Reading List

How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger: In-depth Review
As someone who's always been skeptical about health claims and "miracle" diets, I approached this masterpiece with my usual caution. Little did I know that by the final page, my entire perspective on nutrition and disease prevention would be fundamentally transformed. Dr. Greger has accomplished something remarkable here – translating thousands of scientific studies into practical advice that could literally save your life.
By A.O9 months ago in BookClub
The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham: In-depth Review
There's something deeply satisfying about discovering a book that doesn't just change your thinking, but fundamentally transforms your relationship with money. That's exactly what happened when I first opened this masterpiece nearly a decade ago, expecting dry financial advice but instead finding a philosophical framework that would forever alter my approach to investing.
By A.O9 months ago in BookClub
The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss: In-depth Review
I still remember the first time I spotted this book on a friend's desk. The bold title made a promise that seemed too good to be true: work just four hours a week? My skepticism was through the roof. Fast forward six months, and here I am, writing this review from a café in Bali while my work continues back home. Not quite down to four hours yet, but I've cut my workweek by more than half. This masterpiece didn't just change my perspective on work—it completely rewired how I think about life, time, and what it means to be "successful."
By A.O9 months ago in BookClub
30 Painful Quotes About Life: Embracing the Struggles That Shape Us
Life is a journey filled with moments of joy and sorrow, triumphs and tribulations. Painful quotes about life serve as mirrors reflecting our innermost feelings, helping us understand and navigate the complexities of human existence.
By Owais Ahmed9 months ago in BookClub
Halloween Book Puns: Where Spooky Meets Wordplay
Halloween is the time of year when witches, ghosts, and pumpkins come to life, but it’s also the time to bring out your spooky reading list! And what better way to celebrate than with some fang-tastic Halloween book puns? Whether you’re talking about your favorite creepy classics, horror novels, or just cracking open a pumpkin-spiced latte with a good book, these puns are sure to get a laugh (or a chill, depending on the pun).
By JokeJester9 months ago in BookClub
The Accidental Influencer and the Reluctant Baker
Currently, a viral librarian is producing commitments-phobic bakers, engaging them in a fake romance that is most likely required to save his bakery.
By Morena Gerona9 months ago in BookClub
The Ghostly House
"The Ghostly House" Author: \[Raju Ahmed] The village was called Shalban. A quiet, green-shrouded little village. But it wasn’t just any ordinary village. To the north of the village stood an old, crumbling mansion. It was dubbed "The Haunted House" by everyone. Ever since childhood, I had heard stories about how no one dared go near that house after dusk. Strange noises—sometimes laughter, sometimes crying, and often the sound of footsteps—were said to be heard from there. Villagers believed the mansion once belonged to a landlord named Haripada Roy. But one night, his entire family was mysteriously murdered. Since then, they say, a restless spirit has haunted the house.
By Books Lover9 months ago in BookClub
Books About Banning, Free Speech, & Creativty
Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi : What is the role of literature in an era when one political party wages continual war on writers and the press? What is the connection between political strife in our daily lives, and the way we meet our enemies on the page in fiction? How can literature, through its free exchange, affect politics? In this galvanizing guide to literature as resistance, Nafisi seeks to answer these questions. Drawing on her experiences as a woman and voracious reader living in the Islamic Republic of Iran, her life as an immigrant in the United States, and her role as literature professor in both countries, she crafts an argument for why, in a genuine democracy, we must engage with the enemy, and how literature can be a vehicle for doing so. Structured as a series of letters to her father, who taught her as a child about how literature can rescue us in times of trauma, Nafisi explores the most probing questions of our time through the works of Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, James Baldwin, Margaret Atwood, and more.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books About Books: Nonfiction
The Book by Keith Houston We may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages--of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In an invitingly tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today. Sure to delight book lovers of all stripes with its lush, full-color illustrations, The Book gives us the momentous and surprising history behind humanity's most important--and universal--information technology.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books About Books: Fantasy
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman Collecting books can be a dangerous prospect in this fun, time-traveling, fantasy adventure from a spectacular debut author. One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities. Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London. Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book. The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infested--the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant. To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something--secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself. Now Irene is caught in a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies. And failure is not an option--because it isn't just Irene's reputation at stake, it's the nature of reality itself.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books About Books: Realistic Fiction
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist--even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub
Books About Books: Historical Fiction
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine : Aaliya Sohbi lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, childless, and divorced, Aaliya is her family's 'unnecessary appendage.' Every year, she translates a new favorite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The thirty-seven books that Aaliya has translated over her lifetime have never been read-- by anyone. After overhearing her neighbors, 'the three witches,' discussing her too-white hair, Aaliya accidentally dyes her hair too blue. In this breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman's late-life crisis, readers follow Aaliya's digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut. Colorful musings on literature, philosophy, and art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War and Aaliya's own volatile past. As she tries to overcome her aging body and spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left.
By Kristen Barenthaler9 months ago in BookClub