real-time, allowing readers to step inside and become part of the tale.
By MisbahAslam about a year ago in BookClub
"The Road to Jonestown" by Jeff Guinn. Content Warning.
In the 1950s, a young Indianapolis minister named Jim Jones preached a curious blend of the gospel and Marxism. His congregation was racially integrated, and he was a much-lauded leader in the contemporary civil rights movement. Eventually, Jones moved his church, Peoples Temple, to northern California. He became involved in electoral politics, and soon was a prominent Bay Area leader. In this riveting narrative, Jeff Guinn examines Jones's life, from his extramarital affairs, drug use, and fraudulent faith healing to the fraught decision to move almost a thousand of his followers to a settlement in the jungles of Guyana in South America. Guinn provides stunning new details of the events leading to the fatal day in November, 1978 when more than nine hundred people died--including almost three hundred infants and children--after being ordered to swallow a cyanide-laced drink. Guinn examined thousands of pages of FBI files on the case, including material released during the course of his research. He traveled to Jones's Indiana hometown, where he spoke to people never previously interviewed, and uncovered fresh information from Jonestown survivors. He even visited the Jonestown site with the same pilot who flew there the day that Congressman Leo Ryan was murdered on Jones's orders. The Road to Jonestown is the definitive book about Jim Jones and the events that led to the tragedy at Jonestown.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in BookClub
"A Serial Killer's Daughter" by Kerri Rawson. Content Warning.
What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer In 2005, Kerri Rawson opened the door of her apartment to greet an FBI agent who shared the shocking news that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. That's also when she first learned that her father was the notorious serial killer known as BTK, a name he'd given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, the city of Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare. For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. In the weeks and years that followed, Kerri was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and a public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life had been a lie. Written with candor and extraordinary courage, A Serial Killer's Daughter is an unflinching exploration of life with one of America's most infamous killers and an astonishing tale of personal and spiritual transformation.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in BookClub
"Why They Do It" by Eugene Soltes. Content Warning.
What drives wealthy and powerful people to white-collar crime? Why They Do It is a breakthrough look at the dark side of the business world. From the financial fraudsters of Enron, to the embezzlers at Tyco, to the insider traders at McKinsey, to the Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, the failings of corporate titans are regular fixtures in the news. In Why They Do It , Harvard Business School professor Eugene Soltes draws from extensive personal interaction and correspondence with nearly fifty former executives as well as the latest research in psychology, criminology, and economics to investigate how once-celebrated executives become white-collar criminals. White-collar criminals are not merely driven by excessive greed or hubris, nor do they usually carefully calculate costs and benefits before breaking the law. Instead, Soltes shows that most of the executives who committed crimes made decisions the way we all do-on the basis of their intuitions and gut feelings. The trouble is that these gut feelings are often poorly suited for the modern business world where leaders are increasingly distanced from the consequences of their decisions and the individuals they impact. The extraordinary costs of corporate misconduct are clear to its victims. Yet, never before have we been able to peer so deeply into the minds of the many prominent perpetrators of white-collar crime. With the increasing globalization of business threatening us with even more devastating corporate misconduct, the lessons Soltes draws in Why They Do It are needed more urgently than ever.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in BookClub
"Hell's Princess" by Harold Schechter. Content Warning.
In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. She was the rarest of female psychopaths, a woman who engaged in wholesale slaughter, partly out of greed but mostly for the sheer joy of it. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana "murder farm." Some were hired hands. Others were well-to-do bachelors. All of them vanished without a trace. When their bodies were dug up, they hadn't merely been poisoned, like victims of other female killers. They'd been butchered. Hell's Princess is a riveting account of one of the most sensational killing sprees in the annals of American crime: the shocking series of murders committed by the woman who came to be known as Lady Bluebeard. The only definitive book on this notorious case and the first to reveal previously unknown information about its subject, Harold Schechter's gripping, suspenseful narrative has all the elements of a classic mystery--and all the gruesome twists of a nightmare.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in BookClub
The Whispering Library: Where Voices Come to Life
Picture a library where the books don’t just sit on shelves but actively engage with those who seek them out. This enchanted space, known as the Whispering Library, is a perfect metaphor for the art of vocal performance. Each book represents a unique aspect of vocal technique, emotion, and style, waiting to be discovered and brought to life.
By Lakshya goyalabout a year ago in BookClub
