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How to use Goodreads data in Astro

How to use Goodreads data in Astro

Using the Astro Content Loader API to get data from Goodreads bookshelves and dynamically build Goodreads components in Astro.
Sadman Hossain Sadman Hossain
February 9, 2025
16 min read
astro goodreads code webdev software-showcase
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Table of Contents

First order of business: an alternative to the Goodreads API

It’s a bummer that Goodreads retired their API back in 2020.

Thankfully, Goodreads provides RSS feeds for each user shelf (also called a list), which means you can programmatically access data for all your books on Goodreads without having to rely on manually requesting a copy of your all data every so often (or some other hacky way of retrieving your data).

And best of all, we can use the sweet new Astro Content Loader API to handle retrieval and caching of said data from Goodreads — so we can simplify the whole development experience and focus on actually using the data in our Astro site (instead of worrying about how to retrieve it).

Here’s how.

Note: your site needs to be on Astro 5.x to be able to use the Content Loader API.

If you’re still on Astro 4.x and below, you can still retrieve the data using plain JavaScript (I’ve included a section on that near the end of this post) and then pass it to your components as props, but the Content Loader API is a much more elegant solution for handling data fetching and caching in Astro (so upgrading is recommended!).

If you’re curious about what’s possible with the Astro Content Loader API and Goodreads RSS feeds, check out the following pages on my blog that use the exact same setup as described in this post:

  • /about — where I list my recently read books; and
  • What I read in 2024 — where I showcase my favourite books from the last year.

Goodreads RSS feeds

You can find the RSS feed that Goodreads generates for each user shelf in one of two ways:

  1. Scroll to the bottom on the list page and click on the little orange RSS icon to open the feed in a new tab with the url in the address bar (or just right-click on the icon and copy the url); or
  2. If you already have the url for the Goodreads shelf (e.g. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read), then you can simply append _rss to the list text in the url to get the RSS feed.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read

While Goodreads includes the user name in the list url, it only uses the account number preceding the name so the part of the url with the user name (e.g. -sadman-hossain) can be safely discarded.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read

How Goodreads list urls work

The way list urls (and by corollary, RSS feed urls) work in Goodreads is that there is a base url for every user that points to their All bookshelf using their account number. The All bookshelf, as you can imagine, contains all the books stored in all of that user’s bookshelves.

Every other bookshelf for a user (i.e. Read, Currently Reading, custom shelves) uses the same base url as the All bookshelf and then appends a suffix to the url like so: ...?shelf=<SHELF-NAME>.

This is nice because it means all you need to programmatically create urls for Goodreads bookshelves is the account number and any custom shelf names (the read, currently-reading, and want-to-read shelves are standard across all accounts) for a user.

.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain




https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=currently-reading
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=want-to-read




https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=paused
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=software
...

I mention this little tidbit about Goodreads list urls because I once mistakenly removed the ...?shelf=read suffix from the base url of the Goodreads component on my blog’s /about page (which is supposed to only show my recently read books), and I was very confused at the results (which included books I hadn’t even read) until I took a closer look at the urls.

Data schema

RSS feeds are just urls to raw XML files, so you can open them up in your browser and easily see how the data is stored and in what tags.

Of course, Goodreads RSS feeds use no stylesheets whatsoever, so parsing through the unformatted text is unwieldy.

Goodreads RSS Feed formatting in FireFox

Run the XML code through a formatter and now we can get a better look at the data in the feed. In addition to the title and description of the bookshelf (at the very top of the XML file, hidden but revealable in the code snippet below), you can see that there’s actually a fair amount of data for each book in the list:

rss.xml
20 collapsed lines
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<channel>
  <xhtml:meta xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex" />
  <title>Sadman's bookshelf: read</title>
  <copyright><![CDATA[Copyright (C) 2025 Goodreads Inc. All rights reserved.]]>
  </copyright>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read]]></link>
  <atom:link href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
  <description><![CDATA[Sadman's bookshelf: read]]></description>
  <language>en-US</language>
  <lastBuildDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:56:54 -0800</lastBuildDate>
  <ttl>60</ttl>
  <image>
    <title>Sadman's bookshelf: read</title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read]]></link>
    <width>144</width>
    <height>41</height>
    <url>https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg</url>
  </image>


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  <book_description><![CDATA[Old spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone café, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly, he sets in train events which will alter lives. Bachelor himself, a hair's breadth away from sleeping in his car, is clawing his way back to stability; Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was his only success, is starting to enjoy the secrets and lies her role demands; and Lech Wicinski, an Intelligence Service analyst, finds that a simple favour for an old acquaintance might derail his career. Meanwhile, Lady Di Taverner is trying to keep the Service on an even keel, and if that means throwing the odd crew member overboard, well: collateral damage is her speciality.<br />A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.<br /><br />It's also what happens just before you hit the ground.]]></book_description>
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    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40578510-the-marylebone-drop?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Marylebone Drop (Slough House, #5.5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529387830l/40578510._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.84<br/>
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                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <title><![CDATA[Slow Horses (Slough House, #1)]]></title>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The first book in CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning British espionage series starring a team of MI5 agents united by one common bond: They've screwed up royally and will do anything to redeem themselves. <br /><br />London, England: Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another.<br /><br />River Cartwright, one such “slow horse,” is bitter about his failure and about his tedious assignment transcribing cell phone conversations. When a young man is abducted and his kidnappers threaten to broadcast his beheading live on the Internet, River sees an opportunity to redeem himself. But is the victim who he first appears to be? And what’s the kidnappers’ connection with a disgraced journalist? As the clock ticks on the execution, River finds that everyone has his own agenda.]]></book_description>
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                                    name: Sadman<br/>
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                                    ]]>
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  <title><![CDATA[Spook Street (Slough House, #4)]]></title>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A shakeup at MI5 and a terrorist attack on British soil set in motion clandestine machinery known to few modern spies. David Cartwright isn't a modern spy, however; he's legend and a bonafide Cold War hero. He's also in his dotage and losing his mind to Alzheimer's. His stories of -stotes- hiding in the bushes, following his every move have been dismissed by friends and family for years. Cartwright may be losing track of reality but he's certain about one thing: Old spooks don't go quietly and neither do the secrets they keep.</b> <br />What happens when an old spook loses his mind? Does the Service have a retirement home for those who know too many secrets but don't remember they're secret? Or does someone take care of the senile spy for good? These are the questions River Cartwright must ask when his grandfather, a Cold War-era operative, starts to forget to wear pants and begins to suspect everyone in his life has been sent by the Home Office to watch him. <br />But River has other things to worry about. A bomb has detonated in the middle of a busy shopping center and killed forty innocent civilians. The agents of Slough House have to figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates.]]></book_description>
  <book id="83745917">
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                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.36<br/>
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                                    rating: 5<br/>
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                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Jan 2025 18:15:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[London Rules (Slough House, #5)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7246557001?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>59336985</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>The fifth entry in CWA Gold dagger-winning Slough House series.</b><br /><br />London Rules might not be written down, but everyone knows rule one: Cover your arse.<br /><br />At MI5 headquarters Regent's Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning this the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack from all directions himself: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; from the PM's favorite Muslim, who's about to be elected mayor of the West Midlands, despite the dark secret he's hiding; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks. <br /><br />Over at Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - that of making a bad situation much, much worse.]]></book_description>
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  <user_shelves/>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59336985-london-rules?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="London Rules (Slough House, #5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634052100l/59336985._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.37<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/01/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/01/30<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7120485179?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 18 Jan 2025 15:09:20 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Real Tigers (Slough House, #3)]]></title>
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  <book_id>59336857</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Slough House is the Intelligence Service outpost for failed spies, former high-fliers now dubbed the 'slow horses'. Catherine Standish, one of their number, worked in Regent's Park long enough to understand treachery, double-dealing and stabbing in the back, and she's known Jackson Lamb long enough to have learned that old sins cast long shadows. And she also knows that chance encounters never happen to spooks, even recovering drunks whose careers have crashed and burned.<br /><br />What she doesn't know is why anyone would target her.<br /><br />So whoever's holding her hostage, it can't be personal. It must be about Slough House. Most likely, it's about Jackson Lamb. And say what you like about Lamb, he'll never leave a joe in the lurch.<br /><br />He might even be someone you could trust with your life.]]></book_description>
  <book id="59336857">
    <num_pages>369</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 18 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 18 Jan 2025 15:09:20 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:06:26 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.42</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59336857-real-tigers?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Real Tigers (Slough House, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700520044l/59336857._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.42<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/01/18<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/01/18<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6799441708?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:04:21 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6799441708?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>9634967</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication.<br /><br />In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans—a single mother disconcerted by her daughter's menacing "smart" toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a "pacification unit" go haywire—but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.<br /><br />When the Robot War ignites—at a moment known later as Zero Hour—humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. <i>Robopocalypse</i> is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us ... and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.]]></book_description>
  <book id="9634967">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel H. Wilson</author_name>
  <isbn>0385533853</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 3 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:04:21 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:31:05 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9634967-robopocalypse?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885891l/9634967._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Daniel H. Wilson<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/04/03<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7082513501?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:05:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The List (Slough House, #2.5)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7082513501?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>23636636</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Dieter Hess, an aged spy, is dead, and John Bachelor, his MI5 handler, is in deep, deep trouble. Death has revealed that deceased had been keeping a secret second bank account—and there’s only ever one reason a spy has a secret second bank account. The question of whether he was a double agent must be resolved, and its answer may undo an entire career’s worth of spy secrets.]]></book_description>
  <book id="23636636">
    <num_pages>112</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1616956410</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:05:41 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:49:54 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.83</average_rating>
  <book_published>2015</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23636636-the-list?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The List (Slough House, #2.5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453497408l/23636636._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.83<br/>
                                    book published: 2015<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/12/26<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/26<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5669373668?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 22 Dec 2024 21:35:44 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Project Hail Mary</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5669373668?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>54493401</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.<br /><br />Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.<br /><br />All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.<br /><br />His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.<br /><br />And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.<br /><br />Or does he?]]></book_description>
  <book id="54493401">
    <num_pages>476</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Andy Weir</author_name>
  <isbn>0593135202</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 4 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 22 Dec 2024 21:35:44 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:38:23 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.49</average_rating>
  <book_published>2021</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Project Hail Mary" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695864l/54493401._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Andy Weir<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.49<br/>
                                    book published: 2021<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030870144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:48:54 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Dead Lions (Slough House, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030870144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13642394</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[London's Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another.Now the slow horses have a chance at redemption. An old Cold War-era spy is found dead on a bus outside Oxford, far from his usual haunts. The despicable, irascible Jackson Lamb is convinced Dickie Bow was murdered. As the agents dig into their fallen comrade's circumstances, they uncover a shadowy tangle of ancient Cold War secrets that seem to lead back to a man named Alexander Popov, who is either a Soviet bogeyman or the most dangerous man in the world. How many more people will have to die to keep those secrets buried?<br /><br />From the Hardcover edition.]]></book_description>
  <book id="13642394">
    <num_pages>348</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1616952261</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 8 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:48:54 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:01:34 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.92</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642394-dead-lions?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Dead Lions (Slough House, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353380474l/13642394._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.92<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/12/08<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/13<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662149105?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:09:05 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662149105?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40121378</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655988385l/40121378._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[No matter your goals, <i>Atomic Habits</i> offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.<br /><br />If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.<br /><br />Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.<br /><br />Learn how to:<br />- Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);<br />- Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;<br />- Design your environment to make success easier;<br />- Get back on track when you fall off course;<br />...and much more.<br /><br /><i>Atomic Habits</i> will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40121378">
    <num_pages>319</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>James Clear</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 5 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:09:05 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:31:40 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>self-improvement</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.34</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habits?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Atomic Habits: An Easy &amp; Proven Way to Build Good Habits &amp; Break Bad Ones" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655988385l/40121378._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: James Clear<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.34<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/12/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/05<br/>
                                    shelves: self-improvement<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7032970042?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:44:55 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Solutions Architect's Handbook: Kick-start your solutions architect career by learning architecture design principles and strategies]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7032970042?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>53600892</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From fundamentals and design patterns to the different strategies for creating secure and reliable architectures in AWS cloud, learn everything you need to become a successful solutions architect<br /><br /></b>Key FeaturesCreate solutions and transform business requirements into technical architecture with this practical guideUnderstand various challenges that you might come across while refactoring or modernizing legacy applicationsDelve into security automation, DevOps, and validation of solution architectureBook DescriptionBecoming a solutions architect gives you the flexibility to work with cutting-edge technologies and define product strategies. This handbook takes you through the essential concepts, design principles and patterns, architectural considerations, and all the latest technology that you need to know to become a successful solutions architect.<br /><br />This book starts with a quick introduction to the fundamentals of solution architecture design principles and attributes that will assist you in understanding how solution architecture benefits software projects across enterprises. You'll learn what a cloud migration and application modernization framework looks like, and will use microservices, event-driven, cache-based, and serverless patterns to design robust architectures. You'll then explore the main pillars of architecture design, including performance, scalability, cost optimization, security, operational excellence, and DevOps. Additionally, you'll also learn advanced concepts relating to big data, machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Finally, you'll get to grips with the documentation of architecture design and the soft skills that are necessary to become a better solutions architect.<br /><br />By the end of this book, you'll have learned techniques to create an efficient architecture design that meets your business requirements.<br /><br />What you will learnExplore the various roles of a solutions architect and their involvement in the enterprise landscapeApproach big data processing, machine learning, and IoT from an architect s perspective and understand how they fit into modern architectureDiscover different solution architecture patterns such as event-driven and microservice patternsFind ways to keep yourself updated with new technologies and enhance your skillsModernize legacy applications with the help of cloud integrationGet to grips with choosing an appropriate strategy to reduce costWho this book is forThis book is for software developers, system engineers, DevOps engineers, architects, and team leaders working in the information technology industry who aspire to become solutions architect professionals. A good understanding of the software development process and general programming experience with any language will be useful.<br /><br />Table of ContentsThe Meaning of Solution ArchitectureSolution Architects in an OrganizationAttributes of the Solution ArchitecturePrinciples of Solution Architecture DesignCloud Migration and Hybrid Cloud Architecture DesignSolution Architecture Design PatternsPerformance ConsiderationsSecurity ConsiderationsArchitectural Reliability ConsiderationsOperational Excellence ConsiderationsCost ConsiderationsDevOps and Solution Architecture FrameworkData E]]></book_description>
  <book id="53600892">
    <num_pages>492</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Saurabh Shrivastava</author_name>
  <isbn>183864783X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:44:55 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 08:47:34 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.89</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53600892-solutions-architect-s-handbook?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Solutions Architect&#39;s Handbook: Kick-start your solutions architect career by learning architecture design principles and strategies" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590723108l/53600892._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Saurabh Shrivastava<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.89<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/25<br/>
                                    shelves: software<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:57 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[There Is No Antimemetics Division]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641711?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>58805770</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it. Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you complex equations, very boring passages of text, large blocks of random numbers, and dreams... But anomalous antimemes are another matter entirely. How do you contain something you can't record or remember? How do you fight a war against an enemy with effortless, perfect camouflage, when you can never even know that you're at war? Welcome to the Antimemetics Division. No, this is not your first day.]]></book_description>
  <book id="58805770">
    <num_pages>201</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>qntm</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:57 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:34:50 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.12</average_rating>
  <book_published>2020</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: qntm<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.12<br/>
                                    book published: 2020<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/09/23<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:29 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Gone World</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641241?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>34643289</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b><i>Inception</i> meets <i>True Detective</i> in this science fiction thriller of spellbinding tension and staggering scope that follows a special agent into a savage murder case with grave implications for the fate of mankind...</b><br /><br />Shannon Moss is part of a clandestine division within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In western Pennsylvania, 1997, she is assigned to solve the murder of a Navy SEAL's family--and to locate his vanished teenage daughter. Though she can't share the information with conventional law enforcement, Moss discovers that the missing SEAL was an astronaut aboard the spaceship <i>U.S.S. Libra</i>—a ship assumed lost to the currents of Deep Time. Moss knows first-hand the mental trauma of time-travel and believes the SEAL's experience with the future has triggered this violence.<br /><br />Determined to find the missing girl and driven by a troubling connection from her own past, Moss travels ahead in time to explore possible versions of the future, seeking evidence to crack the present-day case. To her horror, the future reveals that it's not only the fate of a family that hinges on her work, for what she witnesses rising over time's horizon and hurtling toward the present is the Terminus: the terrifying and cataclysmic end of humanity itself.<br /><br />Luminous and unsettling, <i>The Gone World</i> bristles with world-shattering ideas yet remains at its heart an intensely human story.]]></book_description>
  <book id="34643289">
    <num_pages>399</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Tom Sweterlitsch</author_name>
  <isbn>0698142764</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 4 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:29 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:34:35 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Tom Sweterlitsch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662138375?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:09 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662138375?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>28728007</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[You think your social life could be better. You’ve felt shy as long as you can remember. Your conversations have more awkward moments than you’d like. Maybe you don’t need a ton of friends, but you’d like to have some people to hang out with on occasion. You want to make changes, but you don’t know where to start. Lots of people have been in your shoes, so you’re hardly a lost cause, and it’s never too late to turn things around. The Social Skills Guidebook gives you insights into your interpersonal struggles and behaviors, and offers hands-on advice for developing and improving your people skills. The Social Skills Guidebook goes into detail about solving the three core areas that hold people back 1) Mental barriers including shyness, social anxiety, and low self-confidence 2) Less developed conversation skills 3) A lack of friends and an unsatisfying social life If you look at the people who are socially comfortable in your school or workplace and want what they have, know that you can achieve social success like theirs without losing yourself in the process. You can remain true to your personality and pursue your favorite interests while conquering the attitudes that hold you back, improving your conversation skills, and learning how to make friends. With practice, time, and patience, you can create the kind of social life you want for yourself. The Social Skills Guidebook covers topics • Changing counterproductive thinking that stands in the way of your social confidence • Becoming comfortable with your social fears by facing them in a gradual, manageable way • Improving your self-esteem • Navigating the different parts of a conversation • Getting past awkward silences • Interacting in one-on-one and group conversations • Learning how to listen to others and respond appropriately • Identifying other people’s nonverbal cues and being aware of your own • Finding potential friends and making plans with them • Deepening your friendships • Keeping your progress going • Improving your social skills if you have Asperger’s syndrome The Social Skills Guidebook is written by Chris MacLeod, the author of the extensive, well-visited, free site on interpersonal skills Succeed Socially. This book contains all of the site's key advice in a tight, organized, polished package.]]></book_description>
  <book id="28728007">
    <num_pages>364</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Chris MacLeod</author_name>
  <isbn>099498071X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>1</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 1 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:09 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:26:48 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>communication</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Chris MacLeod<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 1<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: communication<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982642172?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:06:32 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Small Talk Hacks: The People and Communication Skills You Need to Talk to Anyone & Be Instantly Likeable]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982642172?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>27651671</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Do you ever feel intimidated or out-of-place in social situations?<br /><br />Do you want to learn how to master the fine art of small talk?<br /><br />Do you want to develop a magnetic personality?<br /><br />If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this book was designed for you.<br /><br />Based on Intensive Scientific Research. <br /><br />1 - Five Foolproof Techniques for Creating a Stellar First Impression How quickly do you make judgments about people? We’d like to think that we don’t judge people until we get to know them. But the truth is it only takes a tenth of a second to make an accurate judgment about someone you meet or see.<br /><br />2 - What Your Non-Verbals are Saying About You How you hold yourself says a lot about how you feel – even though this may be an unconscious message. What is your body language saying about you? Find out inside...<br /><br />3 - Seven Tools to Break Through Fear and Break the Ice One of the hardest parts of getting to know someone new is that crucial moment when you have to break the ice. It can be incredibly difficult to walk up to a total stranger and get acquainted. The seven tools you pick up in Chapter 2 will help you smash through your approach anxiety and start a fun and engaging conversation<br /><br />4 - Six Strategies to Seal a Memorable Verbal Impression in 30 Seconds Your nonverbal cues can definitely make an instant first impression, but what you say also has the power to do so. So how do you make sure that you give a great first impression in the first 30 seconds of meeting someone new?<br /><br />5 - How to Make Your Personality Shine No matter what your personality, you can become someone with a shining personality that attracts others to it. You may not think of yourself as very charismatic. But don’t let those feelings of inadequacy get in the way of making your personality shine (Chapter 5).<br /><br />6 - How to Go from Introduction to Intimacy It can be a challenge to create conversations that have intimacy in just a few minutes. And while you can’t force anyone to like or trust you, you can greatly increase the chances of that happening by following a few simple practices. Chapter 6 will show you how to go from conversing to connecting. Learn the 36 questions that are scientifically-proven to help you deepen the connection with anyone!<br /><br />7 - How to Revive a Dying Conversation - and Keep It Alive We’ve all had conversations that seemed to start off great but were followed by the dreaded awkward silence. What you do in that moment can make or break your conversation? Chapter 7 shows you exactly what to do when the conversation seems to be dying prematurely<br /><br />8 - The Five-Step Method for Ending a Conversation Positively The purpose of striking up new conversations is to create new connections beyond just that moment. How you end a conversation is as important as how you begin it. You want to leave your new acquaintance with a favorable impression of you going forward. Follow the five-step method in Chapter 9 and you won't go wrong!<br /><br />9 - How to Deepen the Relationship with Future Interactions Making a great impression with someone new is a critical task when you’re networking. But it’s not enough to have an initial contact if you want to create a network of people from which you can truly benefit personally and professionally. Chapter 10 deals with when and how to follow-up to deepen any new relationship<br /><br />Want to Master the Art/Science of Great Conversations?<br /><br />Want to develop the communication skills that will help you increase your social circle, expand your network and create deeper relationships? Ready to from "forgettable" to "unforgettable"?<br /><br />Ready to develop a magnetic personality that draws people towards you? Then grab the book and get started...]]></book_description>
  <book id="27651671">
    <num_pages>130</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Akash Karia</author_name>
  <isbn>1508781427</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>1</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 31 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:06:32 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:35:03 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>2.33</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27651671-small-talk-hacks?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Small Talk Hacks: The People and Communication Skills You Need to Talk to Anyone &amp; Be Instantly Likeable" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677813819l/27651671._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Akash Karia<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 2.33<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 1<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892936567?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:05:47 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892936567?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>24885533</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A publishing event: Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his award-winning science fiction and fantasy tales for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume.<br /><br />With his debut novel, <i>The Grace of Kings</i>, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in <i>The Paper Menagerie</i>. This mesmerizing collection features all of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware” (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” (Nebula and Sturgeon award finalists), “All the Flavors” (Nebula award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie” (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).<br /><br />A must-have for every science fiction and fantasy fan, this beautiful book is an anthology to savor.]]></book_description>
  <book id="24885533">
    <num_pages>450</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ken Liu</author_name>
  <isbn>1481442546</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:05:47 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 07 Oct 2023 09:08:03 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.36</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885533-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511290092l/24885533._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Ken Liu<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.36<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/10/29<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904900965?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:36 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904900965?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>12127810</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Hazel stands at a crossroads.</b> She and the remaining crew of the <i>Argo II</i> could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power.<br /><br /><b>Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed.</b> How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea's strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can't exactly launch a frontal assault.<br /><br />Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy, and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all.<br /><br />Join the demigods as they face their biggest challenges yet in <i>The House of Hades</i>, the hair-raising penultimate book in the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.]]></book_description>
  <book id="12127810">
    <num_pages>597</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>1423146727</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 25 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:36 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:26:52 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.56</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12127810-the-house-of-hades?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464201430l/12127810._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.56<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/07/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:27 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904901756?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18705209</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Nico had warned them.</b> Going through the House of Hades would stir the demigods' worst memories. Their ghosts would become restless. Nico may actually <i>become</i> a ghost if he has to shadow-travel with Reyna and Coach Hedge one more time. But that might be better than the alternative: allowing someone else to die, as Hades foretold.<br /><br /><b>Jason's ghost is his mother,</b> who abandoned him when he was little. He may not know how he is going to prove himself as a leader, but he does know that he will not break promises like she did. He will complete his line of the prophecy: <i>To storm or fire the world must fall.</i><br /><br /><b>Reyna fears the ghosts of her ancestors,</b> who radiate anger. But she can't allow them to distract her from getting the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood before war breaks out between the Romans and Greeks. Will she have enough strength to succeed, especially with a deadly hunter on her trail?<br /><br /><b>Leo fears that his plan won't work,</b> that his friends might interfere. But there is no other way. All of them know that one of the Seven has to die in order to defeat Gaea, the Earth Mother.<br /><br /><b>Piper must learn to give herself over to fear.</b> Only then will she be able to do her part at the end: utter a single word.<br /><br />Heroes, gods, and monsters all have a role to play in the climactic fulfillment of the prophecy in <i>The Blood of Olympus</i>, the electrifying finale of the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18705209">
    <num_pages>516</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 20 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.42</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.42<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/06/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:18 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904899904?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>12127750</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Annabeth is terrified.</b> Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the <i>Argo II</i>, she can't blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon figurehead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.<br /><br />And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket, Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving command: <i>Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.</i> Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?<br /><br />Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader—but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side<br /><br />Narrated by four different demigods, <i>The Mark of Athena</i> is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the <i>Argo II</i>, if you dare. . . .]]></book_description>
  <book id="12127750">
    <num_pages>586</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>1423140605</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 2 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.47</average_rating>
  <book_published>2012</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.47<br/>
                                    book published: 2012<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/05/02<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:10 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904898953?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>9520360</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>PERCY IS CONFUSED.</b> When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: <i>Annabeth</i>. <br /><br /><b>HAZEL IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD.</b> When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem—when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wishes she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.<br /><br /><b>FRANK IS A KLUTZ.</b> His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.<br /><br />Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.]]></book_description>
  <book id="9520360">
    <num_pages>521</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>1423140591</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 17 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:10 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.41</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.41<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/04/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:01 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904897891?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>7736182</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>JASON HAS A PROBLEM.</b> He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and his best friend is a guy named Leo. They’re all students at the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids," as Leo puts it. What did Jason do to end up here? And where <i>is</i> here, exactly? Jason doesn't know anything—except that everything seems very wrong.<br /><br /><b>PIPER HAS A SECRET.</b> Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out, whether she wants to or not.<br /><br /><b>LEO HAS A WAY WITH TOOLS.</b> When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who's gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a <i>god</i>. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?<br /><br />Join new and old friends from Camp Half-Blood in this thrilling first book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Best-selling author Rick Riordan has pumped up the action, humor, suspense, and mystery in an epic adventure that will leave readers panting for the next installment.]]></book_description>
  <book id="7736182">
    <num_pages>576</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>142311339X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 5 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:01 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
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  <average_rating>4.28</average_rating>
  <book_published>2010</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.28<br/>
                                    book published: 2010<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/03/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:44 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Inkdeath (Inkworld, #3)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904905713?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>2325825</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The masterful conclusion to the epic, award-winning, bestselling INKHEART trilogy by internationally acclaimed author Cornelia Funke. <br /><br />The Adderhead--his immortality bound in a book by Meggie's father, Mo--has ordered his henchmen to plunder the villages. The peasants' only defense is a band of outlaws led by the Bluejay--Mo's fictitious double, whose identity he has reluctantly adopted. But the Book of Immortality is unraveling, and the Adderhead again fears the White Women of Death. To bring the renegade Bluejay back to repair the book, the Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, dooming them to slavery in his silver mines unless Mo surrends. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story?]]></book_description>
  <book id="2325825">
    <num_pages>699</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cornelia Funke</author_name>
  <isbn>1905294719</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 27 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:44 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
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  <average_rating>3.95</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
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                                    author: Cornelia Funke<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.95<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2014/05/27<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904904565?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:36 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Inkspell (Inkworld, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904904565?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>28195</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395358683l/28195._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The captivating sequel to INKHEART, the critically acclaimed, international bestseller by Cornelia Funke, an author who is emerging as a truly modern classic writer for children.<br /><br />Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.]]></book_description>
  <book id="28195">
    <num_pages>635</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cornelia Funke</author_name>
  <isbn>0439554004</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:36 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
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  <average_rating>3.93</average_rating>
  <book_published>2005</book_published>
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                                    author: Cornelia Funke<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.93<br/>
                                    book published: 2005<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2012/07/11<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:04 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Maniac Magee</title>
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  <book_id>139463</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A Newbery Medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs.<br />Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.]]></book_description>
  <book id="139463">
    <num_pages>184</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Jerry Spinelli</author_name>
  <isbn>0590452037</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 15 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:04 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:34:12 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.89</average_rating>
  <book_published>1990</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139463.Maniac_Magee?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Maniac Magee" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395884800l/139463._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Jerry Spinelli<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.89<br/>
                                    book published: 1990<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2014/02/15<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904907571?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:17:16 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Thief Lord</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904907571?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>113304</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327960342l/113304._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of the city of Venice.<br /><br />Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past – a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.]]></book_description>
  <book id="113304">
    <num_pages>350</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cornelia Funke</author_name>
  <isbn>1903434777</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 10 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:17:16 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:31:11 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.99</average_rating>
  <book_published>2000</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Cornelia Funke<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.99<br/>
                                    book published: 2000<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2014/01/10<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611385474?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:25 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611385474?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>33369254</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Managing people is difficult wherever you work, but the tech industry as a whole is pretty bad at it. Tech companies in general lack the experience, tools, texts, and frameworks to do it well. And the handful of books that share tips and tricks of engineering management don t explain how to supervise employees in the face of growth and change.<br /><br />In this book, author Camille Fournier takes you through the stages of technical management, from mentoring interns to working with the senior staff. You ll get actionable advice for approaching various obstacles in your path, whether you re a new manager, a mentor, or a more experienced leader looking for fresh advice. Pick up this book and learn how to become a better manager and leader in your organization.<br /><br /> * Discover how to manage small teams and large/multi-level teams<br /> * Understand how to build and bootstrap a unifying culture in teams<br /> * Deal with people problems and learn how to mentor other managers and new leaders<br /> * Learn how to manage yourself: avoid common pitfalls that challenge many leaders<br /> * Obtain several practices that you can incorporate and practice along the way]]></book_description>
  <book id="33369254">
    <num_pages>226</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Camille Fournier</author_name>
  <isbn>1491973897</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:25 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 19:02:24 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
  <book_published>2017</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33369254-the-manager-s-path?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Manager&#39;s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484107737l/33369254._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Camille Fournier<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.23<br/>
                                    book published: 2017<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: software<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637687?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:22 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Guardian Angels and Other Monsters]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637687?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>35969578</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Robopocalypse</i> comes a fascinating and fantastic collection that explores complex emotional and intellectual landscapes at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human life. A VINTAGE BOOKS ORIGINAL.</b><br /><br />In "All Kinds of Proof," a down-and-out drunk makes the unlikeliest of friends when he is hired to train a mail-carrying robot; in "Blood Memory," a mother confronts the dangerous reality that her daughter will never assimilate in this world after she was the first child born through a teleportation device; in "The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever," a physicist rushes home to be with his daughter after he hears reports of an atmospheric anomaly which he knows to be a sign of the end of the earth; in "Miss Gloria," a robot comes back to life in many different forms in a quest to save a young girl. <i>Guardian Angels and Other Monsters</i> displays the depth and breadth of Daniel H. Wilson's vision and examines how artificial intelligence both saves and destroys humanity.]]></book_description>
  <book id="35969578">
    <num_pages>304</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel H. Wilson</author_name>
  <isbn>1101972017</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:22 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.86</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35969578-guardian-angels-and-other-monsters?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Guardian Angels and Other Monsters" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509123531l/35969578._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Daniel H. Wilson<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.86<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/09/29<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637647?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:16 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Soon I Will Be Invincible</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637647?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>2068667</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460497l/2068667._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Doctor Impossible—evil genius, would-be world conqueror—languishes in prison. Shuffling through the cafeteria line with ordinary criminals, he wonders if the smartest man in the world has done the smartest thing he could with his life. After all, he's lost every battle he's ever fought. But this prison won't hold him forever.<br /><br />Fatale—half woman, half high-tech warrior—used to be an unemployed cyborg. Now, she's a rookie member of the world's most famous super-team, the Champions. But being a superhero is not all flying cars and planets in peril—she learns that in the locker rooms and dive bars of superherodom, the men and women (even mutants) behind the masks are as human as anyone.<br /><br />Soon I Will Be Invincible is a wildly entertaining first novel, brimming with attitude and humor—an emotionally resonant look at good and evil, love and loss, power and glory.]]></book_description>
  <book id="2068667">
    <num_pages>319</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Austin Grossman</author_name>
  <isbn>0307279863</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>1</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 5 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:16 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2068667.Soon_I_Will_Be_Invincible?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Soon I Will Be Invincible" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460497l/2068667._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Austin Grossman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 1<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641293?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:13 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills -- and Leave a Positive Impression!]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641293?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>5672257</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[With practical advice and small talk "cheat sheets," THE FINE ART OF SMALL TALK teaches conversational skills and techniques that can be used in any type of professional or social situation, from networking events, job fairs, and meetings with clients, to cocktail parties where you don't know a soul! <br /><br />THE FINE ART OF SMALL TALK teaches how to: <br />-Start a conversation even when you think you have nothing to say <br />-Avoid "foot-in-mouth" disease <br />-Adopt listening skills that will make you a better conversationalist <br />-Approach social functions with confidence <br />-Feel more at ease at parties, meetings, job interviews, and trade shows <br />-Turn every conversation into an opportunity for success]]></book_description>
  <book id="5672257">
    <num_pages>199</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Debra Fine</author_name>
  <isbn>1401383513</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 5 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:13 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:34:37 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <book_published>1997</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5672257-the-fine-art-of-small-talk?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills -- and Leave a Positive Impression!" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328306638l/5672257._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Debra Fine<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.73<br/>
                                    book published: 1997<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6699894069?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Nov 2024 11:27:02 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>You Like It Darker</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6699894069?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>201242757</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699311050l/201242757._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.</b><br /><br /><i>“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,”</i> writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in <i>You Like It Darker</i>, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.<br /><br />“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to <i>Cujo</i>, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.<br /><br />King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.]]></book_description>
  <book id="201242757">
    <num_pages>502</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Stephen        King</author_name>
  <isbn>1668037718</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Nov 2024 11:27:02 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:05:44 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review><![CDATA[Stephen King does it again. <br /><br />I've never read Stephen King (minus <i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52317884.The_Jaunt" title="The Jaunt by Stephen King" rel="nofollow noopener">The Jaunt</a>
</i> and that one short story of his where a man stranded on an island [spoilers removed]. But after reading this, I get it.<br /><br />I don't normally write reviews (I'd like to, I've been meaning to, but I've just never got around to actually doing it), but after reading <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i> I've been emotionally moved enough to sit down at my computer and write this out. Because it is truly something incredible.<br /><br />I don't want to spoil anything. Because it's always better if you experience yourself, summarizing it would only negate any suspense or intrigue in the mystery that is <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i>. And it is a mystery, albeit an unrelenting one, oh dear, it is unrelenting, it shocks you, angers you, puzzles you. It's a story that captured me far more than anything I've read these past few months, so much so that I could not tear myself away from the book until I had finished it.<br /><br />I expected untold horrors when I read the title <i>You Like It Darker</i>. All I found was a coldness called humanity. Maybe I found what I expected all I along. <br /><br />But I suppose that's I like it anyways.]]></user_review>
  <average_rating>4.18</average_rating>
  <book_published>2024</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201242757-you-like-it-darker?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="You Like It Darker" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699311050l/201242757._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Stephen        King<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.18<br/>
                                    book published: 2024<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/16<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/>Stephen King does it again. <br /><br />I've never read Stephen King (minus <i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52317884.The_Jaunt" title="The Jaunt by Stephen King" rel="nofollow noopener">The Jaunt</a>
</i> and that one short story of his where a man stranded on an island [spoilers removed]. But after reading this, I get it.<br /><br />I don't normally write reviews (I'd like to, I've been meaning to, but I've just never got around to actually doing it), but after reading <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i> I've been emotionally moved enough to sit down at my computer and write this out. Because it is truly something incredible.<br /><br />I don't want to spoil anything. Because it's always better if you experience yourself, summarizing it would only negate any suspense or intrigue in the mystery that is <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i>. And it is a mystery, albeit an unrelenting one, oh dear, it is unrelenting, it shocks you, angers you, puzzles you. It's a story that captured me far more than anything I've read these past few months, so much so that I could not tear myself away from the book until I had finished it.<br /><br />I expected untold horrors when I read the title <i>You Like It Darker</i>. All I found was a coldness called humanity. Maybe I found what I expected all I along. <br /><br />But I suppose that's I like it anyways.<br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6984822243?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:06:25 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Next</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6984822243?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>7661</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554225620l/7661._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Welcome to our genetic world.<p>Fast, furious, and out of control.</p><p>This is not the world of the future --- it's the world right now.</p><p>Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction --- is it worse than the disease?</p><p>We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime.</p><p>We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes ...</p><p>Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.</p><p>The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.</p>]]></book_description>
  <book id="7661">
    <num_pages>431</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Michael Crichton</author_name>
  <isbn>0060872985</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:06:25 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:05:35 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7661.Next?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Next" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554225620l/7661._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Michael Crichton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.54<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/02/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/06<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982685554?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:57:17 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Invincible, Compendium Three</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982685554?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>37491885</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525504560l/37491885._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[It's here: the third massive paperback collection of the greatest comic in the universe. Witness the conclusion of Mark Grayson's epic adventures, from "The Death of Everyone" to "The End of All Things."<br /><br />Collects INVINCIBLE #97-144.]]></book_description>
  <book id="37491885">
    <num_pages>1112</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Robert Kirkman</author_name>
  <isbn>1534306862</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:57:17 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:53 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37491885-invincible-compendium-three?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Invincible, Compendium Three" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525504560l/37491885._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Robert Kirkman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/07/28<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982684312?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Invincible, Compendium Two</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982684312?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18101127</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530480360l/18101127._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[It's here: the second massive paperback collection of the greatest superhero comic in the universe! Witness Invincible's transition from new kid on the block to established superhero! Collects" Invincible" #48-96.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18101127">
    <num_pages>1184</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Robert Kirkman</author_name>
  <isbn>1607067722</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:41 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:15 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.67</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18101127-invincible-compendium-two?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Invincible, Compendium Two" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530480360l/18101127._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Robert Kirkman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.67<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/07/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982682225?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:06 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Invincible: Compendium One</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982682225?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>11924046</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Introducing the first nine volumes of the greatest superhero comic in the universe, collected into one massive paperback edition.<br /><br />Collects #1–47, #0, Invincible story from the Image Comics Summer Special, The Pact #4]]></book_description>
  <book id="11924046">
    <num_pages>1092</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Robert Kirkman</author_name>
  <isbn>1607064111</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:06 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:55:09 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.59</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11924046-invincible?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Invincible: Compendium One" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529797022l/11924046._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Robert Kirkman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.59<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/07/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982676782?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:53:07 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Flowers for Algernon - Short Story]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982676782?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>875031</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582937860l/875031._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[THE SHORT STORY, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy &amp; Science Fiction. <br /><br />The story won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960. The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).<br /><br />Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence. The story is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human subject for the surgery, and it touches on ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.<br /><br />Although the book has often been challenged for removal from libraries in the United States and Canada, sometimes successfully, it is frequently taught in schools around the world and has been adapted many times for television, theater, radio and as the Academy Award-winning film Charly.]]></book_description>
  <book id="875031">
    <num_pages>60</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel Keyes</author_name>
  <isbn>0886820073</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 4 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:53:07 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:52:20 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.43</average_rating>
  <book_published>1959</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Daniel Keyes<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.43<br/>
                                    book published: 1959<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2017/02/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904944607?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:56:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Blindness</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904944607?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40495148</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From Nobel Prize–winning author José Saramago, a magnificent, mesmerizing parable of loss</b><br /><br />A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations, and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides her charges—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and their procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. As <i>Blindness</i> reclaims the age-old story of a plague, it evokes the vivid and trembling horrors of the twentieth century, leaving readers with a powerful vision of the human spirit that's bound both by weakness and exhilarating strength.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40495148">
    <num_pages>349</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>José Saramago</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 20 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:56:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:56:09 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.17</average_rating>
  <book_published>1995</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40495148-blindness?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Blindness" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: José Saramago<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.17<br/>
                                    book published: 1995<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/11/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904942128?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:55:52 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Road</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904942128?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>6288</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece.<br /><br />A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.<br /><br /><i>The Road</i> is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.]]></book_description>
  <book id="6288">
    <num_pages>241</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cormac McCarthy</author_name>
  <isbn>0307265439</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 4 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:55:52 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:54:22 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.99</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6288.The_Road?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Road" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Cormac McCarthy<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.99<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/10/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904939922?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:53:06 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Frankenstein: The 1818 Text</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904939922?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>35031085</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631088473l/35031085._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780143131847.</i> <br /><br />Mary Shelley's seminal novel of the scientist whose creation becomes a monster. <br /><br />This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.]]></book_description>
  <book id="35031085">
    <num_pages>260</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley</author_name>
  <isbn>0143131842</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 17 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:53:06 -0700]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.01</average_rating>
  <book_published>1818</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Frankenstein: The 1818 Text" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631088473l/35031085._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.01<br/>
                                    book published: 1818<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/01/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904938144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:51:47 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Reluctant Fundamentalist</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904938144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40961543</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630677173l/40961543._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter…<br /><br />Changez is living an immigrant's dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.<br /><br />But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez's own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40961543">
    <num_pages>228</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mohsin Hamid</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:51:47 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:51:30 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.79</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40961543-the-reluctant-fundamentalist?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Reluctant Fundamentalist" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630677173l/40961543._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mohsin Hamid<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.79<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/11<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904918999?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:38:59 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Sapphique (Incarceron, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904918999?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>4499214</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The only one who escaped... and the one who could destroy them all.<br /><br />Incarceron, the living prison, has lost one of its inmates to the outside world: Finn's escaped, only to find that Outside is not at all what he expected. Used to the technologically advanced, if violently harsh, conditions of the prison, Finn is now forced to obey the rules of Protocol, which require all people to live without technology. To Finn, Outside is just a prison of another kind, especially when Claudia, the daughter of the prison's warden, declares Finn the lost heir to the throne. When another claimant emerges, both Finn's and Claudia's very lives hang on Finn convincing the Court of something that even he doesn't fully believe.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Finn's oathbrother Keiro and his friend Attia are still trapped inside Incarceron. They are searching for a magical glove, which legend says Sapphique used to escape. To find it, they must battle the prison itself, because Incarceron wants the glove too.]]></book_description>
  <book id="4499214">
    <num_pages>470</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Catherine Fisher</author_name>
  <isbn>0340893613</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 12 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:38:59 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:38:38 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2008</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4499214-sapphique?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Sapphique (Incarceron, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885488l/4499214._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Catherine Fisher<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2008<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2016/11/12<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904363113?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:41:17 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>To a God Unknown</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904363113?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>111300</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1510608634l/111300._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[While fulfilling his dead father's dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father's spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph's prosperity and the farm flourishes - until one brother, scared by Joseph's pagan belief, kills the tree and brings disease and famine on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, <i>To a God Unknown</i> is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and to understand the ways of God.]]></book_description>
  <book id="111300">
    <num_pages>240</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0141185503</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:41:17 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:41:00 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.96</average_rating>
  <book_published>1933</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111300.To_a_God_Unknown?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="To a God Unknown" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1510608634l/111300._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.96<br/>
                                    book published: 1933<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904361580?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:40:25 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>In Dubious Battle</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904361580?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>56083</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[At once a relentlessly fast-paced, admirably observed novel of social unrest and the story of a young man’s struggle for identity, <i>In Dubious Battle</i> is set in the California apple country, where a strike by migrant workers against rapacious landowners spirals out of control. Caught in the upheaval is Jim Nolan, a once aimless man who finds himself in the course of the strike.]]></book_description>
  <book id="56083">
    <num_pages>274</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0143039636</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:40:25 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:40:07 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.91</average_rating>
  <book_published>1936</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56083.In_Dubious_Battle?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="In Dubious Battle" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394742698l/56083._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.91<br/>
                                    book published: 1936<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904359364?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:39:15 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Red Pony</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904359364?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>8732</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Young Jody Tiflin lives on his father's California ranch. He is thrilled when his father gives him a red pony, and later promises him the colt of a bay mare. Both these gifts bring joy to Jody's life--but tragedy soon follows. As Jody begins to learn the harsh lessons of life and death, he starts to understand what growing up and becoming an adult really means.]]></book_description>
  <book id="8732">
    <num_pages>95</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:39:15 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:55 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.49</average_rating>
  <book_published>1933</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8732.The_Red_Pony?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Red Pony" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391231816l/8732._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.49<br/>
                                    book published: 1933<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904358378?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:37 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904358378?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>4799</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388188936l/4799._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>Cannery Row</i> is a book without much of a plot. Rather, it is an attempt to capture the feeling and people of a place, the cannery district of Monterey, California, which is populated by a mix of those down on their luck and those who choose for other reasons not to live "up the hill" in the more respectable area of town. The flow of the main plot is frequently interrupted by short vignettes that introduce us to various denizens of the Row, most of whom are not directly connected with the central story. These vignettes are often characterized by direct or indirect reference to extreme violence: suicides, corpses, and the cruelty of the natural world.<br /><br />The "story" of <i>Cannery Row</i> follows the adventures of Mack and the boys, a group of unemployed yet resourceful men who inhabit a converted fish-meal shack on the edge of a vacant lot down on the Row.<br /><br />Sweet Thursday is the sequel to Cannery Row.]]></book_description>
  <book id="4799">
    <num_pages>181</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>014200068X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:37 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:21 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.06</average_rating>
  <book_published>1945</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4799.Cannery_Row?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388188936l/4799._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.06<br/>
                                    book published: 1945<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904357628?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:14 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Pearl</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904357628?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>5308</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437234939l/5308._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull’s egg, as “perfect as the moon.” With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security…<br /><br />A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, <i>The Pearl</i> explores the secrets of man’s nature, greed, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.]]></book_description>
  <book id="5308">
    <num_pages>96</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0142000698</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:14 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:56 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.52</average_rating>
  <book_published>1947</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5308.The_Pearl?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Pearl" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437234939l/5308._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.52<br/>
                                    book published: 1947<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904356315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Grapes of Wrath</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904356315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18114322</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized—and sometimes outraged—millions of readers.<br /><br />First published in 1939, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads—driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. At once a naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck’s powerful landmark novel is perhaps the most American of American Classics.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18114322">
    <num_pages>496</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>067001690X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:12 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.06</average_rating>
  <book_published>1939</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18114322-the-grapes-of-wrath?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Grapes of Wrath" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.06<br/>
                                    book published: 1939<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904354624?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:36:37 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Of Mice and Men</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904354624?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>890</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511302904l/890._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>
<i>“I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.”</i>
</b><br /><br />They are an unlikely pair: George is <i>"small and quick and dark of face";</i> Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a <i>"family,"</i> clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. But George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own.<br /><br />While the powerlessness of the laboring class is a recurring theme in Steinbeck's work of the late 1930s, he narrowed his focus when composing <i>Of Mice and Men</i>, creating an intimate portrait of two men facing a world marked by petty tyranny, misunderstanding, jealousy, and callousness. But though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal: a friendship and a shared dream that makes an individual's existence meaningful.<br /><br />A unique perspective on life's hardships, this story has achieved the status of timeless classic due to its remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films.]]></book_description>
  <book id="890">
    <num_pages>107</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0142000671</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:36:37 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:36:14 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>1937</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/890.Of_Mice_and_Men?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Of Mice and Men" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511302904l/890._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 1937<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/09/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5667909361?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:29:09 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5667909361?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13453029</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349614200l/13453029._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[This Omnibus Edition collects the five Wool books into a single volume. <br /><br />The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months. <br /><br />This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.<br /><br /><i>Alternate cover for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18626815-wool-omnibus-edition" rel="nofollow noopener">B0071XO8RA</a></i>]]></book_description>
  <book id="13453029">
    <num_pages>509</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 9 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:29:09 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 04 Jul 2023 15:40:04 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.22</average_rating>
  <book_published>2012</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453029-wool-omnibus?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349614200l/13453029._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.22<br/>
                                    book published: 2012<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/09<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904334248?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:25:44 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904334248?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>38447</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now…<br /><br />Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.]]></book_description>
  <book id="38447">
    <num_pages>311</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Margaret Atwood</author_name>
  <isbn>038549081X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 1 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:25:44 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:25:24 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <book_published>1985</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid&#39;s Tale, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Margaret Atwood<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.15<br/>
                                    book published: 1985<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/02/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904324341?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:20:20 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Night</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904324341?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>1617</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1709507006l/1617._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. <i>Night</i> is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again.]]></book_description>
  <book id="1617">
    <num_pages>120</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Elie Wiesel</author_name>
  <isbn>0374500010</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 1 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:20:20 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:56 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.38</average_rating>
  <book_published>1956</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1617.Night?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Night" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1709507006l/1617._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Elie Wiesel<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.38<br/>
                                    book published: 1956<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/03/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904316469?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:34 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>1984</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904316469?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>61439040</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657781256l/61439040._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace freedom is slavery and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian - these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man's Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality. With a foreword by Thomas Pynchon. This beautiful paperback edition features deckled edges and french flaps a perfect gift for any occasion<br /><br />Alternate cover edition can be found <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36526988-nineteen-eighty-four" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.]]></book_description>
  <book id="61439040">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>George Orwell</author_name>
  <isbn>0452284236</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 1 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:34 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:15:31 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.21</average_rating>
  <book_published>1949</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61439040-1984?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="1984" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657781256l/61439040._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: George Orwell<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.21<br/>
                                    book published: 1949<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2019/01/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889047923?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:33 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Outsiders</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889047923?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>231804</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442129426l/231804._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>The Outsiders</i> is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.<br /><br /><i>Librarian note: This record is for one of the three editions published with different covers and with ISBN 0-140-38572-X / 978-0-14-038572-4. The records are for the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231804.1988_cover" title="1988 cover" rel="nofollow noopener">1988 cover</a> (this record), the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985531.1995_cover" title="1995 cover" rel="nofollow noopener">1995 cover</a>, and the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7840334.2008_cover" title="2008 cover" rel="nofollow noopener">2008 cover</a> which is also the current in-print cover.</i>]]></book_description>
  <book id="231804">
    <num_pages>208</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>S.E. Hinton</author_name>
  <isbn>0670532576</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 1 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:33 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:27:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>1967</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231804.The_Outsiders?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Outsiders" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442129426l/231804._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: S.E. Hinton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 1967<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2016/01/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889050373?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Fahrenheit 451</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889050373?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13079982</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383718290l/13079982._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.</b><br /><br />Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.]]></book_description>
  <book id="13079982">
    <num_pages>194</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ray Bradbury</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 1 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:28:31 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.97</average_rating>
  <book_published>1953</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Ray Bradbury<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.97<br/>
                                    book published: 1953<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2019/11/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889046005?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:26:43 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Complete Maus</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889046005?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>15195</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327354180l/15195._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first masterpiece in comic book history” (The New Yorker).<br /><br />The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times).<br /><br />Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.]]></book_description>
  <book id="15195">
    <num_pages>296</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Art Spiegelman</author_name>
  <isbn>0141014083</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 1 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:26:43 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:25:51 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.57</average_rating>
  <book_published>1980</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15195.The_Complete_Maus?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Complete Maus" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327354180l/15195._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Art Spiegelman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.57<br/>
                                    book published: 1980<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2019/01/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/09/29<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993661?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:36:43 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Lost Stories (Ranger's Apprentice, #11)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993661?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>20096054</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Inspired by his millions of fans worldwide, many of whom wrote him emails and letters questioning the fate or the origin of some of the most popular characters and storylines from Ranger’s Apprentice, John Flanagan decided to reward his loyal readers with a collection of stories answering these questions. In Book 11 of the Ranger's Apprentice epic, fans will see never-before-published stories featuring all their favorite characters, from Will to Halt, from Horace to Alyss. More than a companion book, THE LOST STORIES is, ultimately, a new entry in the series—and a tribute from author to reader.<br /> <br /> Visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.rangersapprentice.com">www.rangersapprentice.com</a> <br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="20096054">
    <num_pages>434</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Flanagan</author_name>
  <isbn>110154788X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 16 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:36:43 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:25:36 -0700]]></user_date_created>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.47</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Flanagan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.47<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/04/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/09/23<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993956?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:51:10 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (Ranger's Apprentice #10)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993956?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>20088408</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. <i>alone</i>! <br /> <br /> When Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon- Ja, it isn't long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne. Victory lies in the hands of an inexperienced group of fighters, and it's anybody's guess who will make the journey home to Araluen.<br /> <br /> Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series. <br /> <br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="20088408">
    <num_pages>289</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Flanagan</author_name>
  <isbn>110147646X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 17 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:51:10 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:25:44 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.58</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20088408-the-emperor-of-nihon-ja?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (Ranger&#39;s Apprentice #10)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487433743l/20088408._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Flanagan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.58<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/09/21<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6777458626?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:07 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Conversationally Speaking: WHAT to Say, WHEN to Say It, and HOW to Never Run Out of Things to Say (Communication Skills, Social Skills, Small talk, People Skills)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6777458626?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>25061921</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Wish you knew how to walk up to anyone and break the ice effortlessly? Avoid awkward silences and make an instant impression? <b>You'll get more than that in this not only WHAT, WHEN, and HOW to say it, but the exact roots of WHY from human psychology and interaction.</b> Flowing conversation is the basis of all of our friendships and relationships, there's no getting around it. Yet sometimes it feels like we just can't connect in the depth we want without some luck on our part. Why? Because <b>Conversationally Speaking</b>, most people haven't broken down the patterns of a great conversation. Specific principles get specific responses, and that's exactly what we want, isn't it? Each phase of conversation analyzed, from beginning to end, complete with examples, so you can handle any conversation and see it to greater purpose. Every chapter is dense and packed with <b>actionable steps</b> that are far beyond the generic "make eye contact and ask questions" that typically passes for social and conversation development. Here's what you'll * The best topics for icebreaking with friends, strangers, and anyone. * The biggest aspect of effective storytelling. * Three steps to take your conversations to depth and intimacy. * An introduction to the most common patterns and structures of humor. As well * What a verbal mirror is and why people love it. * Effective listening, and listening as a gateway to closeness. * A 21 day conversation bootcamp plan for optimal development. That promotion you want? That cutie you want to talk to? Better treatment and better friendships all around? <b>Conversation skills</b> are the common thread, and the most powerful tool to getting you everything you want. Most of all, conversation skills are <b>necessary</b> in our lives - making the choice to improve them will allow the best parts of you to shine. Don’t hesitate to pick up your copy today by clicking the BUY NOW button at the top of this page! <b>P.S. Never run out of things to say again!</b>]]></book_description>
  <book id="25061921">
    <num_pages>93</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Patrick King</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 7 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:07 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:31:57 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.53</average_rating>
  <book_published>2015</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25061921-conversationally-speaking?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Conversationally Speaking: WHAT to Say, WHEN to Say It, and HOW to Never Run Out of Things to Say (Communication Skills, Social Skills, Small talk, People Skills)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439195631l/25061921._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Patrick King<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.53<br/>
                                    book published: 2015<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/07<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541724?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:03 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Writing That Works Third Edition]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541724?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>52387544</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566734963l/52387544._SX50_SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Writing That Works will help you say what you want to say with less difficulty and more confidence Now in its third edition this completely updated classic has been expanded to included all new advice on email and the ewriting world plus a fresh point of view on political correctness With dozens of examples many of them new and useful tips for writing as well as faster on a computer Writing That Works will show you how to inprove anything you write: Presentations that move ideas and action Memos and letters that get things done Plans and reports that make things happen Fundraising and sales letters that produce results Resumes and letters thar lead to interviews Speeches that make a point]]></book_description>
  <book id="52387544">
    <num_pages>0</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Kenneth Roman</author_name>
  <isbn>3897032406</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 6 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:03 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:50:04 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.00</average_rating>
  <book_published>1981</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52387544-writing-that-works-third-edition?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Writing That Works Third Edition" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566734963l/52387544._SX50_SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Kenneth Roman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.00<br/>
                                    book published: 1981<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/06<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541636?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:51 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541636?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13252400</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[ Managing Humans( Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager) &lt;&gt; Paperback &lt;&gt; MichaelLopp &lt;&gt; Apress]]></book_description>
  <book id="13252400">
    <num_pages>281</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Michael Lopp</author_name>
  <isbn>1430243147</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 5 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:51 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:50:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.94</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13252400-managing-humans?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344729040l/13252400._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Michael Lopp<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.94<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541798?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:49 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Software Engineer's Guidebook: Navigating senior, tech lead, and staff engineer positions at tech companies and startups]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541798?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>207812154</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[In my first few years as a developer I assumed that hard work was all I needed. Then I was passed over for a promotion and my manager couldn’t give me feedback on what areas to improve, so I could get to the senior engineer level. I was frustrated; even not as much about missing the promotion, but because of the lack of guidance.<br /><br />By the time I became a manager, I was determined to support engineers reporting to me with the kind of feedback and support I wish I would have gotten years earlier. And I did. While my team tripled over the next two years, people became visibly better engineers, and this progression was clear from performance reviews and promotions.<br /><br />This book is a summary of the advice I’ve given to software engineers over the years – and then some more.<br /><br /><b>This book follows the structure of a “typical” career path for a software engineer</b>, from starting out as a fresh-faced software developer, through being a role model senior/lead, all the way to the staff/principle/distinguished level. It summarizes what I’ve learned as a developer and how I’ve approached coaching engineers at different stages of their careers.<br /><br />We cover “soft” skills which become increasingly important as your seniority increases, and the “hard” parts of the job, like software engineering concepts and approaches which help you grow professionally.<br /><br /><b>The names of levels and their expectations can – and do! – vary across companies. </b>The higher “tier” a business is, the more tends to be expected of engineers, compared to lower tier places. For example, the “senior engineer” level has notoriously high expectations at Google (L5 level) and Meta (E5 level,) compared to lower-tier companies. If you work at a higher-tier business, it may be useful to read the chapters about higher levels, and not only the level you’re currently interested in.<br /><br />The book is composed of six standalone parts, each made up of several <br /><br />Part 1: Developer Career FundamentalsPart 2: The Competent Software DeveloperPart 3: The Well-Rounded Senior EngineerPart 4: The Pragmatic Tech LeadPart 5: Role Model Staff and Principal EngineersPart 6: ConclusionParts 1 and 6 apply to all engineering levels, from entry-level software developer, to principal-and-above engineer. Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 cover increasingly senior engineering levels and group together topics in chapters, such as “Software Engineering,” “Collaboration,” “Getting Things Done,” etc.<br /><br />Naming and levels vary, but the principles of what makes a great engineer who is impactful at the individual, team, and organizational levels, are remarkably constant. No matter where you are in your career, I hope this book provides a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to grow as an engineer.<br /><br /><b>Praise for the book</b>“From performance reviews to P95 latency, from team dynamics to testing, Gergely demystifies all aspects of a software career. This book is well it really <i>does</i> feel like the missing guidebook for the whole industry.”<br /><br />– Tanya Reilly, senior principal engineer and author of The Staff Engineer's Path<br /><br />"Spanning a huge range of topics from technical to social in a concise manner, this belongs on the desk of any software engineer looking to grow their impact and their career. You'll reach for it again and again for sage advice in any situation.]]></book_description>
  <book id="207812154">
    <num_pages>415</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Gergely Orosz</author_name>
  <isbn>9083381838</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 7 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:49 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:50:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.38</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Gergely Orosz<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.38<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/07<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611354432?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:47 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611354432?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>4099</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401432508l/4099._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Straight from the programming trenches, <b>
<i>The Pragmatic Programmer</i>
</b> cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process--taking a requirement and producing working, maintainable code that delights its users. It covers topics ranging from personal responsibility and career development to architectural techniques for keeping your code flexible and easy to adapt and reuse. Read this book, and you'll learn how to<br /><br />Fight software rot; Avoid the trap of duplicating knowledge; Write flexible, dynamic, and adaptable code; Avoid programming by coincidence; Bullet-proof your code with contracts, assertions, and exceptions; Capture real requirements; Test ruthlessly and effectively; Delight your users; Build teams of pragmatic programmers; and Make your developments more precise with automation. Written as a series of self-contained sections and filled with entertaining anecdotes, thoughtful examples, and interesting analogies, <b>
<i>The Pragmatic Programmer</i>
</b> illustrates the best practices and major pitfalls of many different aspects of software development. Whether you're a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, use these lessons daily, and you'll quickly see improvements in personal productivity, accuracy, and job satisfaction. You'll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You'll become a Pragmatic Programmer.]]></book_description>
  <book id="4099">
    <num_pages>321</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Dave         Thomas</author_name>
  <isbn>020161622X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:47 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 18:50:53 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software, in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.32</average_rating>
  <book_published>1999</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Programmer?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401432508l/4099._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Dave         Thomas<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.32<br/>
                                    book published: 1999<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/19<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: software, in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979131?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:00 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Dust (Silo, #3)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979131?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>17855756</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369522849l/17855756._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>In a time when secrets and lies were the foundations of life, someone has discovered the truth. And they are going to tell.</i><br /><br />Jules knows what her predecessors created. She knows they are the reason life has to be lived in this way.<br /><br />And she won't stand for it.<br /><br />But Jules no longer has supporters. And there is far more to fear than the toxic world beyond her walls.<br /><br />A poison is growing from within Silo 18.<br /><br />One that cannot be stopped.<br /><br />Unless Silo 1 step in.]]></book_description>
  <book id="17855756">
    <num_pages>458</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn>1490904387</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 4 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:00 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Mar 2024 10:55:19 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.19</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17855756-dust?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Dust (Silo, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369522849l/17855756._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.19<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979090?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:31:44 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Shift (Silo, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979090?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>17306293</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379003176l/17306293._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Hugh Howey goes back to show the first days of the Silo, and the beginning of the end In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platforms that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate. In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event. At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.]]></book_description>
  <book id="17306293">
    <num_pages>579</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 4 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:31:44 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Mar 2024 10:55:18 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.12</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17306293-shift?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Shift (Silo, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379003176l/17306293._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.12<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6733060245?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:27:18 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6733060245?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>57271519</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624228280l/57271519._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Key concepts and best practices for new software engineers — stuff critical to your workplace success that you weren’t taught in school.<br /><br />For new software engineers, knowing how to program is only half the battle. You’ll quickly find that many of the skills and processes key to your success are not taught in any school or bootcamp. The Missing README fills in that gap—a distillation of workplace lessons, best practices, and engineering fundamentals that the authors have taught rookie developers at top companies for more than a decade.<br /><br />Early chapters explain what to expect when you begin your career at a company. The book’s middle section expands your technical education, teaching you how to work with existing codebases, address and prevent technical debt, write production-grade software, manage dependencies, test effectively, do code reviews, safely deploy software, design evolvable architectures, and handle incidents when you’re on-call. Additional chapters cover planning and interpersonal skills such as Agile planning, working effectively with your manager, and growing to senior levels and beyond.<br /><br />You’ll <br /><br />This is the book your tech lead wishes every new engineer would read before they start. By the end, you’ll know what it takes to transition into the workplace–from CS classes or bootcamps to professional software engineering.]]></book_description>
  <book id="57271519">
    <num_pages>288</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Chris Riccomini</author_name>
  <isbn>1718501838</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 5 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:27:18 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:15:59 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.40</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57271519-the-missing-readme?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624228280l/57271519._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Chris Riccomini<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.40<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: software<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Antimatter Blues (Mickey7, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>60784562</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670914748l/60784562._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Summer has come to Niflheim. The lichens are growing, the six-winged bat-things are chirping, and much to his own surprise, Mickey Barnes is still alive―that last part thanks almost entirely to the fact that Commander Marshall believes that the colony’s creeper neighbors are holding an antimatter bomb, and that Mickey is the only one who’s keeping them from using it. Mickey’s just another colonist now. Instead of cleaning out the reactor core, he spends his time these days cleaning out the rabbit hutches. It’s not a bad life.<br /><br />It’s not going to last.<br /><br />It may be sunny now, but winter is coming. The antimatter that fuels the colony is running low, and Marshall wants his bomb back. If Mickey agrees to retrieve it, he’ll be giving up the only thing that’s kept his head off of the chopping block. If he refuses, he might doom the entire colony. Meanwhile, the creepers have their own worries, and they’re not going to surrender the bomb without getting something in return. Once again, Mickey finds the fate of two species resting in his hands. If something goes wrong this time, though, he won’t be coming back.]]></book_description>
  <book id="60784562">
    <num_pages>304</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Edward Ashton</author_name>
  <isbn>1250275059</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 16 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.89</average_rating>
  <book_published>2023</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784562-antimatter-blues?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Antimatter Blues (Mickey7, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670914748l/60784562._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Edward Ashton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.89<br/>
                                    book published: 2023<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/06/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637579?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Great Change (and Other Lies)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637579?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>199045103</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695192995l/199045103._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>The Great Change (and Other Lies)</i> is a novella-length collection that gathers four short stories related to Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness, featuring old friends and new: from smugglers to kings, from diamond-cutters to dress-makers, from the most apparently insignificant of slaves to the most feared man in the Union, Old Sticks himself.<br /><br />We follow the thread from the cotton-fields of Gurkhul to the heights of Aduan society, we follow a stone from the rivers of Kadir to the crown of the Union, we follow the iron from the prison-mines of Angland to a knife in the back of the old regime. And we follow the slow gestation of the Great Change itself, a revolution which will turn the whole world upside down...]]></book_description>
  <book id="199045103">
    <num_pages>77</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:04 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2023</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199045103-the-great-change?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Great Change (and Other Lies)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695192995l/199045103._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2023<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/06/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615705?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The End Is Now (The Apocalypse Triptych, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615705?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>23176804</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm.<br /><br />But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. <br /><br />THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH will tell their stories.<br /><br />Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, The Apocalypse Triptych is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME explores life after the apocalypse.<br /><br />THE END IS NIGH is about the match. THE END HAS COME is about what will rise from the ashes. THE END IS NOW is about the conflagration.<br /><br />• • • •<br /><br />table of contents:<br />INTRODUCTION by John Joseph Adams<br />HERD IMMUNITY by Tananarive Due<br />THE SIXTH DAY OF DEER CAMP by Scott Sigler<br />GOODNIGHT STARS by Annie Bellet<br />ROCK MANNING CAN’T HEAR YOU by Charlie Jane Anders<br />FRUITING BODIES by Seanan McGuire<br />BLACK MONDAY by Sarah Langan<br />ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE by Nancy Kress<br />AGENT ISOLATED by David Wellington<br />THE GODS WILL NOT BE SLAIN by Ken Liu<br />YOU’VE NEVER SEEN EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Bear<br />BRING THEM DOWN by Ben H. Winters<br />TWILIGHT OF THE MUSIC MACHINES by Megan Arkenberg<br />SUNSET HOLLOW by Jonathan Maberry<br />PENANCE by Jake Kerr<br />AVTOMAT by Daniel H. Wilson<br />DANCING WITH BATGIRL IN THE LAND OF NOD by Will McIntosh<br />BY THE HAIR OF THE MOON by Jamie Ford<br />TO WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD by Desirina Boskovich<br />IN THE MOUNTAIN by Hugh Howey<br />DEAR JOHN by Robin Wasserman]]></book_description>
  <book id="23176804">
    <num_pages>335</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Joseph Adams</author_name>
  <isbn>1497484375</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:25 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.84</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Joseph Adams<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.84<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615653?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18870662</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm. <br /><br />But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. <br /><br />THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH tells their stories. <br /><br />Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse. <br /><br />THE END HAS COME features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Seanan McGuire, Ken Liu, Carrie Vaughn, Mira Grant, Jamie Ford, Tananarive Due, Jonathan Maberry, Robin Wasserman, Nancy Kress, Charlie Jane Anders, Elizabeth Bear, Ben H. Winters, Scott Sigler, and many others. <br /><br />THE END IS NIGH is about the match. <br /><br />THE END IS NOW is about the conflagration. <br /><br />THE END HAS COME is about what will rise from the ashes.<br /><br /><br /><u>
<strong>CONTENTS</strong>
</u><br /><br />01 - Carrie Vaughn, <em>Bannerless</em><br />02 - Megan Arkenberg, <em>Like All Beautiful Places</em><br />03 - Will McIntosh, <em>Dancing With a Stranger in the Land of Nod</em><br />04 - Scott Sigler, <em>The Seventh Day of Deer Camp</em><br />05 - Sarah Langan, <em>Prototype</em><br />06 - Chris Avellone, <em>Acts of Creation</em><br />07 - Seanan McGuire, <em>Resistance</em><br />08 - Leife Shallcross, <em>Wandering Star</em><br />09 - Ben H. Winters, <em>Heaven Come Down</em><br />10 - David Wellington, <em>Agent Neutralized</em><br />11 - Annie Bellet, <em>Goodnight Earth</em><br />12 - Tananarive Due, <em>Carriers</em><br />13 - Robin Wasserman, <em>In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land</em><br />14 - Jamie Ford, <em>The Uncertainty Machine</em><br />15 - Elizabeth Bear, <em>Margin of Survival</em><br />16 - Jonathan Maberry, <em>Jingo and the Hammerman</em><br />17 - Charlie Jane Anders, <em>The Last Movie Ever Made</em><br />18 - Jake Kerr, <em>The Gray Sunrise</em><br />19 - Ken Liu, <em>The Gods Have Not Died in Vain</em><br />20 - Hugh Howey, <em>In the Woods</em><br />21 - Nancy Kress, <em>Blessings</em>]]></book_description>
  <book id="18870662">
    <num_pages>324</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Joseph Adams</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 30 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:23 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>2015</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Joseph Adams<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 2015<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Lesser Dead</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6495928193?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>29056419</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>The secret is, vampires are real and I am one.<br /><br />The secret is, I’m stealing from you what is most truly yours and I’m not sorry—</i><br /><br />New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die. Joey Peacock knows this as well as anybody—he has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, perfecting the routine he now enjoys: womanizing in punk clubs and discotheques, feeding by night, and sleeping by day with others of his kind in the macabre labyrinth under the city’s sidewalks.<br /><br />The subways are his playground and his highway, shuttling him throughout Manhattan to bleed the unsuspecting in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park or in the backseats of Checker cabs, or even those in their own apartments who are too hypnotized by sitcoms to notice him opening their windows. It’s almost too easy.<br /><br />Until one night he sees them hunting on his beloved subway. The children with the merry eyes. Vampires, like him…or not like him. Whatever they are, whatever their appearance means, the undead in the tunnels of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were.<br /><br />And neither are the rest of us.]]></book_description>
  <book id="29056419">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Christopher Buehlman</author_name>
  <isbn>0698146328</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 6 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 10 May 2024 17:01:39 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29056419-the-lesser-dead?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Lesser Dead" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1455118136l/29056419._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Christopher Buehlman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.04<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/06<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615758?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615758?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>52454426</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566875204l/52454426._SX50_SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.<br /><br />But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten.<br /> <br />In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.<br /> <br />Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.<br /> <br />Yet it is also far more than that.<br /> <br />Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.<br /> <br />Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.]]></book_description>
  <book id="52454426">
    <num_pages>286</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Max Brooks</author_name>
  <isbn>1984826786</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:26 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>2020</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52454426-devolution?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566875204l/52454426._SX50_SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Max Brooks<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 2020<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6463987163?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6463987163?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>57693457</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636369192l/57693457._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Now experience where the hit movie from Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, starring Robert Pattinson, started in <i>Mickey7</i> (the inspiration for the film <i>Mickey 17</i>).</b><br /><br />Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.<br /><br />Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.<br /><br />On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.<br /><br />Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.<br /><br />That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.]]></book_description>
  <book id="57693457">
    <num_pages>296</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Edward Ashton</author_name>
  <isbn>1250275032</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 5 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 28 Apr 2024 12:19:45 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <book_published>2022</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693457-mickey7?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636369192l/57693457._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Edward Ashton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.74<br/>
                                    book published: 2022<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/06/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6553130621?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Upgrade</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6553130621?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>60487735</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<strong>An ordinary man undergoes a startling transformation—and fears that all of humanity may be next—in the mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of <em>Dark Matter</em> and <em>Recursion </em></strong><br /><br /><em>“You are the next step in human evolution.” </em><br /><br />At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.<br /><br />But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.<br /><br />The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.<br /><br />Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.<br /><br />Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.<br /><br />And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?<br /><br />Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, <em>Upgrade</em> is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.]]></book_description>
  <book id="60487735">
    <num_pages>341</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Blake Crouch</author_name>
  <isbn>1529045355</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Jun 2024 22:24:00 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.79</average_rating>
  <book_published>2022</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60487735-upgrade?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Upgrade" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652490272l/60487735._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Blake Crouch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.79<br/>
                                    book published: 2022<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/14<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615407?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Stories of Your Life and Others]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615407?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>223381</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[What if men built a tower from Earth to Heaven - and broke through to Heaven's other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were inconsistent? What if there was a science of naming things which calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? What if all the beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity were literally true, and the sight of sinners being swallowed into Hell was a routine event on city streets? These are the kinds of outrageous questions posed by the stories of Ted Chiang. Collected here for the first time are eight of his extraordinary stories - including one specially written for this volume.]]></book_description>
  <book id="223381">
    <num_pages>336</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ted Chiang</author_name>
  <isbn>1405041021</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:17 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2002</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223381.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Stories of Your Life and Others" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358755376l/223381._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Ted Chiang<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2002<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615346?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Vicious (Villains, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615346?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13638125</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.</b><br /><br />Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.<br /><br />Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?<br /><br />In <i>Vicious</i>, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.<br /><br /><i>Listening Length: 9 hours and 55 minutes</i>]]></book_description>
  <book id="13638125">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Victoria E. Schwab</author_name>
  <isbn>0765335344</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 9 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:15 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.25</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13638125-vicious?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Vicious (Villains, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527839682l/13638125._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Victoria E. Schwab<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.25<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/09<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615284?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Vengeful (Villains, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615284?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>26856502</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions—<i>#1 New York Times</i> bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to <i>Vicious</i>.</b><br /><br />Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.<br /><br />But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought—and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.<br /><br />With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity--and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.]]></book_description>
  <book id="26856502">
    <num_pages>462</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Victoria E. Schwab</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 13 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:14 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26856502-vengeful?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Vengeful (Villains, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1683488509l/26856502._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Victoria E. Schwab<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/13<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195339?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The End is Nigh (The Apocalypse Triptych)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195339?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>21429434</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397320716l/21429434._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm. But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH will tell their stories. Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse. THE END IS NIGH features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Paolo Bacigalupi, Jamie Ford, Seanan McGuire, Tananarive Due, Jonathan Maberry, Scott Sigler, Robin Wasserman, Nancy Kress, Charlie Jane Anders, Ken Liu, and many others.]]></book_description>
  <book id="21429434">
    <num_pages>361</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Joseph Adams</author_name>
  <isbn>1495471179</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:14:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.03</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21429434-the-end-is-nigh?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The End is Nigh (The Apocalypse Triptych)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397320716l/21429434._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Joseph Adams<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.03<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/23<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195308?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195308?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>33503613</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A new collection of stories, including some that have never before been seen, from the <i>New York Times</i> best-selling author of the Silo trilogy.</b> <br /><br />Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive page-turners of boundless imagination, spawning millions of fans worldwide, first with his best-selling novel <i>Wool</i>, and then with other enthralling works such as <i>Sand</i> and <i>Beacon 23</i>. <br /><br />Now comes <i>Machine Learning</i>, an impressive collection of Howey's science fiction and fantasy short fiction, including three stories set in the world of Wool, two never-before-published tales written exclusively for this volume, and fifteen additional stories collected here for the first time. These stories explore everything from artificial intelligence to parallel universes to video games, and each story is accompanied by an author's note exploring the background and genesis of each story. <br /><br />Howey's incisive mind makes <i>Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories</i> a compulsively readable and thought-provoking selection of short works—from a modern master at the top of his game.]]></book_description>
  <book id="33503613">
    <num_pages>352</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn>1328767523</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:14:01 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.96</average_rating>
  <book_published>2017</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33503613-machine-learning?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497392811l/33503613._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.96<br/>
                                    book published: 2017<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>35606041</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558367199l/35606041._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.<br /><br />On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.<br /><br />Savine dan Glokta - socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union - plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.<br /><br />The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another...<br /><br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="35606041">
    <num_pages>480</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>031618716X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 2 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:37:00 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.44</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.44<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/01/02<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195456?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40701777</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Conspiracy. Betrayal. Rebellion.<br />Peace is just another kind of battlefield...<br /><br />Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way.<br /><br />For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye . . . before it kills her.<br /><br />The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply.<br /><br />The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever.<br /><br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="40701777">
    <num_pages>506</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575095911</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:14:05 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.59</average_rating>
  <book_published>2020</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.59<br/>
                                    book published: 2020<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/01/27<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195505?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40701780</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Chaos. Fury. Destruction.<br /><br />The Great Change is upon us...<br /><br />Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.<br /><br />With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies... while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.<br /><br />The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together...<br /><br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="40701780">
    <num_pages>520</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575095970</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:14:07 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.58</average_rating>
  <book_published>2021</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.58<br/>
                                    book published: 2021<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/02/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Exhalation</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5909999006?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>41160292</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[In these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.<br /><br />In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In "Exhalation," an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom," the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will.<br /><br />Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, <i>Exhalation</i> is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic—revelatory.]]></book_description>
  <book id="41160292">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ted Chiang</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 1 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 15 Oct 2023 08:33:54 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.27</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Ted Chiang<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.27<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892934957?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Dark Matter</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892934957?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>27833670</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy. </b><br /><br />Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.<br /><br /><i>"Are you happy with your life?"</i><br /><br />Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. <br /><br />Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. <br /><br />Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend." <br /><br />In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.<br /><br />Is it this world or the other that's the dream? <br /><br />And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.<br /><br /><b><i>Dark Matter</i> is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.</b>]]></book_description>
  <book id="27833670">
    <num_pages>342</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Blake Crouch</author_name>
  <isbn>1101904224</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 07 Oct 2023 09:07:09 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
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                                    author: Blake Crouch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/10<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Recursion</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892934887?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>42046112</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Memory makes reality.</b><br /><br />That's what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.<br /><br />That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.<br /><br />As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.<br /><br />But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?<br /><br />At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.]]></book_description>
  <book id="42046112">
    <num_pages>326</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Blake Crouch</author_name>
  <isbn>1524759783</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 07 Oct 2023 09:07:07 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42046112-recursion?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Recursion" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543687940l/42046112._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Blake Crouch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.15<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5673849560?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5673849560?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>55077697</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.<br /><br />But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.<br /><br />Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.<br /><br />Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva's. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.]]></book_description>
  <book id="55077697">
    <num_pages>416</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Christopher Buehlman</author_name>
  <isbn>1250621194</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:08:32 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.18</average_rating>
  <book_published>2021</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55077697-the-blacktongue-thief?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604069900l/55077697._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Christopher Buehlman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.18<br/>
                                    book published: 2021<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020862?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:49 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Sharp Ends</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020862?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>26030742</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b><i>Sharp Ends</i> is the ultimate collection of award winning tales and exclusive new short stories from the master of grimdark fantasy, Joe Abercrombie.</b><br /><br />Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue's gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law.<br /><br />The Union army may be full of bastards, but there's only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta.<br /><br />Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is.<br /><br />Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp.<br /><br />And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There's only one obstacle left -- his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine . . .]]></book_description>
  <book id="26030742">
    <num_pages>304</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>031639081X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:49 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/12/18<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020202?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>944077</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Striking, character-driven and cynical noir fantasy]]></book_description>
  <book id="944077">
    <num_pages>536</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575077891</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 12 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <book_published>2008</book_published>
  <description>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.31<br/>
                                    book published: 2008<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/11/12<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:39 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Best Served Cold</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020605?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>5961140</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Springtime in Styria. And that means war.<br /><br />There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. Armies march, heads roll and cities burn, while behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.<br /><br />War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.<br /><br />Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...<br /><br />Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.<br /><br />BEST SERVED COLD is the new standalone novel set in the world of Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy.]]></book_description>
  <book id="5961140">
    <num_pages>632</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0316044962</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 24 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:39 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <book_published>2009</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.10<br/>
                                    book published: 2009<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/11/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:38 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Heroes</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020984?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>9300768</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbor, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them. For glory, for victory, for staying alive.]]></book_description>
  <book id="9300768">
    <num_pages>581</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0316123358</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 5 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:38 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.34</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.34<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/12/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:35 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Red Country</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020419?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13521459</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[They burned her home.<br />They stole her brother and sister.<br />But vengeance is following.<br /><br />Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own. And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.<br /><br />Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into an alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust . . . <br />RED COUNTRY takes place in the same world as the First Law trilogy, <em>Best Served Cold,</em> and <em>The Heroes</em>. This novel also sees the return of one of Abercrombie's most beloved characters.]]></book_description>
  <book id="13521459">
    <num_pages>469</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0316214442</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:35 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <book_published>2012</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.31<br/>
                                    book published: 2012<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/12/13<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:33 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>944078</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Bitter and merciless war is coming to the frozen north. It's bloody and dangerous and the Union army, split by politics and hamstrung by incompetence, is utterly unprepared for the slaughter that's coming. Lacking experience, training, and in some cases even weapons the army is scarcely equipped to repel Bethod's scouts, let alone the cream of his forces.<br /><br />In the heat-ravaged south the Gurkish are massing to assault the city of Dagoska, defended by Inquisitor Glokta. The city is braced for the inevitable defeat and massacre to come, preparations are made to make the Gurkish pay for every inch of land ... but a plot is festering to hand the city to its beseigers without a fight, and the previous Inquisitor of Dagoska vanished without trace. Threatened from within and without the city, Glokta needs answers, and he needs them soon.<br /><br />And to the east a small band of malefactors travel to the edge of the world to reclaim a device from history - a Seed, hidden for generations - with tremendous destructive potential. A device which could put a end to war, to the army of Eaters in the South, to the invasion of Shanka from the North - but only if it can be found, and only if its power can be controlled ...]]></book_description>
  <book id="944078">
    <num_pages>570</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575082011</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:33 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:36:56 -0800]]></user_date_created>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.37</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.37<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/11/28<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:30 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5891780482?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>6740999</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Logen Ninefingers, the infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, his friends dead and his future bleak, he could be staring at death for the last time. But it's the dead who will offer him a final chance — someone out there still has plans for the Bloody-Nine.<br /><br />Captain Jezal dan Luthar, paragon of selfishness, has little more dangerous in mind seizing glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, the army is mobilising, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.<br /><br />Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would be delighted to see Jezal come home in a box. But then he hates everyone. Cutting treason out of the heart of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendships — and his latest trail of corpses could lead straight to the rotten heart of government...if he can stay alive long enough to follow it...]]></book_description>
  <book id="6740999">
    <num_pages>624</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575091088</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:30 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:37:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.12</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6740999-the-blade-itself?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327406018l/6740999._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.12<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/10/19<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:47:02 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Robot Uprisings</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637972763?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18209312</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives. With contributions from a mix of bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming writers, and including a rare story by “the father of artificial intelligence,” Dr. John McCarthy, Robot Uprisings meticulously describes the exhilarating and terrifying near-future in which humans can only survive by being cleverer than the rebellious machines they have created.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18209312">
    <num_pages>496</num_pages>
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  <author_name>Daniel H. Wilson</author_name>
  <isbn>0345803639</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
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                                    author: Daniel H. Wilson<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.85<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/10/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/10/11<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
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  <title>Glow-worm</title>
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  <title><![CDATA[The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2)]]></title>
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  <book_id>17430759</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA["Will, you are learning well, but you are soon to be tested . . . "<br /><br />For years the Kingdom has lived in peace, while the evil lord Morgarath has lived beyond the impassable mountains. But he has not been idle . . .<br /><br />Now you must embark on your most dangerous mission yet. The King's army has been deceived, and are headed for a brutal ambush. And you are the only one who can save them . . .]]></book_description>
  <book id="17430759">
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  <author_name>John Flanagan</author_name>
  <isbn>1448100984</isbn>
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  <book_published>2005</book_published>
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                                    author: John Flanagan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.00<br/>
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                                    rating: 3<br/>
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                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
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  <title>Airman</title>
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  <book_id>60546765</book_id>
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn>0141908882</isbn>
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  <book_published>2007</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.00<br/>
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                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/05/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
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  <title>The Supernaturalist</title>
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  <book_id>60667687</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill longs to escape from the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. When a rare chance to get away comes, he grabs it, but the attempt goes fatally wrong. He can feel his life force ebbing away, sucked out of him by a strange blue Parasite ... until a wisecracking gang of kids burst in, blast the creature and save him. They are the Supernaturalists, dedicated to ridding the world of these life-sucking blue parasites. When they realise that Cosmo has the ability to see these blue creatures too, they enlist him as one of them. Their mission leads Cosmo into a world of high-level corruption, James Bond type technology, thrilling adventure and finally back to a place that Cosmo ever thought he'd have to return...the dreaded Clarissa Frayne.]]></book_description>
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    <num_pages>0</num_pages>
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn>0141910089</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 7 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <average_rating>2.50</average_rating>
  <book_published>2004</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 2.50<br/>
                                    book published: 2004<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/05/07<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:06 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637992887?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>60546821</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Artemis Fowl is attempting to go straight. But there's always time for one last job.</b><br /><br />Artemis Fowl has created the most powerful new supercomputer known to man - using stolen technology from an elite race of underground fairies.<br /><br />And when the computer falls into the hands of an IT billionaire with a shady past and an alleged mob connection, Artemis is in deep trouble. The consequences for humans and fairies alike are deadly. Only one person, well, fairy, can help him now.<br /><br /><b>If only Artemis Fowl wasn't the fairies' public enemy number one . . .</b>]]></book_description>
  <book id="60546821">
    <num_pages>259</num_pages>
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
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  <average_rating>3.67</average_rating>
  <book_published>2003</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.67<br/>
                                    book published: 2003<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:05 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637992950?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>29937363</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<p>Ten millennia ago, the fairy People were defeated in a great battle with mankind, forcing them to move underground. Only the eighth family of fairies remained undefeated: the demons. But now one demon has discovered the secrets of the fairy world, and if humans get hold of this information the fairies are in BIG trouble. Only one person can prevent this disaster - teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl.</p><p>Action packed and full of humour - a must-read for boys and girls aged 10+.</p>]]></book_description>
  <book id="29937363">
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
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  <average_rating>3.59</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.59<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:04 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl, #4)]]></title>
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  <book_id>114954</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The evil pixie Opal Koboi has spent the last year in a self-induced coma, plotting her revenge on all those who foiled her attempt to destroy the LEPrecon fairy police. And Artemis Fowl is at the top of her list.<br /><br />After his last run-in with the fairies, Artemis had his mind wiped of his memories of the world belowground. But they have not forgotten about him. Once again, he must stop the human and fairy worlds from colliding—only this time, Artemis faces an enemy who may have finally outsmarted him.]]></book_description>
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn>1423103998</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
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  <average_rating>4.06</average_rating>
  <book_published>2005</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.06<br/>
                                    book published: 2005<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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</rss>

How about that, huh?

This is more than enough to put together a Goodreads bookshelf on your blog (or just list your recently read books), which leads into the next part of this post: loading Goodreads RSS data into Astro using the Content Loader API (and using plain old javascript for those still on Astro 4.x, too).

Astro Content Loader API

Quick introduction

In a nutshell, Astro’s Content Loader API allows you to fetch (and, this is the cool part, cache) data from whereever you want. It can be a local source (like all a bunch of .mdx files in a folder in your codebase) or an external source (like data retrieved from an API, or in our case, from a file url).

Using the Content Loader API

Using the Content Loader API in your Astro project is actually really simple; you just need to:

  1. Write some code to define the content collection (which will store the data retrieved from your local or external source) in your project’s content collection config file (usually src/content.config.ts or src/content/config.ts); and then
  2. Use the data from your new content collection however you want in your Astro components or pages (similar to how you may already be doing with .mdx files for your blog posts or other web pages).

For your content collection, you will need to:

  • use defineCollection() to define the collection (and its source, local or external), which itself will…
    • …have a loader object (defines how to retrieve and parse the data).
    • …have an optional schema (defines data types and validation rules for the data).
  • use getCollection() to load the collection and its data into your Astro component or page.

While having a schema for your loader is optional, it’s recommended (and helpful) because it will raise errors if the data retrieved from the source doesn’t match the schema you’ve defined.

Astro uses Zod for all schema declaration and validation, so you can use the z object from the astro package to define your schema.

For more information on Zod, check out the Zod documentation.

You can define the loader directly within your content collection as an async function returning an array of entries. This simplifies data loading and storage, as the data store in Astro is cleared and reloaded each time the loader runs (without you having to manually deal with caching).

For a more detailed overview, take a look at the official Astro documentation on the Content Loader API.

Defining the content collection for Goodreads

For this post, I’ll just show you how to define a content collection for a single Goodreads RSS feed (since that’s what I’m using for my blog), but you can easily extend this to include multiple feeds (e.g. for multiple users or multiple shelves) by adding more entries to the content object in the content collection config file.

To start off, we’ll need the xml2js package to parse the XML data from the Goodreads RSS feed into a JavaScript object. You can install it using npm by running:

Terminal window
npm install xml2js

Now, let’s define the content collection for the Goodreads RSS feed:

src/content.config.ts
import { defineCollection, z } from 'astro';
import xml2js from 'xml2js'


const GOODREADS_URL = `https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read`


const goodreads_read_books = defineCollection({




  schema: z.object({
    id: z.string(),
    title: z.string(),
    date_read: z.string(),
    rating: z.string(),
    author_name: z.string(),
    book_image_url: z.string(),
    book_id: z.string(),
  }),


  loader: async () => {
    const response = await fetch(GOODREADS_URL);
    const data = await response.text();
    const result = await xml2js.parseStringPromise(data);




    const goodreads_read_books = result.rss.channel[0].item.map((item: any) => {
      return {
        id: item.book_id[0],
        title: item.title[0],
        date_read: item.user_read_at[0],
        rating: item.user_rating[0],
        author_name: item.author_name[0],
        book_image_url: item.book_image_url[0],
        book_id: item.book_id[0],
      };
    });


    return goodreads_read_books;
  }
});


...




export const collections = {
  goodreads_read_books,
  ...
}

Instead of storing your Goodreads RSS feed url directly in the content collection config file, you can store it in a separate file (e.g. src/consts.ts) and then import it into the content collection config file.

This way, you can easily change the url without having to modify the content collection config file.

src/consts.ts
...


export const GOODREADS_URL = `https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079-sadman-hossain?shelf=read`


...
src/content.config.ts
import { GOODREADS_URL } from './consts.ts'


...

Note: the RSS feed for a Goodreads shelf will only include the last 100 books added to that shelf. This basically means that if you have more than 100 books in a shelf, you won’t be able to retrieve all of them using a single RSS feed.

You can, however, create multiple shelves (e.g. read-2025, read-2026, etc.) and then retrieve the RSS feed for each shelf to get all your books.

The beauty of Astro’s Content Loader API is that you can define a single content collection that has a loader object fetching from each of these shelves, so you only need to reference a single collection when you’re using that data in your components or pages.

Using the Goodreads collection in your Astro components

Unstyled

Now that you’ve defined the content collection for the Goodreads RSS feed, you can use it by defining it in the frontmatter of your Astro components or pages.

The Goodreads collection data is an array of objects, so you can use the map() function to iterate over the data and display each book in the list.

src/components/goodreads-unstyled.astro
---
import { getCollection } from 'astro:content'
import Layout from '@/layouts/Layout.astro';


const books = await getCollection('goodreads_read_books')
---


<Layout title="Goodreads Books" description="A list of books I've recently read from Goodreads.">
  <ul>
    {books.map((book) => (
      <li>
        <h2>{book.data.title}</h2>
        <p>Author: {book.data.author_name}</p>
        <p>Rating: {book.data.rating}</p>
        <p>Date Read: {book.data.date_read}</p>
        <img src={book.data.book_image_url} alt={book.data.title} />
      </li>
    ))}
  </ul>
</Layout>
Goodreads collection data (unstyled)

Using the Goodreads collection data in a component (unstyled).

Styling with Tailwind CSS

Add some basic Tailwind CSS classes to style the component and you’re on the road to building something that looks really good (for surprisingly little effort).

Show Source
src/components/goodreads-tailwind.astro
---
import { getCollection } from 'astro:content'
import Layout from '@/layouts/Layout.astro';


const books = await getCollection('goodreads_read_books')
---


<Layout title="Goodreads Books" description="A list of books I've recently read from Goodreads.">
  <div class="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-3 lg:grid-cols-4 gap-4 mx-8 text-center">
    {books.map((book) => (
      <div class="p-4 border-4 border-gray-600 rounded-xl">
        <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold mb-2">
          {book.data.title}
        </h2>
        <p class="text-gray-600">
          Author: {book.data.author_name}
        </p>
        <p class="text-gray-600">
          Rating: {book.data.rating}
        </p>
        <p class="text-gray-400">
          Date Read: {book.data.date_read}
        </p>
        <div class="flex justify-center">
          <img class="mt-2 rounded-lg"
            src={book.data.book_image_url}
            alt={book.data.title}
          />
        </div>
      </div>
    ))}
  </div>
</Layout>
Goodreads collection data (styled using Tailwind)

Using the Goodreads collection data in a component (styled using Tailwind).

The Goodreads component I built for my blog is a bit more complex than the one above (it includes filtering and sorting functionality; I explain how that’s implemented in the next section), but the basic idea is the same: now that the data has been stored in the content collection, you can use it in your Astro components and pages however you want.

Show Source
src/components/mdx/GoodreadsGrid.astro
121 collapsed lines
---
import { Image } from 'astro:assets'
import { getCollection } from 'astro:content'


type Book = {
  data: {
    id: string
    title: string
    shelves: string[]
    date_read: string
    rating: string
    author_name: string
    book_image_url: string
    book_id: string
  }
}


type Props = {
  gridMarginTop?: number
  titleMarginTop?: number
  ratingMarginBottom?: number
  filterYear?: number
  filterTitles?: string[]
}


const {
  gridMarginTop = 4,
  titleMarginTop = 1,
  ratingMarginBottom = 4,
  filterYear,
  filterTitles,
} = Astro.props


let books = await getCollection('goodreads_read_books')


// Filter books by year if filterYear is provided
if (filterYear) {
  books = books.filter((book: Book) => {
    const date = new Date(book.data.date_read)
    return date.getUTCFullYear() === filterYear
  })
}


// Filter books by title if filterTitles is provided
if (filterTitles && filterTitles.length > 0) {
  books = books.filter((book: Book) => filterTitles.includes(book.data.title))
  // Sort books by the order of titles in filterTitles
  books.sort(
    (a: Book, b: Book) =>
      filterTitles.indexOf(a.data.title) - filterTitles.indexOf(b.data.title),
  )
}


// Sort books by date_read (latest first) if not filtering by titles
if (!filterTitles || filterTitles.length === 0) {
  books.sort((a: Book, b: Book) => {
    if (!a.data.date_read || a.data.date_read[0] === '') return -1 // Place a at the top if date_read is missing
    if (!b.data.date_read || b.data.date_read[0] === '') return 1 // Place b at the top if date_read is missing
    const dateA = new Date(a.data.date_read)
    const dateB = new Date(b.data.date_read)
    return dateB.getTime() - dateA.getTime()
  })
}


function formatDate(dateString: any) {
  const monthNames = [
    'Jan',
    'Feb',
    'Mar',
    'Apr',
    'May',
    'Jun',
    'Jul',
    'Aug',
    'Sep',
    'Oct',
    'Nov',
    'Dec',
  ]


  const date = new Date(dateString)
  const day = date.getUTCDate()
  const month = monthNames[date.getUTCMonth()]
  const year = date.getUTCFullYear()


  return `${day} ${month} ${year}`
}
---


<style>
  .line-clamp-2 {
    display: -webkit-box;
    -webkit-line-clamp: 2;
    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
    overflow: hidden;
  }
  .placeholder {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    opacity: 1;
    transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in-out;
    position: relative;
    z-index: 1;
  }
  .zoomable-image {
    opacity: 0;
    transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in-out;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    z-index: 2;
  }
  .zoomable-image.loaded {
    opacity: 1;
  }
</style>


<div class={`mt-${gridMarginTop} goodreads`}>
  <div
    class="grid grid-cols-3 gap-2 sm:grid-cols-6 md:grid-cols-7 lg:grid-cols-7 xl:grid-cols-7"
  >
    {
      books.map((book: Book) => (
        <div class="flex flex-col items-center">
          <a
            href={`https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/${book.data.book_id}`}
            class="h-36 w-24"
            target="_blank"
          >
            <div class="hover-card relative h-full w-full">
              <div
                class="placeholder rounded-lg bg-gray-300 dark:bg-gray-800"
                id={`placeholder-${book.data.book_id}`}
              >
                <div class="h-12 w-12 rounded-3xl bg-gray-200 dark:bg-gray-700" />
              </div>
              <Image
                src={book.data.book_image_url}
                alt={book.data.title}
                class="zoomable-image h-full w-full rounded-md object-cover"
                title={`${book.data.title}`}
                width={101}
                height={150}
                onload={`document.getElementById('placeholder-${book.data.book_id}').classList.add('hidden'); this.classList.add('loaded');`}
              />
            </div>
          </a>
          <div class={`mt-${titleMarginTop} text-center`}>
            <a
              href={`https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/${book.data.book_id}`}
              class="w-24 line-clamp-2 block text-xs font-semibold underline"
              style="text-underline-offset: 2px;"
              target="_blank"
              title={`${book.data.title}`}
            >
              {book.data.title}
            </a>
            <span
              class="w-24 mt-1 block truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground"
              title={`${book.data.author_name}`}
            >
              {book.data.author_name}
            </span>
            {book.data.date_read[0] !== '' && (
              <span
                class="block text-xs text-muted-foreground"
                title="Date read"
              >
                {formatDate(book.data.date_read)}
              </span>
            )}
            <div
              class={`mb-${ratingMarginBottom} flex items-center justify-center`}
              title={`Rating given: ${book.data.rating}/5 stars`}
            >
16 collapsed lines
              {Array.from({ length: 5 }, (_, i) => (
                <svg
                  class={`h-4 w-4 ${i < Number(book.data.rating) ? 'text-black-500 dark:text-white' : 'text-gray-200 dark:text-gray-700'}`}
                  fill="currentColor"
                  viewBox="0 0 20 20"
                >
                  <path d="M9.049 2.927c.3-.921 1.603-.921 1.902 0l1.286 3.957a1 1 0 00.95.69h4.163c.969 0 1.371 1.24.588 1.81l-3.37 2.448a1 1 0 00-.364 1.118l1.286 3.957c.3.921-.755 1.688-1.54 1.118l-3.37-2.448a1 1 0 00-1.175 0l-3.37 2.448c-.784.57-1.84-.197-1.54-1.118l1.286-3.957a1 1 0 00-.364-1.118L2.174 9.384c-.783-.57-.38-1.81.588-1.81h4.163a1 1 0 00.95-.69l1.286-3.957z" />
                </svg>
              ))}
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      ))
    }
  </div>
</div>
Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary Andy Weir 4 Apr 2024
Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)
Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) Hugh Howey 9 Mar 2024
Shift (Silo, #2)
Shift (Silo, #2) Hugh Howey 4 Jul 2024
Dust (Silo, #3)
Dust (Silo, #3) Hugh Howey 4 Jul 2024
A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)
A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1) Joe Abercrombie 2 Jan 2024
The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)
The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2) Joe Abercrombie 27 Jan 2024
The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)
The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3) Joe Abercrombie 25 Feb 2024
Recursion
Recursion Blake Crouch 25 Apr 2024
Dark Matter
Dark Matter Blake Crouch 10 May 2024
You Like It Darker
You Like It Darker Stephen King 16 Nov 2024
Slow Horses (Slough House, #1)
Slow Horses (Slough House, #1) Mick Herron 23 Nov 2024
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) Margaret Atwood 1 Feb 2021
1984
1984 George Orwell 1 Jan 2019
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury 1 Nov 2019

You can use a similar content loader setup to retrieve data from other sources (like APIs) too.

I reused a large portion of the code above to create a similar component for my trakt.tv data (on my watched movies and TV shows) and it was a breeze to set up.

Filtering & sorting collection entries

The content collection we created with Goodreads books is just an array of objects, so you can use the filter() function to filter out books based on certain criteria (e.g. only show books that you rated 5 stars or read in the current year) or the sort() function to sort the books based on certain criteria (e.g. sort by descending rating or date read).

Here’s what I use in the GoodreadsGrid.astro component on my Astro site to:

  • filter books by a list of provided titles (i.e. only show books that are in the list of titles provided in the filterTitles prop);
  • sort the books by descending date read (i.e. show the most recently read books first); and
  • transform the date read value from the Goodreads RSS feed into a more readable format (e.g. to Jan 31, 2025).
src/components/mdx/GoodreadsGrid.astro
16 collapsed lines
---
import { Image } from 'astro:assets'
import { getCollection } from 'astro:content'


type Book = {
  data: {
    id: string
    title: string
    shelves: string[]
    date_read: string
    rating: string
    author_name: string
    book_image_url: string
    book_id: string
  }
}


type Props = {
  gridMarginTop?: number
  titleMarginTop?: number
  ratingMarginBottom?: number
  filterYear?: number
  filterTitles?: string[]
}


const {
  gridMarginTop = 4,
  titleMarginTop = 1,
  ratingMarginBottom = 4,
  filterYear,
  filterTitles,
} = Astro.props


let books = await getCollection('goodreads_read_books')


// Filter books by year if filterYear is provided
if (filterYear) {
  books = books.filter((book: Book) => {
    const date = new Date(book.data.date_read)
    return date.getUTCFullYear() === filterYear
  })
}


// Filter books by title if filterTitles is provided
if (filterTitles && filterTitles.length > 0) {
  books = books.filter((book: Book) => filterTitles.includes(book.data.title))
  // Sort books by the order of titles in filterTitles
  books.sort(
    (a: Book, b: Book) =>
      filterTitles.indexOf(a.data.title) - filterTitles.indexOf(b.data.title),
  )
}


// Sort books by date_read (latest first) if not filtering by titles
if (!filterTitles || filterTitles.length === 0) {
  books.sort((a: Book, b: Book) => {
    if (!a.data.date_read || a.data.date_read[0] === '') return -1 // Place a at the top if date_read is missing
    if (!b.data.date_read || b.data.date_read[0] === '') return 1 // Place b at the top if date_read is missing
    const dateA = new Date(a.data.date_read)
    const dateB = new Date(b.data.date_read)
    return dateB.getTime() - dateA.getTime()
  })
}


function formatDate(dateString: any) {
  const monthNames = [
    'Jan',
    'Feb',
    'Mar',
    'Apr',
    'May',
    'Jun',
    'Jul',
    'Aug',
    'Sep',
    'Oct',
    'Nov',
    'Dec',
  ]


  const date = new Date(dateString)
  const day = date.getUTCDate()
  const month = monthNames[date.getUTCMonth()]
  const year = date.getUTCFullYear()


  return `${day} ${month} ${year}`
}
---


107 collapsed lines
<style>
  .line-clamp-2 {
    display: -webkit-box;
    -webkit-line-clamp: 2;
    -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
    overflow: hidden;
  }
  .placeholder {
    display: flex;
    align-items: center;
    justify-content: center;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    opacity: 1;
    transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in-out;
    position: relative;
    z-index: 1;
  }
  .zoomable-image {
    opacity: 0;
    transition: opacity 0.5s ease-in-out;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    z-index: 2;
  }
  .zoomable-image.loaded {
    opacity: 1;
  }
</style>


<div class={`mt-${gridMarginTop} goodreads`}>
  <div
    class="grid grid-cols-3 gap-2 sm:grid-cols-6 md:grid-cols-7 lg:grid-cols-7 xl:grid-cols-7"
  >
    {
      books.map((book: Book) => (
        <div class="flex flex-col items-center">
          <a
            href={`https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/${book.data.book_id}`}
            class="h-36 w-24"
            target="_blank"
          >
            <div class="hover-card relative h-full w-full">
              <div
                class="placeholder rounded-lg bg-gray-300 dark:bg-gray-800"
                id={`placeholder-${book.data.book_id}`}
              >
                <div class="h-12 w-12 rounded-3xl bg-gray-200 dark:bg-gray-700" />
              </div>
              <Image
                src={book.data.book_image_url}
                alt={book.data.title}
                class="zoomable-image h-full w-full rounded-md object-cover"
                title={`${book.data.title}`}
                width={101}
                height={150}
                onload={`document.getElementById('placeholder-${book.data.book_id}').classList.add('hidden'); this.classList.add('loaded');`}
              />
            </div>
          </a>
          <div class={`mt-${titleMarginTop} text-center`}>
            <a
              href={`https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/${book.data.book_id}`}
              class="w-24 line-clamp-2 block text-xs font-semibold underline"
              style="text-underline-offset: 2px;"
              target="_blank"
              title={`${book.data.title}`}
            >
              {book.data.title}
            </a>
            <span
              class="w-24 mt-1 block truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground"
              title={`${book.data.author_name}`}
            >
              {book.data.author_name}
            </span>
            {book.data.date_read[0] !== '' && (
              <span
                class="block text-xs text-muted-foreground"
                title="Date read"
              >
                {formatDate(book.data.date_read)}
              </span>
            )}
            <div
              class={`mb-${ratingMarginBottom} flex items-center justify-center`}
              title={`Rating given: ${book.data.rating}/5 stars`}
            >
              {Array.from({ length: 5 }, (_, i) => (
                <svg
                  class={`h-4 w-4 ${i < Number(book.data.rating) ? 'text-black-500 dark:text-white' : 'text-gray-200 dark:text-gray-700'}`}
                  fill="currentColor"
                  viewBox="0 0 20 20"
                >
                  <path d="M9.049 2.927c.3-.921 1.603-.921 1.902 0l1.286 3.957a1 1 0 00.95.69h4.163c.969 0 1.371 1.24.588 1.81l-3.37 2.448a1 1 0 00-.364 1.118l1.286 3.957c.3.921-.755 1.688-1.54 1.118l-3.37-2.448a1 1 0 00-1.175 0l-3.37 2.448c-.784.57-1.84-.197-1.54-1.118l1.286-3.957a1 1 0 00-.364-1.118L2.174 9.384c-.783-.57-.38-1.81.588-1.81h4.163a1 1 0 00.95-.69l1.286-3.957z" />
                </svg>
              ))}
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      ))
    }
  </div>
</div>

Retrieving Goodreads data without the Content Loader API

If you’re still on Astro 4.x and below, you can’t use the Content Loader API to retrieve data from Goodreads, but you can still use JavaScript to fetch the data and then pass it to your components as props.

src/components/mdx/GoodreadsGrid.astro
import xml2js from 'xml2js'


const TIMEOUT = 200000; // Set timeout to 200 seconds
const REQUEST_DELAY = 500;


const delay = (ms: number) => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));




const fetchWithTimeout = async (url: string, options = {}, timeout = TIMEOUT) => {
  await delay(REQUEST_DELAY);
  const controller = new AbortController();
  const id = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), timeout);
  const response = await fetch(url, { ...options, signal: controller.signal });
  clearTimeout(id);
  return response;
};


const GOODREADS_URL = import.meta.env.GOODREADS_URL;
const response = await fetchWithTimeout(GOODREADS_URL);




const data = await response.text()
const result = await xml2js.parseStringPromise(data)
let books = result.rss.channel[0].item.map((item: any) => {
  return {
    title: item.title[0],
    shelves: item.user_shelves,
    date_read: item.user_read_at,
    rating: item.user_rating[0],
    author_name: item.author_name,
    book_image_url: book_image_url[0],
    book_id: item.book_id[0],
  }
})


...

This is actually what I used to do before I upgraded to Astro 5.x and started using the Content Loader API, but it was a bit of a pain to use sometimes because it meant that whenever I ran npm run dev I had to wait for the data to be fetched after every single change on my site. Because the data fetching was done in the component itself, it was re-fetched every time the component was re-rendered.

While that’s not a big deal (beyond being poor practice) since it was just retrieving and parsing an XML file, it was faaar more painful when I tried to use the same approach for loading data using APIs with rate limits (which often broke components while I was trying to test them in dev). In fact, that was the catalyst for me to upgrade to Astro 5.x and start using the Content Loader API.

Why you can’t use the Astro feed loader to fetch Goodreads data

While the @ascorbic/feed-loader package does allow you to load data from RSS feeds similar to how we did above, the package has a very limited schema that does not allow for the kind of complex data retrieval and parsing that we need to do for Goodreads data (which results in most of the fields in the Goodreads RSS feed being ignored and little actual data being retrieved).

astro-loaders/packages/feed/src/schema.ts
34 collapsed lines
import { string, z } from "astro/zod";


export const NSSchema = z.record(z.string());


export const ImageSchema = z.object({
  url: z.string().optional(),
  title: z.string().optional(),
});


export const MetaSchema = z.object({
  "#ns": z.array(NSSchema),
  "#type": z.enum(["atom", "rss", "rdf"]),
  "#version": z.string(),
  title: z.string(),
  description: z.string().nullable(),
  date: z.coerce.date().nullable(),
  pubdate: z.coerce.date().nullable(),
  link: z.string().nullable(),
  xmlurl: z.string().nullable(),
  author: z.string().nullable(),
  language: z.string().nullable(),
  image: ImageSchema.nullable(),
  favicon: z.string().nullable(),
  copyright: z.string().nullable(),
  generator: z.string().nullable(),
  categories: z.array(z.string()),
});


// Enclosure schema
export const EnclosureSchema = z.object({
  length: z.string().nullable().optional(),
  type: z.string().nullable().optional(),
  url: z.string(),
});


// Item schema
export const ItemSchema = z.object({
  title: z.string().nullable(),
  description: z.string().nullable(),
  summary: z.string().nullable(),
  date: z.coerce.date().nullable(),
  pubdate: z.coerce.date().nullable(),
  link: z.string().nullable(),
  origlink: z.string().nullable(),
  author: z.string().nullable(),
  guid: z.string(),
  comments: z.string().nullable(),
  image: ImageSchema,
  categories: z.array(z.string()),
  enclosures: z.array(EnclosureSchema),
  meta: MetaSchema,
});


13 collapsed lines
type Simplify<T> = {
  [P in keyof T]: T[P];
};


export type NS = z.infer<typeof NSSchema>;
export type Image = z.infer<typeof ImageSchema>;
export type Meta = z.infer<typeof MetaSchema>;
export type Enclosure = z.infer<typeof EnclosureSchema>;
export type Item = Simplify<
  z.infer<typeof ItemSchema> & {
    [key: string]: unknown;
  }
>;
Show XML Code for Goodreads RSS Feed
rss.xml
20 collapsed lines
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<channel>
  <xhtml:meta xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex" />
  <title>Sadman's bookshelf: read</title>
  <copyright><![CDATA[Copyright (C) 2025 Goodreads Inc. All rights reserved.]]>
  </copyright>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read]]></link>
  <atom:link href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
  <description><![CDATA[Sadman's bookshelf: read]]></description>
  <language>en-US</language>
  <lastBuildDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:56:54 -0800</lastBuildDate>
  <ttl>60</ttl>
  <image>
    <title>Sadman's bookshelf: read</title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/152185079?shelf=read]]></link>
    <width>144</width>
    <height>41</height>
    <url>https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg</url>
  </image>


<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7284977737?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:56:54 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Joe Country (Slough House, #6)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7284977737?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>123229152</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678625141l/123229152._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
  <book_small_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678625141l/123229152._SY75_.jpg]]></book_small_image_url>
  <book_medium_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678625141l/123229152._SX98_.jpg]]></book_medium_image_url>
  <book_large_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678625141l/123229152._SY475_.jpg]]></book_large_image_url>
  <book_description><![CDATA[If Spook Street is where spies live, Joe Country is where they go to die.<br /> <br />In Slough House, the London outpost for disgraced MI5 spies, memories are stirring, all of them bad. Catherine Standish is buying booze again, Louisa Guy is raking over the ashes of lost love, and new recruit Lech Wicinski, whose sins make him an outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process.<br /> <br />Meanwhile, in Regent’s Park, Diana Taverner’s tenure as First Desk is running into difficulties. If she’s going to make the Service fit for purpose, she might have to make deals with a familiar old devil . . .<br /> <br />And with winter taking its grip, Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can’t ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible for killing a slow horse breaks cover at last, Lamb sends the slow horses out to even the score.]]></book_description>
  <book id="123229152">
    <num_pages>337</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1641291338</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 6 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:56:54 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:28:54 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.25</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123229152-joe-country?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Joe Country (Slough House, #6)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678625141l/123229152._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.25<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/02/06<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/02/06<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
3974 collapsed lines
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7281543060?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:28:12 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Marylebone Drop (Slough House, #5.5)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7281543060?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40578510</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529387830l/40578510._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
  <book_small_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529387830l/40578510._SX50_.jpg]]></book_small_image_url>
  <book_medium_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529387830l/40578510._SX98_.jpg]]></book_medium_image_url>
  <book_large_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529387830l/40578510.jpg]]></book_large_image_url>
  <book_description><![CDATA[Old spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone café, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly, he sets in train events which will alter lives. Bachelor himself, a hair's breadth away from sleeping in his car, is clawing his way back to stability; Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was his only success, is starting to enjoy the secrets and lies her role demands; and Lech Wicinski, an Intelligence Service analyst, finds that a simple favour for an old acquaintance might derail his career. Meanwhile, Lady Di Taverner is trying to keep the Service on an even keel, and if that means throwing the odd crew member overboard, well: collateral damage is her speciality.<br />A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.<br /><br />It's also what happens just before you hit the ground.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40578510">
    <num_pages>113</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1641290137</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 1 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 02 Feb 2025 19:28:12 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Feb 2025 20:57:42 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.84</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40578510-the-marylebone-drop?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Marylebone Drop (Slough House, #5.5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529387830l/40578510._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.84<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/02/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/02/02<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030870202?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Feb 2025 21:00:24 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Slow Horses (Slough House, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030870202?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>7929891</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410800211l/7929891._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
  <book_small_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410800211l/7929891._SY75_.jpg]]></book_small_image_url>
  <book_medium_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410800211l/7929891._SX98_.jpg]]></book_medium_image_url>
  <book_large_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410800211l/7929891.jpg]]></book_large_image_url>
  <book_description><![CDATA[The first book in CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning British espionage series starring a team of MI5 agents united by one common bond: They've screwed up royally and will do anything to redeem themselves. <br /><br />London, England: Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another.<br /><br />River Cartwright, one such “slow horse,” is bitter about his failure and about his tedious assignment transcribing cell phone conversations. When a young man is abducted and his kidnappers threaten to broadcast his beheading live on the Internet, River sees an opportunity to redeem himself. But is the victim who he first appears to be? And what’s the kidnappers’ connection with a disgraced journalist? As the clock ticks on the execution, River finds that everyone has his own agenda.]]></book_description>
  <book id="7929891">
    <num_pages>320</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1569479011</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Feb 2025 21:00:24 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:01:35 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.95</average_rating>
  <book_published>2010</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7929891-slow-horses?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Slow Horses (Slough House, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410800211l/7929891._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.95<br/>
                                    book published: 2010<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/23<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/02/01<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7198158435?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Feb 2025 20:58:39 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Spook Street (Slough House, #4)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7198158435?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>83745917</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674412726l/83745917._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
  <book_small_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674412726l/83745917._SX50_.jpg]]></book_small_image_url>
  <book_medium_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674412726l/83745917._SX98_.jpg]]></book_medium_image_url>
  <book_large_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674412726l/83745917._SY475_.jpg]]></book_large_image_url>
  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A shakeup at MI5 and a terrorist attack on British soil set in motion clandestine machinery known to few modern spies. David Cartwright isn't a modern spy, however; he's legend and a bonafide Cold War hero. He's also in his dotage and losing his mind to Alzheimer's. His stories of -stotes- hiding in the bushes, following his every move have been dismissed by friends and family for years. Cartwright may be losing track of reality but he's certain about one thing: Old spooks don't go quietly and neither do the secrets they keep.</b> <br />What happens when an old spook loses his mind? Does the Service have a retirement home for those who know too many secrets but don't remember they're secret? Or does someone take care of the senile spy for good? These are the questions River Cartwright must ask when his grandfather, a Cold War-era operative, starts to forget to wear pants and begins to suspect everyone in his life has been sent by the Home Office to watch him. <br />But River has other things to worry about. A bomb has detonated in the middle of a busy shopping center and killed forty innocent civilians. The agents of Slough House have to figure out who is behind this act of terror before the situation escalates.]]></book_description>
  <book id="83745917">
    <num_pages>310</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1616958693</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Feb 2025 20:58:39 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 10 Jan 2025 07:17:09 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.36</average_rating>
  <book_published>2017</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83745917-spook-street?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Spook Street (Slough House, #4)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674412726l/83745917._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.36<br/>
                                    book published: 2017<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/01/22<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/02/01<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7246557001?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Jan 2025 18:15:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[London Rules (Slough House, #5)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7246557001?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>59336985</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634052100l/59336985._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
  <book_small_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634052100l/59336985._SY75_.jpg]]></book_small_image_url>
  <book_medium_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634052100l/59336985._SX98_.jpg]]></book_medium_image_url>
  <book_large_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634052100l/59336985.jpg]]></book_large_image_url>
  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>The fifth entry in CWA Gold dagger-winning Slough House series.</b><br /><br />London Rules might not be written down, but everyone knows rule one: Cover your arse.<br /><br />At MI5 headquarters Regent's Park, First Desk Claude Whelan is learning this the hard way. Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack from all directions himself: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; from the PM's favorite Muslim, who's about to be elected mayor of the West Midlands, despite the dark secret he's hiding; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks. <br /><br />Over at Slough House, the MI5 satellite office for outcast and demoted spies, the agents are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. Plus someone is trying to kill Roddy Ho. But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - that of making a bad situation much, much worse.]]></book_description>
  <book id="59336985">
    <num_pages>383</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Jan 2025 18:15:41 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 22 Jan 2025 18:05:26 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.37</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59336985-london-rules?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="London Rules (Slough House, #5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634052100l/59336985._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.37<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/01/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/01/30<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7120485179?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 18 Jan 2025 15:09:20 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Real Tigers (Slough House, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7120485179?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>59336857</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700520044l/59336857._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
  <book_small_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700520044l/59336857._SY75_.jpg]]></book_small_image_url>
  <book_medium_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700520044l/59336857._SX98_.jpg]]></book_medium_image_url>
  <book_large_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700520044l/59336857._SY475_.jpg]]></book_large_image_url>
  <book_description><![CDATA[Slough House is the Intelligence Service outpost for failed spies, former high-fliers now dubbed the 'slow horses'. Catherine Standish, one of their number, worked in Regent's Park long enough to understand treachery, double-dealing and stabbing in the back, and she's known Jackson Lamb long enough to have learned that old sins cast long shadows. And she also knows that chance encounters never happen to spooks, even recovering drunks whose careers have crashed and burned.<br /><br />What she doesn't know is why anyone would target her.<br /><br />So whoever's holding her hostage, it can't be personal. It must be about Slough House. Most likely, it's about Jackson Lamb. And say what you like about Lamb, he'll never leave a joe in the lurch.<br /><br />He might even be someone you could trust with your life.]]></book_description>
  <book id="59336857">
    <num_pages>369</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 18 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 18 Jan 2025 15:09:20 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:06:26 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.42</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59336857-real-tigers?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Real Tigers (Slough House, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700520044l/59336857._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.42<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2025/01/18<br/>
                                    date added: 2025/01/18<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6799441708?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:04:21 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6799441708?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>9634967</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication.<br /><br />In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans—a single mother disconcerted by her daughter's menacing "smart" toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a "pacification unit" go haywire—but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.<br /><br />When the Robot War ignites—at a moment known later as Zero Hour—humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. <i>Robopocalypse</i> is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us ... and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.]]></book_description>
  <book id="9634967">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel H. Wilson</author_name>
  <isbn>0385533853</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 3 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 28 Dec 2024 22:04:21 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:31:05 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9634967-robopocalypse?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885891l/9634967._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Daniel H. Wilson<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/04/03<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7082513501?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:05:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The List (Slough House, #2.5)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7082513501?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>23636636</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Dieter Hess, an aged spy, is dead, and John Bachelor, his MI5 handler, is in deep, deep trouble. Death has revealed that deceased had been keeping a secret second bank account—and there’s only ever one reason a spy has a secret second bank account. The question of whether he was a double agent must be resolved, and its answer may undo an entire career’s worth of spy secrets.]]></book_description>
  <book id="23636636">
    <num_pages>112</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1616956410</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Thu, 26 Dec 2024 07:05:41 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:49:54 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.83</average_rating>
  <book_published>2015</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23636636-the-list?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The List (Slough House, #2.5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453497408l/23636636._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.83<br/>
                                    book published: 2015<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/12/26<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/26<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5669373668?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 22 Dec 2024 21:35:44 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Project Hail Mary</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5669373668?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>54493401</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.<br /><br />Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.<br /><br />All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.<br /><br />His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.<br /><br />And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.<br /><br />Or does he?]]></book_description>
  <book id="54493401">
    <num_pages>476</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Andy Weir</author_name>
  <isbn>0593135202</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 4 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 22 Dec 2024 21:35:44 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:38:23 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.49</average_rating>
  <book_published>2021</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Project Hail Mary" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695864l/54493401._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Andy Weir<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.49<br/>
                                    book published: 2021<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030870144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:48:54 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Dead Lions (Slough House, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7030870144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13642394</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[London's Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what's left of their failed careers. The "slow horses," as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can't be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another.Now the slow horses have a chance at redemption. An old Cold War-era spy is found dead on a bus outside Oxford, far from his usual haunts. The despicable, irascible Jackson Lamb is convinced Dickie Bow was murdered. As the agents dig into their fallen comrade's circumstances, they uncover a shadowy tangle of ancient Cold War secrets that seem to lead back to a man named Alexander Popov, who is either a Soviet bogeyman or the most dangerous man in the world. How many more people will have to die to keep those secrets buried?<br /><br />From the Hardcover edition.]]></book_description>
  <book id="13642394">
    <num_pages>348</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mick Herron</author_name>
  <isbn>1616952261</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 8 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Dec 2024 13:48:54 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:01:34 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.92</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642394-dead-lions?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Dead Lions (Slough House, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353380474l/13642394._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mick Herron<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.92<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/12/08<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/13<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662149105?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:09:05 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662149105?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40121378</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[No matter your goals, <i>Atomic Habits</i> offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.<br /><br />If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.<br /><br />Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.<br /><br />Learn how to:<br />- Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);<br />- Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;<br />- Design your environment to make success easier;<br />- Get back on track when you fall off course;<br />...and much more.<br /><br /><i>Atomic Habits</i> will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40121378">
    <num_pages>319</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>James Clear</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 5 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:09:05 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:31:40 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>self-improvement</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.34</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habits?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Atomic Habits: An Easy &amp; Proven Way to Build Good Habits &amp; Break Bad Ones" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655988385l/40121378._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: James Clear<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.34<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/12/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/12/05<br/>
                                    shelves: self-improvement<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7032970042?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:44:55 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Solutions Architect's Handbook: Kick-start your solutions architect career by learning architecture design principles and strategies]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7032970042?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>53600892</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From fundamentals and design patterns to the different strategies for creating secure and reliable architectures in AWS cloud, learn everything you need to become a successful solutions architect<br /><br /></b>Key FeaturesCreate solutions and transform business requirements into technical architecture with this practical guideUnderstand various challenges that you might come across while refactoring or modernizing legacy applicationsDelve into security automation, DevOps, and validation of solution architectureBook DescriptionBecoming a solutions architect gives you the flexibility to work with cutting-edge technologies and define product strategies. This handbook takes you through the essential concepts, design principles and patterns, architectural considerations, and all the latest technology that you need to know to become a successful solutions architect.<br /><br />This book starts with a quick introduction to the fundamentals of solution architecture design principles and attributes that will assist you in understanding how solution architecture benefits software projects across enterprises. You'll learn what a cloud migration and application modernization framework looks like, and will use microservices, event-driven, cache-based, and serverless patterns to design robust architectures. You'll then explore the main pillars of architecture design, including performance, scalability, cost optimization, security, operational excellence, and DevOps. Additionally, you'll also learn advanced concepts relating to big data, machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Finally, you'll get to grips with the documentation of architecture design and the soft skills that are necessary to become a better solutions architect.<br /><br />By the end of this book, you'll have learned techniques to create an efficient architecture design that meets your business requirements.<br /><br />What you will learnExplore the various roles of a solutions architect and their involvement in the enterprise landscapeApproach big data processing, machine learning, and IoT from an architect s perspective and understand how they fit into modern architectureDiscover different solution architecture patterns such as event-driven and microservice patternsFind ways to keep yourself updated with new technologies and enhance your skillsModernize legacy applications with the help of cloud integrationGet to grips with choosing an appropriate strategy to reduce costWho this book is forThis book is for software developers, system engineers, DevOps engineers, architects, and team leaders working in the information technology industry who aspire to become solutions architect professionals. A good understanding of the software development process and general programming experience with any language will be useful.<br /><br />Table of ContentsThe Meaning of Solution ArchitectureSolution Architects in an OrganizationAttributes of the Solution ArchitecturePrinciples of Solution Architecture DesignCloud Migration and Hybrid Cloud Architecture DesignSolution Architecture Design PatternsPerformance ConsiderationsSecurity ConsiderationsArchitectural Reliability ConsiderationsOperational Excellence ConsiderationsCost ConsiderationsDevOps and Solution Architecture FrameworkData E]]></book_description>
  <book id="53600892">
    <num_pages>492</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Saurabh Shrivastava</author_name>
  <isbn>183864783X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:44:55 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Mon, 25 Nov 2024 08:47:34 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.89</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53600892-solutions-architect-s-handbook?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Solutions Architect&#39;s Handbook: Kick-start your solutions architect career by learning architecture design principles and strategies" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590723108l/53600892._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Saurabh Shrivastava<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.89<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/25<br/>
                                    shelves: software<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641711?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:57 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[There Is No Antimemetics Division]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641711?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>58805770</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it. Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you complex equations, very boring passages of text, large blocks of random numbers, and dreams... But anomalous antimemes are another matter entirely. How do you contain something you can't record or remember? How do you fight a war against an enemy with effortless, perfect camouflage, when you can never even know that you're at war? Welcome to the Antimemetics Division. No, this is not your first day.]]></book_description>
  <book id="58805770">
    <num_pages>201</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>qntm</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:57 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <average_rating>4.12</average_rating>
  <book_published>2020</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: qntm<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.12<br/>
                                    book published: 2020<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/09/23<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:29 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Gone World</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641241?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>34643289</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b><i>Inception</i> meets <i>True Detective</i> in this science fiction thriller of spellbinding tension and staggering scope that follows a special agent into a savage murder case with grave implications for the fate of mankind...</b><br /><br />Shannon Moss is part of a clandestine division within the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In western Pennsylvania, 1997, she is assigned to solve the murder of a Navy SEAL's family--and to locate his vanished teenage daughter. Though she can't share the information with conventional law enforcement, Moss discovers that the missing SEAL was an astronaut aboard the spaceship <i>U.S.S. Libra</i>—a ship assumed lost to the currents of Deep Time. Moss knows first-hand the mental trauma of time-travel and believes the SEAL's experience with the future has triggered this violence.<br /><br />Determined to find the missing girl and driven by a troubling connection from her own past, Moss travels ahead in time to explore possible versions of the future, seeking evidence to crack the present-day case. To her horror, the future reveals that it's not only the fate of a family that hinges on her work, for what she witnesses rising over time's horizon and hurtling toward the present is the Terminus: the terrifying and cataclysmic end of humanity itself.<br /><br />Luminous and unsettling, <i>The Gone World</i> bristles with world-shattering ideas yet remains at its heart an intensely human story.]]></book_description>
  <book id="34643289">
    <num_pages>399</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Tom Sweterlitsch</author_name>
  <isbn>0698142764</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 4 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:29 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Tom Sweterlitsch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662138375?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:09 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6662138375?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>28728007</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[You think your social life could be better. You’ve felt shy as long as you can remember. Your conversations have more awkward moments than you’d like. Maybe you don’t need a ton of friends, but you’d like to have some people to hang out with on occasion. You want to make changes, but you don’t know where to start. Lots of people have been in your shoes, so you’re hardly a lost cause, and it’s never too late to turn things around. The Social Skills Guidebook gives you insights into your interpersonal struggles and behaviors, and offers hands-on advice for developing and improving your people skills. The Social Skills Guidebook goes into detail about solving the three core areas that hold people back 1) Mental barriers including shyness, social anxiety, and low self-confidence 2) Less developed conversation skills 3) A lack of friends and an unsatisfying social life If you look at the people who are socially comfortable in your school or workplace and want what they have, know that you can achieve social success like theirs without losing yourself in the process. You can remain true to your personality and pursue your favorite interests while conquering the attitudes that hold you back, improving your conversation skills, and learning how to make friends. With practice, time, and patience, you can create the kind of social life you want for yourself. The Social Skills Guidebook covers topics • Changing counterproductive thinking that stands in the way of your social confidence • Becoming comfortable with your social fears by facing them in a gradual, manageable way • Improving your self-esteem • Navigating the different parts of a conversation • Getting past awkward silences • Interacting in one-on-one and group conversations • Learning how to listen to others and respond appropriately • Identifying other people’s nonverbal cues and being aware of your own • Finding potential friends and making plans with them • Deepening your friendships • Keeping your progress going • Improving your social skills if you have Asperger’s syndrome The Social Skills Guidebook is written by Chris MacLeod, the author of the extensive, well-visited, free site on interpersonal skills Succeed Socially. This book contains all of the site's key advice in a tight, organized, polished package.]]></book_description>
  <book id="28728007">
    <num_pages>364</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Chris MacLeod</author_name>
  <isbn>099498071X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>1</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 1 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:07:09 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:26:48 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>communication</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Chris MacLeod<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 1<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: communication<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:06:32 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Small Talk Hacks: The People and Communication Skills You Need to Talk to Anyone & Be Instantly Likeable]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982642172?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>27651671</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Do you ever feel intimidated or out-of-place in social situations?<br /><br />Do you want to learn how to master the fine art of small talk?<br /><br />Do you want to develop a magnetic personality?<br /><br />If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this book was designed for you.<br /><br />Based on Intensive Scientific Research. <br /><br />1 - Five Foolproof Techniques for Creating a Stellar First Impression How quickly do you make judgments about people? We’d like to think that we don’t judge people until we get to know them. But the truth is it only takes a tenth of a second to make an accurate judgment about someone you meet or see.<br /><br />2 - What Your Non-Verbals are Saying About You How you hold yourself says a lot about how you feel – even though this may be an unconscious message. What is your body language saying about you? Find out inside...<br /><br />3 - Seven Tools to Break Through Fear and Break the Ice One of the hardest parts of getting to know someone new is that crucial moment when you have to break the ice. It can be incredibly difficult to walk up to a total stranger and get acquainted. The seven tools you pick up in Chapter 2 will help you smash through your approach anxiety and start a fun and engaging conversation<br /><br />4 - Six Strategies to Seal a Memorable Verbal Impression in 30 Seconds Your nonverbal cues can definitely make an instant first impression, but what you say also has the power to do so. So how do you make sure that you give a great first impression in the first 30 seconds of meeting someone new?<br /><br />5 - How to Make Your Personality Shine No matter what your personality, you can become someone with a shining personality that attracts others to it. You may not think of yourself as very charismatic. But don’t let those feelings of inadequacy get in the way of making your personality shine (Chapter 5).<br /><br />6 - How to Go from Introduction to Intimacy It can be a challenge to create conversations that have intimacy in just a few minutes. And while you can’t force anyone to like or trust you, you can greatly increase the chances of that happening by following a few simple practices. Chapter 6 will show you how to go from conversing to connecting. Learn the 36 questions that are scientifically-proven to help you deepen the connection with anyone!<br /><br />7 - How to Revive a Dying Conversation - and Keep It Alive We’ve all had conversations that seemed to start off great but were followed by the dreaded awkward silence. What you do in that moment can make or break your conversation? Chapter 7 shows you exactly what to do when the conversation seems to be dying prematurely<br /><br />8 - The Five-Step Method for Ending a Conversation Positively The purpose of striking up new conversations is to create new connections beyond just that moment. How you end a conversation is as important as how you begin it. You want to leave your new acquaintance with a favorable impression of you going forward. Follow the five-step method in Chapter 9 and you won't go wrong!<br /><br />9 - How to Deepen the Relationship with Future Interactions Making a great impression with someone new is a critical task when you’re networking. But it’s not enough to have an initial contact if you want to create a network of people from which you can truly benefit personally and professionally. Chapter 10 deals with when and how to follow-up to deepen any new relationship<br /><br />Want to Master the Art/Science of Great Conversations?<br /><br />Want to develop the communication skills that will help you increase your social circle, expand your network and create deeper relationships? Ready to from "forgettable" to "unforgettable"?<br /><br />Ready to develop a magnetic personality that draws people towards you? Then grab the book and get started...]]></book_description>
  <book id="27651671">
    <num_pages>130</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Akash Karia</author_name>
  <isbn>1508781427</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>1</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 31 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:06:32 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:35:03 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>2.33</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
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                                    author: Akash Karia<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 2.33<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 1<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:05:47 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892936567?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>24885533</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A publishing event: Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his award-winning science fiction and fantasy tales for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume.<br /><br />With his debut novel, <i>The Grace of Kings</i>, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in <i>The Paper Menagerie</i>. This mesmerizing collection features all of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware” (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” (Nebula and Sturgeon award finalists), “All the Flavors” (Nebula award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie” (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).<br /><br />A must-have for every science fiction and fantasy fan, this beautiful book is an anthology to savor.]]></book_description>
  <book id="24885533">
    <num_pages>450</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ken Liu</author_name>
  <isbn>1481442546</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:05:47 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 07 Oct 2023 09:08:03 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.36</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885533-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511290092l/24885533._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Ken Liu<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.36<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/10/29<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/24<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904900965?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:36 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904900965?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>12127810</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Hazel stands at a crossroads.</b> She and the remaining crew of the <i>Argo II</i> could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power.<br /><br /><b>Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed.</b> How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea's strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can't exactly launch a frontal assault.<br /><br />Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy, and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all.<br /><br />Join the demigods as they face their biggest challenges yet in <i>The House of Hades</i>, the hair-raising penultimate book in the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.]]></book_description>
  <book id="12127810">
    <num_pages>597</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>1423146727</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 25 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:36 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:26:52 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.56</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12127810-the-house-of-hades?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464201430l/12127810._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.56<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/07/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904901756?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:27 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904901756?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18705209</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Nico had warned them.</b> Going through the House of Hades would stir the demigods' worst memories. Their ghosts would become restless. Nico may actually <i>become</i> a ghost if he has to shadow-travel with Reyna and Coach Hedge one more time. But that might be better than the alternative: allowing someone else to die, as Hades foretold.<br /><br /><b>Jason's ghost is his mother,</b> who abandoned him when he was little. He may not know how he is going to prove himself as a leader, but he does know that he will not break promises like she did. He will complete his line of the prophecy: <i>To storm or fire the world must fall.</i><br /><br /><b>Reyna fears the ghosts of her ancestors,</b> who radiate anger. But she can't allow them to distract her from getting the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood before war breaks out between the Romans and Greeks. Will she have enough strength to succeed, especially with a deadly hunter on her trail?<br /><br /><b>Leo fears that his plan won't work,</b> that his friends might interfere. But there is no other way. All of them know that one of the Seven has to die in order to defeat Gaea, the Earth Mother.<br /><br /><b>Piper must learn to give herself over to fear.</b> Only then will she be able to do her part at the end: utter a single word.<br /><br />Heroes, gods, and monsters all have a role to play in the climactic fulfillment of the prophecy in <i>The Blood of Olympus</i>, the electrifying finale of the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18705209">
    <num_pages>516</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 20 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:27 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.42</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.42<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/06/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:18 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904899904?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>12127750</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Annabeth is terrified.</b> Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the <i>Argo II</i>, she can't blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon figurehead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.<br /><br />And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket, Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving command: <i>Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.</i> Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?<br /><br />Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader—but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side<br /><br />Narrated by four different demigods, <i>The Mark of Athena</i> is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the <i>Argo II</i>, if you dare. . . .]]></book_description>
  <book id="12127750">
    <num_pages>586</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>1423140605</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 2 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.47</average_rating>
  <book_published>2012</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.47<br/>
                                    book published: 2012<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/05/02<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:10 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904898953?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>9520360</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>PERCY IS CONFUSED.</b> When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: <i>Annabeth</i>. <br /><br /><b>HAZEL IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD.</b> When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem—when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wishes she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.<br /><br /><b>FRANK IS A KLUTZ.</b> His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.<br /><br />Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.]]></book_description>
  <book id="9520360">
    <num_pages>521</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>1423140591</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 17 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:10 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.41</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.41<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/04/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:01 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904897891?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>7736182</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>JASON HAS A PROBLEM.</b> He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and his best friend is a guy named Leo. They’re all students at the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids," as Leo puts it. What did Jason do to end up here? And where <i>is</i> here, exactly? Jason doesn't know anything—except that everything seems very wrong.<br /><br /><b>PIPER HAS A SECRET.</b> Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out, whether she wants to or not.<br /><br /><b>LEO HAS A WAY WITH TOOLS.</b> When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who's gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a <i>god</i>. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?<br /><br />Join new and old friends from Camp Half-Blood in this thrilling first book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Best-selling author Rick Riordan has pumped up the action, humor, suspense, and mystery in an epic adventure that will leave readers panting for the next installment.]]></book_description>
  <book id="7736182">
    <num_pages>576</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Rick Riordan</author_name>
  <isbn>142311339X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 5 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:19:01 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.28</average_rating>
  <book_published>2010</book_published>
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                                    author: Rick Riordan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.28<br/>
                                    book published: 2010<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2015/03/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:44 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Inkdeath (Inkworld, #3)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904905713?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>2325825</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327341991l/2325825._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The masterful conclusion to the epic, award-winning, bestselling INKHEART trilogy by internationally acclaimed author Cornelia Funke. <br /><br />The Adderhead--his immortality bound in a book by Meggie's father, Mo--has ordered his henchmen to plunder the villages. The peasants' only defense is a band of outlaws led by the Bluejay--Mo's fictitious double, whose identity he has reluctantly adopted. But the Book of Immortality is unraveling, and the Adderhead again fears the White Women of Death. To bring the renegade Bluejay back to repair the book, the Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, dooming them to slavery in his silver mines unless Mo surrends. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story?]]></book_description>
  <book id="2325825">
    <num_pages>699</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cornelia Funke</author_name>
  <isbn>1905294719</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 27 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:44 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.95</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
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                                    author: Cornelia Funke<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.95<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2014/05/27<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:36 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Inkspell (Inkworld, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904904565?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>28195</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395358683l/28195._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The captivating sequel to INKHEART, the critically acclaimed, international bestseller by Cornelia Funke, an author who is emerging as a truly modern classic writer for children.<br /><br />Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.]]></book_description>
  <book id="28195">
    <num_pages>635</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cornelia Funke</author_name>
  <isbn>0439554004</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:36 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.93</average_rating>
  <book_published>2005</book_published>
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                                    author: Cornelia Funke<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.93<br/>
                                    book published: 2005<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2012/07/11<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:04 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Maniac Magee</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904350895?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>139463</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A Newbery Medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs.<br />Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.]]></book_description>
  <book id="139463">
    <num_pages>184</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Jerry Spinelli</author_name>
  <isbn>0590452037</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 15 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:18:04 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:34:12 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.89</average_rating>
  <book_published>1990</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139463.Maniac_Magee?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Maniac Magee" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395884800l/139463._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Jerry Spinelli<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.89<br/>
                                    book published: 1990<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2014/02/15<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904907571?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:17:16 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Thief Lord</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904907571?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>113304</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327960342l/113304._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of the city of Venice.<br /><br />Befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord, they shelter in an old, disused cinema. On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past – a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.]]></book_description>
  <book id="113304">
    <num_pages>350</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cornelia Funke</author_name>
  <isbn>1903434777</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 10 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:17:16 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:31:11 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.99</average_rating>
  <book_published>2000</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113304.The_Thief_Lord?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Thief Lord" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327960342l/113304._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Cornelia Funke<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.99<br/>
                                    book published: 2000<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2014/01/10<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611385474?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:25 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611385474?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>33369254</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Managing people is difficult wherever you work, but the tech industry as a whole is pretty bad at it. Tech companies in general lack the experience, tools, texts, and frameworks to do it well. And the handful of books that share tips and tricks of engineering management don t explain how to supervise employees in the face of growth and change.<br /><br />In this book, author Camille Fournier takes you through the stages of technical management, from mentoring interns to working with the senior staff. You ll get actionable advice for approaching various obstacles in your path, whether you re a new manager, a mentor, or a more experienced leader looking for fresh advice. Pick up this book and learn how to become a better manager and leader in your organization.<br /><br /> * Discover how to manage small teams and large/multi-level teams<br /> * Understand how to build and bootstrap a unifying culture in teams<br /> * Deal with people problems and learn how to mentor other managers and new leaders<br /> * Learn how to manage yourself: avoid common pitfalls that challenge many leaders<br /> * Obtain several practices that you can incorporate and practice along the way]]></book_description>
  <book id="33369254">
    <num_pages>226</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Camille Fournier</author_name>
  <isbn>1491973897</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:25 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 19:02:24 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.23</average_rating>
  <book_published>2017</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33369254-the-manager-s-path?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Manager&#39;s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484107737l/33369254._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Camille Fournier<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.23<br/>
                                    book published: 2017<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: software<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637687?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:22 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Guardian Angels and Other Monsters]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637687?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>35969578</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509123531l/35969578._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Robopocalypse</i> comes a fascinating and fantastic collection that explores complex emotional and intellectual landscapes at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human life. A VINTAGE BOOKS ORIGINAL.</b><br /><br />In "All Kinds of Proof," a down-and-out drunk makes the unlikeliest of friends when he is hired to train a mail-carrying robot; in "Blood Memory," a mother confronts the dangerous reality that her daughter will never assimilate in this world after she was the first child born through a teleportation device; in "The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever," a physicist rushes home to be with his daughter after he hears reports of an atmospheric anomaly which he knows to be a sign of the end of the earth; in "Miss Gloria," a robot comes back to life in many different forms in a quest to save a young girl. <i>Guardian Angels and Other Monsters</i> displays the depth and breadth of Daniel H. Wilson's vision and examines how artificial intelligence both saves and destroys humanity.]]></book_description>
  <book id="35969578">
    <num_pages>304</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel H. Wilson</author_name>
  <isbn>1101972017</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:22 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.86</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35969578-guardian-angels-and-other-monsters?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Guardian Angels and Other Monsters" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1509123531l/35969578._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Daniel H. Wilson<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.86<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/09/29<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637647?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:16 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Soon I Will Be Invincible</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637647?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>2068667</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460497l/2068667._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Doctor Impossible—evil genius, would-be world conqueror—languishes in prison. Shuffling through the cafeteria line with ordinary criminals, he wonders if the smartest man in the world has done the smartest thing he could with his life. After all, he's lost every battle he's ever fought. But this prison won't hold him forever.<br /><br />Fatale—half woman, half high-tech warrior—used to be an unemployed cyborg. Now, she's a rookie member of the world's most famous super-team, the Champions. But being a superhero is not all flying cars and planets in peril—she learns that in the locker rooms and dive bars of superherodom, the men and women (even mutants) behind the masks are as human as anyone.<br /><br />Soon I Will Be Invincible is a wildly entertaining first novel, brimming with attitude and humor—an emotionally resonant look at good and evil, love and loss, power and glory.]]></book_description>
  <book id="2068667">
    <num_pages>319</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Austin Grossman</author_name>
  <isbn>0307279863</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>1</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 5 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:16 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2068667.Soon_I_Will_Be_Invincible?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Soon I Will Be Invincible" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320460497l/2068667._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Austin Grossman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 1<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641293?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:13 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills -- and Leave a Positive Impression!]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982641293?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>5672257</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328306638l/5672257._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[With practical advice and small talk "cheat sheets," THE FINE ART OF SMALL TALK teaches conversational skills and techniques that can be used in any type of professional or social situation, from networking events, job fairs, and meetings with clients, to cocktail parties where you don't know a soul! <br /><br />THE FINE ART OF SMALL TALK teaches how to: <br />-Start a conversation even when you think you have nothing to say <br />-Avoid "foot-in-mouth" disease <br />-Adopt listening skills that will make you a better conversationalist <br />-Approach social functions with confidence <br />-Feel more at ease at parties, meetings, job interviews, and trade shows <br />-Turn every conversation into an opportunity for success]]></book_description>
  <book id="5672257">
    <num_pages>199</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Debra Fine</author_name>
  <isbn>1401383513</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 5 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:16:13 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:34:37 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.73</average_rating>
  <book_published>1997</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5672257-the-fine-art-of-small-talk?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Fine Art of Small Talk: How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills -- and Leave a Positive Impression!" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328306638l/5672257._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Debra Fine<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.73<br/>
                                    book published: 1997<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/22<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6699894069?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Nov 2024 11:27:02 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>You Like It Darker</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6699894069?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>201242757</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699311050l/201242757._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.</b><br /><br /><i>“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,”</i> writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in <i>You Like It Darker</i>, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.<br /><br />“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to <i>Cujo</i>, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.<br /><br />King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.]]></book_description>
  <book id="201242757">
    <num_pages>502</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Stephen        King</author_name>
  <isbn>1668037718</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Nov 2024 11:27:02 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:05:44 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review><![CDATA[Stephen King does it again. <br /><br />I've never read Stephen King (minus <i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52317884.The_Jaunt" title="The Jaunt by Stephen King" rel="nofollow noopener">The Jaunt</a>
</i> and that one short story of his where a man stranded on an island [spoilers removed]. But after reading this, I get it.<br /><br />I don't normally write reviews (I'd like to, I've been meaning to, but I've just never got around to actually doing it), but after reading <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i> I've been emotionally moved enough to sit down at my computer and write this out. Because it is truly something incredible.<br /><br />I don't want to spoil anything. Because it's always better if you experience yourself, summarizing it would only negate any suspense or intrigue in the mystery that is <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i>. And it is a mystery, albeit an unrelenting one, oh dear, it is unrelenting, it shocks you, angers you, puzzles you. It's a story that captured me far more than anything I've read these past few months, so much so that I could not tear myself away from the book until I had finished it.<br /><br />I expected untold horrors when I read the title <i>You Like It Darker</i>. All I found was a coldness called humanity. Maybe I found what I expected all I along. <br /><br />But I suppose that's I like it anyways.]]></user_review>
  <average_rating>4.18</average_rating>
  <book_published>2024</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201242757-you-like-it-darker?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="You Like It Darker" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699311050l/201242757._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Stephen        King<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.18<br/>
                                    book published: 2024<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/11/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/16<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/>Stephen King does it again. <br /><br />I've never read Stephen King (minus <i>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52317884.The_Jaunt" title="The Jaunt by Stephen King" rel="nofollow noopener">The Jaunt</a>
</i> and that one short story of his where a man stranded on an island [spoilers removed]. But after reading this, I get it.<br /><br />I don't normally write reviews (I'd like to, I've been meaning to, but I've just never got around to actually doing it), but after reading <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i> I've been emotionally moved enough to sit down at my computer and write this out. Because it is truly something incredible.<br /><br />I don't want to spoil anything. Because it's always better if you experience yourself, summarizing it would only negate any suspense or intrigue in the mystery that is <i>Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream</i>. And it is a mystery, albeit an unrelenting one, oh dear, it is unrelenting, it shocks you, angers you, puzzles you. It's a story that captured me far more than anything I've read these past few months, so much so that I could not tear myself away from the book until I had finished it.<br /><br />I expected untold horrors when I read the title <i>You Like It Darker</i>. All I found was a coldness called humanity. Maybe I found what I expected all I along. <br /><br />But I suppose that's I like it anyways.<br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6984822243?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:06:25 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Next</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6984822243?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>7661</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554225620l/7661._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Welcome to our genetic world.<p>Fast, furious, and out of control.</p><p>This is not the world of the future --- it's the world right now.</p><p>Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction --- is it worse than the disease?</p><p>We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime.</p><p>We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes ...</p><p>Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.</p><p>The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.</p>]]></book_description>
  <book id="7661">
    <num_pages>431</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Michael Crichton</author_name>
  <isbn>0060872985</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:06:25 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:05:35 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7661.Next?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Next" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554225620l/7661._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Michael Crichton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.54<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/02/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/06<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982685554?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:57:17 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Invincible, Compendium Three</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982685554?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>37491885</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[It's here: the third massive paperback collection of the greatest comic in the universe. Witness the conclusion of Mark Grayson's epic adventures, from "The Death of Everyone" to "The End of All Things."<br /><br />Collects INVINCIBLE #97-144.]]></book_description>
  <book id="37491885">
    <num_pages>1112</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Robert Kirkman</author_name>
  <isbn>1534306862</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:57:17 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:53 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37491885-invincible-compendium-three?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Invincible, Compendium Three" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525504560l/37491885._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Robert Kirkman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/07/28<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982684312?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Invincible, Compendium Two</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982684312?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18101127</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[It's here: the second massive paperback collection of the greatest superhero comic in the universe! Witness Invincible's transition from new kid on the block to established superhero! Collects" Invincible" #48-96.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18101127">
    <num_pages>1184</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Robert Kirkman</author_name>
  <isbn>1607067722</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:41 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:15 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.67</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18101127-invincible-compendium-two?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Invincible, Compendium Two" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530480360l/18101127._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Robert Kirkman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.67<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/07/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982682225?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:06 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Invincible: Compendium One</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982682225?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>11924046</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Introducing the first nine volumes of the greatest superhero comic in the universe, collected into one massive paperback edition.<br /><br />Collects #1–47, #0, Invincible story from the Image Comics Summer Special, The Pact #4]]></book_description>
  <book id="11924046">
    <num_pages>1092</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Robert Kirkman</author_name>
  <isbn>1607064111</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 16 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:56:06 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:55:09 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.59</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11924046-invincible?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Invincible: Compendium One" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529797022l/11924046._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Robert Kirkman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.59<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/07/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982676782?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:53:07 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Flowers for Algernon - Short Story]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6982676782?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>875031</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582937860l/875031._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[THE SHORT STORY, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy &amp; Science Fiction. <br /><br />The story won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960. The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).<br /><br />Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence. The story is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human subject for the surgery, and it touches on ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.<br /><br />Although the book has often been challenged for removal from libraries in the United States and Canada, sometimes successfully, it is frequently taught in schools around the world and has been adapted many times for television, theater, radio and as the Academy Award-winning film Charly.]]></book_description>
  <book id="875031">
    <num_pages>60</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel Keyes</author_name>
  <isbn>0886820073</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 4 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:53:07 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:52:20 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.43</average_rating>
  <book_published>1959</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/875031.Flowers_for_Algernon_Short_Story?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Flowers for Algernon - Short Story" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582937860l/875031._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Daniel Keyes<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.43<br/>
                                    book published: 1959<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2017/02/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/11/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904944607?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:56:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Blindness</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904944607?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40495148</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>From Nobel Prize–winning author José Saramago, a magnificent, mesmerizing parable of loss</b><br /><br />A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations, and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides her charges—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and their procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. As <i>Blindness</i> reclaims the age-old story of a plague, it evokes the vivid and trembling horrors of the twentieth century, leaving readers with a powerful vision of the human spirit that's bound both by weakness and exhilarating strength.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40495148">
    <num_pages>349</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>José Saramago</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 20 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:56:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:56:09 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.17</average_rating>
  <book_published>1995</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40495148-blindness?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Blindness" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: José Saramago<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.17<br/>
                                    book published: 1995<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/11/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904942128?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:55:52 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Road</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904942128?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>6288</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A searing, postapocalyptic novel destined to become Cormac McCarthy’s masterpiece.<br /><br />A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.<br /><br /><i>The Road</i> is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.]]></book_description>
  <book id="6288">
    <num_pages>241</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Cormac McCarthy</author_name>
  <isbn>0307265439</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 4 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:55:52 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:54:22 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.99</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6288.The_Road?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Road" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Cormac McCarthy<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.99<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/10/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904939922?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:53:06 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Frankenstein: The 1818 Text</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904939922?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>35031085</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631088473l/35031085._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780143131847.</i> <br /><br />Mary Shelley's seminal novel of the scientist whose creation becomes a monster. <br /><br />This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.]]></book_description>
  <book id="35031085">
    <num_pages>260</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley</author_name>
  <isbn>0143131842</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 17 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:53:06 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:52:48 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.01</average_rating>
  <book_published>1818</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Frankenstein: The 1818 Text" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631088473l/35031085._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.01<br/>
                                    book published: 1818<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2022/01/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904938144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:51:47 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Reluctant Fundamentalist</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904938144?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40961543</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630677173l/40961543._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter…<br /><br />Changez is living an immigrant's dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.<br /><br />But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez's own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.]]></book_description>
  <book id="40961543">
    <num_pages>228</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Mohsin Hamid</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:51:47 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:51:30 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.79</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40961543-the-reluctant-fundamentalist?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Reluctant Fundamentalist" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630677173l/40961543._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Mohsin Hamid<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.79<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/11<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904918999?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:38:59 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Sapphique (Incarceron, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904918999?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>4499214</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885488l/4499214._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The only one who escaped... and the one who could destroy them all.<br /><br />Incarceron, the living prison, has lost one of its inmates to the outside world: Finn's escaped, only to find that Outside is not at all what he expected. Used to the technologically advanced, if violently harsh, conditions of the prison, Finn is now forced to obey the rules of Protocol, which require all people to live without technology. To Finn, Outside is just a prison of another kind, especially when Claudia, the daughter of the prison's warden, declares Finn the lost heir to the throne. When another claimant emerges, both Finn's and Claudia's very lives hang on Finn convincing the Court of something that even he doesn't fully believe.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Finn's oathbrother Keiro and his friend Attia are still trapped inside Incarceron. They are searching for a magical glove, which legend says Sapphique used to escape. To find it, they must battle the prison itself, because Incarceron wants the glove too.]]></book_description>
  <book id="4499214">
    <num_pages>470</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Catherine Fisher</author_name>
  <isbn>0340893613</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 12 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:38:59 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 21:38:38 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.70</average_rating>
  <book_published>2008</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4499214-sapphique?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Sapphique (Incarceron, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327885488l/4499214._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Catherine Fisher<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.70<br/>
                                    book published: 2008<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2016/11/12<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904363113?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:41:17 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>To a God Unknown</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904363113?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>111300</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1510608634l/111300._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[While fulfilling his dead father's dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father's spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph's prosperity and the farm flourishes - until one brother, scared by Joseph's pagan belief, kills the tree and brings disease and famine on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, <i>To a God Unknown</i> is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and to understand the ways of God.]]></book_description>
  <book id="111300">
    <num_pages>240</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0141185503</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:41:17 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:41:00 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.96</average_rating>
  <book_published>1933</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111300.To_a_God_Unknown?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="To a God Unknown" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1510608634l/111300._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.96<br/>
                                    book published: 1933<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904361580?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:40:25 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>In Dubious Battle</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904361580?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>56083</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394742698l/56083._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[At once a relentlessly fast-paced, admirably observed novel of social unrest and the story of a young man’s struggle for identity, <i>In Dubious Battle</i> is set in the California apple country, where a strike by migrant workers against rapacious landowners spirals out of control. Caught in the upheaval is Jim Nolan, a once aimless man who finds himself in the course of the strike.]]></book_description>
  <book id="56083">
    <num_pages>274</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0143039636</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:40:25 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:40:07 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.91</average_rating>
  <book_published>1936</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56083.In_Dubious_Battle?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="In Dubious Battle" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394742698l/56083._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.91<br/>
                                    book published: 1936<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904359364?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:39:15 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Red Pony</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904359364?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>8732</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391231816l/8732._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Young Jody Tiflin lives on his father's California ranch. He is thrilled when his father gives him a red pony, and later promises him the colt of a bay mare. Both these gifts bring joy to Jody's life--but tragedy soon follows. As Jody begins to learn the harsh lessons of life and death, he starts to understand what growing up and becoming an adult really means.]]></book_description>
  <book id="8732">
    <num_pages>95</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:39:15 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:55 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.49</average_rating>
  <book_published>1933</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8732.The_Red_Pony?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Red Pony" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391231816l/8732._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.49<br/>
                                    book published: 1933<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904358378?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:37 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904358378?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>4799</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388188936l/4799._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>Cannery Row</i> is a book without much of a plot. Rather, it is an attempt to capture the feeling and people of a place, the cannery district of Monterey, California, which is populated by a mix of those down on their luck and those who choose for other reasons not to live "up the hill" in the more respectable area of town. The flow of the main plot is frequently interrupted by short vignettes that introduce us to various denizens of the Row, most of whom are not directly connected with the central story. These vignettes are often characterized by direct or indirect reference to extreme violence: suicides, corpses, and the cruelty of the natural world.<br /><br />The "story" of <i>Cannery Row</i> follows the adventures of Mack and the boys, a group of unemployed yet resourceful men who inhabit a converted fish-meal shack on the edge of a vacant lot down on the Row.<br /><br />Sweet Thursday is the sequel to Cannery Row.]]></book_description>
  <book id="4799">
    <num_pages>181</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>014200068X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:37 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:21 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.06</average_rating>
  <book_published>1945</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4799.Cannery_Row?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388188936l/4799._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.06<br/>
                                    book published: 1945<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904357628?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:14 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Pearl</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904357628?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>5308</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437234939l/5308._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull’s egg, as “perfect as the moon.” With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security…<br /><br />A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, <i>The Pearl</i> explores the secrets of man’s nature, greed, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.]]></book_description>
  <book id="5308">
    <num_pages>96</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0142000698</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:38:14 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:56 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.52</average_rating>
  <book_published>1947</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5308.The_Pearl?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Pearl" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437234939l/5308._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.52<br/>
                                    book published: 1947<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904356315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Grapes of Wrath</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904356315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18114322</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized—and sometimes outraged—millions of readers.<br /><br />First published in 1939, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads—driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. At once a naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck’s powerful landmark novel is perhaps the most American of American Classics.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18114322">
    <num_pages>496</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>067001690X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:37:12 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.06</average_rating>
  <book_published>1939</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18114322-the-grapes-of-wrath?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Grapes of Wrath" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.06<br/>
                                    book published: 1939<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/12/31<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904354624?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:36:37 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Of Mice and Men</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904354624?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>890</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511302904l/890._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>
<i>“I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.”</i>
</b><br /><br />They are an unlikely pair: George is <i>"small and quick and dark of face";</i> Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a <i>"family,"</i> clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. But George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own.<br /><br />While the powerlessness of the laboring class is a recurring theme in Steinbeck's work of the late 1930s, he narrowed his focus when composing <i>Of Mice and Men</i>, creating an intimate portrait of two men facing a world marked by petty tyranny, misunderstanding, jealousy, and callousness. But though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal: a friendship and a shared dream that makes an individual's existence meaningful.<br /><br />A unique perspective on life's hardships, this story has achieved the status of timeless classic due to its remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films.]]></book_description>
  <book id="890">
    <num_pages>107</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Steinbeck</author_name>
  <isbn>0142000671</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 30 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:36:37 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:36:14 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>1937</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/890.Of_Mice_and_Men?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Of Mice and Men" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511302904l/890._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Steinbeck<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 1937<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/09/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5667909361?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:29:09 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5667909361?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13453029</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349614200l/13453029._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[This Omnibus Edition collects the five Wool books into a single volume. <br /><br />The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months. <br /><br />This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.<br /><br /><i>Alternate cover for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18626815-wool-omnibus-edition" rel="nofollow noopener">B0071XO8RA</a></i>]]></book_description>
  <book id="13453029">
    <num_pages>509</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 9 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:29:09 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 04 Jul 2023 15:40:04 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.22</average_rating>
  <book_published>2012</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453029-wool-omnibus?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349614200l/13453029._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.22<br/>
                                    book published: 2012<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/09<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904334248?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:25:44 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904334248?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>38447</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now…<br /><br />Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.]]></book_description>
  <book id="38447">
    <num_pages>311</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Margaret Atwood</author_name>
  <isbn>038549081X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 1 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:25:44 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:25:24 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <book_published>1985</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid&#39;s Tale, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Margaret Atwood<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.15<br/>
                                    book published: 1985<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/02/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904324341?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:20:20 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Night</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904324341?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>1617</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1709507006l/1617._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. <i>Night</i> is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again.]]></book_description>
  <book id="1617">
    <num_pages>120</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Elie Wiesel</author_name>
  <isbn>0374500010</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 1 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:20:20 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:56 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.38</average_rating>
  <book_published>1956</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1617.Night?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Night" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1709507006l/1617._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Elie Wiesel<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.38<br/>
                                    book published: 1956<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2021/03/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904316469?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:34 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>1984</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6904316469?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>61439040</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657781256l/61439040._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace freedom is slavery and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian - these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man's Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality. With a foreword by Thomas Pynchon. This beautiful paperback edition features deckled edges and french flaps a perfect gift for any occasion<br /><br />Alternate cover edition can be found <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36526988-nineteen-eighty-four" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.]]></book_description>
  <book id="61439040">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>George Orwell</author_name>
  <isbn>0452284236</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 1 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:34 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:15:31 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.21</average_rating>
  <book_published>1949</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61439040-1984?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="1984" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657781256l/61439040._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: George Orwell<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.21<br/>
                                    book published: 1949<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2019/01/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889047923?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:33 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Outsiders</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889047923?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>231804</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442129426l/231804._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>The Outsiders</i> is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.<br /><br /><i>Librarian note: This record is for one of the three editions published with different covers and with ISBN 0-140-38572-X / 978-0-14-038572-4. The records are for the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231804.1988_cover" title="1988 cover" rel="nofollow noopener">1988 cover</a> (this record), the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985531.1995_cover" title="1995 cover" rel="nofollow noopener">1995 cover</a>, and the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7840334.2008_cover" title="2008 cover" rel="nofollow noopener">2008 cover</a> which is also the current in-print cover.</i>]]></book_description>
  <book id="231804">
    <num_pages>208</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>S.E. Hinton</author_name>
  <isbn>0670532576</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 1 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:33 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:27:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>1967</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231804.The_Outsiders?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Outsiders" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442129426l/231804._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: S.E. Hinton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 1967<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2016/01/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889050373?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Fahrenheit 451</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889050373?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13079982</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383718290l/13079982._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.</b><br /><br />Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.]]></book_description>
  <book id="13079982">
    <num_pages>194</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ray Bradbury</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 1 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 05 Oct 2024 16:19:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:28:31 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>fiction</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.97</average_rating>
  <book_published>1953</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13079982-fahrenheit-451?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Fahrenheit 451" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383718290l/13079982._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Ray Bradbury<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.97<br/>
                                    book published: 1953<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2019/11/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/10/05<br/>
                                    shelves: fiction<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889046005?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:26:43 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Complete Maus</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6889046005?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>15195</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327354180l/15195._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first masterpiece in comic book history” (The New Yorker).<br /><br />The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times).<br /><br />Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.]]></book_description>
  <book id="15195">
    <num_pages>296</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Art Spiegelman</author_name>
  <isbn>0141014083</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 1 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:26:43 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:25:51 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>graphic-novel</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.57</average_rating>
  <book_published>1980</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15195.The_Complete_Maus?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Complete Maus" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327354180l/15195._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Art Spiegelman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.57<br/>
                                    book published: 1980<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2019/01/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/09/29<br/>
                                    shelves: graphic-novel<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993661?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:36:43 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Lost Stories (Ranger's Apprentice, #11)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993661?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>20096054</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Inspired by his millions of fans worldwide, many of whom wrote him emails and letters questioning the fate or the origin of some of the most popular characters and storylines from Ranger’s Apprentice, John Flanagan decided to reward his loyal readers with a collection of stories answering these questions. In Book 11 of the Ranger's Apprentice epic, fans will see never-before-published stories featuring all their favorite characters, from Will to Halt, from Horace to Alyss. More than a companion book, THE LOST STORIES is, ultimately, a new entry in the series—and a tribute from author to reader.<br /> <br /> Visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.rangersapprentice.com">www.rangersapprentice.com</a> <br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="20096054">
    <num_pages>434</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Flanagan</author_name>
  <isbn>110154788X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 16 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:36:43 -0700]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.47</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Flanagan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.47<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/04/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/09/23<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:51:10 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (Ranger's Apprentice #10)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993956?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>20088408</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. <i>alone</i>! <br /> <br /> When Horace travels to the exotic land of Nihon- Ja, it isn't long before he finds himself pulled into a battle that is not his - but one he knows in his heart he must wage. A kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos when the Nihon-Ja emperor, a defender of the common man, is forcibly overthrown, and only Horace, Will, and his Araluen companions can restore the emperor to the throne. Victory lies in the hands of an inexperienced group of fighters, and it's anybody's guess who will make the journey home to Araluen.<br /> <br /> Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series. <br /> <br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="20088408">
    <num_pages>289</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Flanagan</author_name>
  <isbn>110147646X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 17 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:51:10 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:25:44 -0700]]></user_date_created>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.58</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Flanagan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.58<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/09/21<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6777458626?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:07 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Conversationally Speaking: WHAT to Say, WHEN to Say It, and HOW to Never Run Out of Things to Say (Communication Skills, Social Skills, Small talk, People Skills)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6777458626?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>25061921</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Wish you knew how to walk up to anyone and break the ice effortlessly? Avoid awkward silences and make an instant impression? <b>You'll get more than that in this not only WHAT, WHEN, and HOW to say it, but the exact roots of WHY from human psychology and interaction.</b> Flowing conversation is the basis of all of our friendships and relationships, there's no getting around it. Yet sometimes it feels like we just can't connect in the depth we want without some luck on our part. Why? Because <b>Conversationally Speaking</b>, most people haven't broken down the patterns of a great conversation. Specific principles get specific responses, and that's exactly what we want, isn't it? Each phase of conversation analyzed, from beginning to end, complete with examples, so you can handle any conversation and see it to greater purpose. Every chapter is dense and packed with <b>actionable steps</b> that are far beyond the generic "make eye contact and ask questions" that typically passes for social and conversation development. Here's what you'll * The best topics for icebreaking with friends, strangers, and anyone. * The biggest aspect of effective storytelling. * Three steps to take your conversations to depth and intimacy. * An introduction to the most common patterns and structures of humor. As well * What a verbal mirror is and why people love it. * Effective listening, and listening as a gateway to closeness. * A 21 day conversation bootcamp plan for optimal development. That promotion you want? That cutie you want to talk to? Better treatment and better friendships all around? <b>Conversation skills</b> are the common thread, and the most powerful tool to getting you everything you want. Most of all, conversation skills are <b>necessary</b> in our lives - making the choice to improve them will allow the best parts of you to shine. Don’t hesitate to pick up your copy today by clicking the BUY NOW button at the top of this page! <b>P.S. Never run out of things to say again!</b>]]></book_description>
  <book id="25061921">
    <num_pages>93</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Patrick King</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 7 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:07 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:31:57 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.53</average_rating>
  <book_published>2015</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25061921-conversationally-speaking?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Conversationally Speaking: WHAT to Say, WHEN to Say It, and HOW to Never Run Out of Things to Say (Communication Skills, Social Skills, Small talk, People Skills)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439195631l/25061921._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Patrick King<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.53<br/>
                                    book published: 2015<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/07<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541724?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:03 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Writing That Works Third Edition]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541724?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>52387544</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Writing That Works will help you say what you want to say with less difficulty and more confidence Now in its third edition this completely updated classic has been expanded to included all new advice on email and the ewriting world plus a fresh point of view on political correctness With dozens of examples many of them new and useful tips for writing as well as faster on a computer Writing That Works will show you how to inprove anything you write: Presentations that move ideas and action Memos and letters that get things done Plans and reports that make things happen Fundraising and sales letters that produce results Resumes and letters thar lead to interviews Speeches that make a point]]></book_description>
  <book id="52387544">
    <num_pages>0</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Kenneth Roman</author_name>
  <isbn>3897032406</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 6 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:33:03 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:50:04 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.00</average_rating>
  <book_published>1981</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52387544-writing-that-works-third-edition?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Writing That Works Third Edition" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566734963l/52387544._SX50_SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Kenneth Roman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.00<br/>
                                    book published: 1981<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/06<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541636?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:51 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541636?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13252400</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344729040l/13252400._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[ Managing Humans( Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager) &lt;&gt; Paperback &lt;&gt; MichaelLopp &lt;&gt; Apress]]></book_description>
  <book id="13252400">
    <num_pages>281</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Michael Lopp</author_name>
  <isbn>1430243147</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 5 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:51 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:50:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.94</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13252400-managing-humans?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344729040l/13252400._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Michael Lopp<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.94<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541798?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:49 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Software Engineer's Guidebook: Navigating senior, tech lead, and staff engineer positions at tech companies and startups]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6707541798?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>207812154</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1707347765l/207812154._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[In my first few years as a developer I assumed that hard work was all I needed. Then I was passed over for a promotion and my manager couldn’t give me feedback on what areas to improve, so I could get to the senior engineer level. I was frustrated; even not as much about missing the promotion, but because of the lack of guidance.<br /><br />By the time I became a manager, I was determined to support engineers reporting to me with the kind of feedback and support I wish I would have gotten years earlier. And I did. While my team tripled over the next two years, people became visibly better engineers, and this progression was clear from performance reviews and promotions.<br /><br />This book is a summary of the advice I’ve given to software engineers over the years – and then some more.<br /><br /><b>This book follows the structure of a “typical” career path for a software engineer</b>, from starting out as a fresh-faced software developer, through being a role model senior/lead, all the way to the staff/principle/distinguished level. It summarizes what I’ve learned as a developer and how I’ve approached coaching engineers at different stages of their careers.<br /><br />We cover “soft” skills which become increasingly important as your seniority increases, and the “hard” parts of the job, like software engineering concepts and approaches which help you grow professionally.<br /><br /><b>The names of levels and their expectations can – and do! – vary across companies. </b>The higher “tier” a business is, the more tends to be expected of engineers, compared to lower tier places. For example, the “senior engineer” level has notoriously high expectations at Google (L5 level) and Meta (E5 level,) compared to lower-tier companies. If you work at a higher-tier business, it may be useful to read the chapters about higher levels, and not only the level you’re currently interested in.<br /><br />The book is composed of six standalone parts, each made up of several <br /><br />Part 1: Developer Career FundamentalsPart 2: The Competent Software DeveloperPart 3: The Well-Rounded Senior EngineerPart 4: The Pragmatic Tech LeadPart 5: Role Model Staff and Principal EngineersPart 6: ConclusionParts 1 and 6 apply to all engineering levels, from entry-level software developer, to principal-and-above engineer. Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 cover increasingly senior engineering levels and group together topics in chapters, such as “Software Engineering,” “Collaboration,” “Getting Things Done,” etc.<br /><br />Naming and levels vary, but the principles of what makes a great engineer who is impactful at the individual, team, and organizational levels, are remarkably constant. No matter where you are in your career, I hope this book provides a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to grow as an engineer.<br /><br /><b>Praise for the book</b>“From performance reviews to P95 latency, from team dynamics to testing, Gergely demystifies all aspects of a software career. This book is well it really <i>does</i> feel like the missing guidebook for the whole industry.”<br /><br />– Tanya Reilly, senior principal engineer and author of The Staff Engineer's Path<br /><br />"Spanning a huge range of topics from technical to social in a concise manner, this belongs on the desk of any software engineer looking to grow their impact and their career. You'll reach for it again and again for sage advice in any situation.]]></book_description>
  <book id="207812154">
    <num_pages>415</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Gergely Orosz</author_name>
  <isbn>9083381838</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 7 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:49 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jul 2024 18:50:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.38</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Gergely Orosz<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.38<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/07<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611354432?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:47 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611354432?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>4099</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Straight from the programming trenches, <b>
<i>The Pragmatic Programmer</i>
</b> cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process--taking a requirement and producing working, maintainable code that delights its users. It covers topics ranging from personal responsibility and career development to architectural techniques for keeping your code flexible and easy to adapt and reuse. Read this book, and you'll learn how to<br /><br />Fight software rot; Avoid the trap of duplicating knowledge; Write flexible, dynamic, and adaptable code; Avoid programming by coincidence; Bullet-proof your code with contracts, assertions, and exceptions; Capture real requirements; Test ruthlessly and effectively; Delight your users; Build teams of pragmatic programmers; and Make your developments more precise with automation. Written as a series of self-contained sections and filled with entertaining anecdotes, thoughtful examples, and interesting analogies, <b>
<i>The Pragmatic Programmer</i>
</b> illustrates the best practices and major pitfalls of many different aspects of software development. Whether you're a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, use these lessons daily, and you'll quickly see improvements in personal productivity, accuracy, and job satisfaction. You'll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You'll become a Pragmatic Programmer.]]></book_description>
  <book id="4099">
    <num_pages>321</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Dave         Thomas</author_name>
  <isbn>020161622X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:47 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 18:50:53 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software, in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.32</average_rating>
  <book_published>1999</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Programmer?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401432508l/4099._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Dave         Thomas<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.32<br/>
                                    book published: 1999<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/19<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: software, in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979131?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:00 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Dust (Silo, #3)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979131?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>17855756</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369522849l/17855756._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>In a time when secrets and lies were the foundations of life, someone has discovered the truth. And they are going to tell.</i><br /><br />Jules knows what her predecessors created. She knows they are the reason life has to be lived in this way.<br /><br />And she won't stand for it.<br /><br />But Jules no longer has supporters. And there is far more to fear than the toxic world beyond her walls.<br /><br />A poison is growing from within Silo 18.<br /><br />One that cannot be stopped.<br /><br />Unless Silo 1 step in.]]></book_description>
  <book id="17855756">
    <num_pages>458</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn>1490904387</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 4 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:00 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Mar 2024 10:55:19 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.19</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17855756-dust?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Dust (Silo, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369522849l/17855756._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.19<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979090?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:31:44 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Shift (Silo, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6367979090?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>17306293</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Hugh Howey goes back to show the first days of the Silo, and the beginning of the end In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platforms that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate. In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event. At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.]]></book_description>
  <book id="17306293">
    <num_pages>579</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 4 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:31:44 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Mar 2024 10:55:18 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.12</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17306293-shift?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Shift (Silo, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379003176l/17306293._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.12<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/07/04<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6733060245?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:27:18 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6733060245?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>57271519</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624228280l/57271519._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Key concepts and best practices for new software engineers — stuff critical to your workplace success that you weren’t taught in school.<br /><br />For new software engineers, knowing how to program is only half the battle. You’ll quickly find that many of the skills and processes key to your success are not taught in any school or bootcamp. The Missing README fills in that gap—a distillation of workplace lessons, best practices, and engineering fundamentals that the authors have taught rookie developers at top companies for more than a decade.<br /><br />Early chapters explain what to expect when you begin your career at a company. The book’s middle section expands your technical education, teaching you how to work with existing codebases, address and prevent technical debt, write production-grade software, manage dependencies, test effectively, do code reviews, safely deploy software, design evolvable architectures, and handle incidents when you’re on-call. Additional chapters cover planning and interpersonal skills such as Agile planning, working effectively with your manager, and growing to senior levels and beyond.<br /><br />You’ll <br /><br />This is the book your tech lead wishes every new engineer would read before they start. By the end, you’ll know what it takes to transition into the workplace–from CS classes or bootcamps to professional software engineering.]]></book_description>
  <book id="57271519">
    <num_pages>288</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Chris Riccomini</author_name>
  <isbn>1718501838</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 5 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:27:18 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:15:59 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>software</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.40</average_rating>
  <book_published/>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57271519-the-missing-readme?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624228280l/57271519._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Chris Riccomini<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.40<br/>
                                    book published: <br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/08/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/08/28<br/>
                                    shelves: software<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Antimatter Blues (Mickey7, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>60784562</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Summer has come to Niflheim. The lichens are growing, the six-winged bat-things are chirping, and much to his own surprise, Mickey Barnes is still alive―that last part thanks almost entirely to the fact that Commander Marshall believes that the colony’s creeper neighbors are holding an antimatter bomb, and that Mickey is the only one who’s keeping them from using it. Mickey’s just another colonist now. Instead of cleaning out the reactor core, he spends his time these days cleaning out the rabbit hutches. It’s not a bad life.<br /><br />It’s not going to last.<br /><br />It may be sunny now, but winter is coming. The antimatter that fuels the colony is running low, and Marshall wants his bomb back. If Mickey agrees to retrieve it, he’ll be giving up the only thing that’s kept his head off of the chopping block. If he refuses, he might doom the entire colony. Meanwhile, the creepers have their own worries, and they’re not going to surrender the bomb without getting something in return. Once again, Mickey finds the fate of two species resting in his hands. If something goes wrong this time, though, he won’t be coming back.]]></book_description>
  <book id="60784562">
    <num_pages>304</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Edward Ashton</author_name>
  <isbn>1250275059</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 16 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:41:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.89</average_rating>
  <book_published>2023</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784562-antimatter-blues?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Antimatter Blues (Mickey7, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670914748l/60784562._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Edward Ashton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.89<br/>
                                    book published: 2023<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/06/16<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637579?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Great Change (and Other Lies)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6611637579?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>199045103</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695192995l/199045103._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>The Great Change (and Other Lies)</i> is a novella-length collection that gathers four short stories related to Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness, featuring old friends and new: from smugglers to kings, from diamond-cutters to dress-makers, from the most apparently insignificant of slaves to the most feared man in the Union, Old Sticks himself.<br /><br />We follow the thread from the cotton-fields of Gurkhul to the heights of Aduan society, we follow a stone from the rivers of Kadir to the crown of the Union, we follow the iron from the prison-mines of Angland to a knife in the back of the old regime. And we follow the slow gestation of the Great Change itself, a revolution which will turn the whole world upside down...]]></book_description>
  <book id="199045103">
    <num_pages>77</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:31 -0700]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2023</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199045103-the-great-change?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Great Change (and Other Lies)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1695192995l/199045103._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2023<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/06/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615705?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The End Is Now (The Apocalypse Triptych, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615705?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>23176804</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm.<br /><br />But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. <br /><br />THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH will tell their stories.<br /><br />Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, The Apocalypse Triptych is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME explores life after the apocalypse.<br /><br />THE END IS NIGH is about the match. THE END HAS COME is about what will rise from the ashes. THE END IS NOW is about the conflagration.<br /><br />• • • •<br /><br />table of contents:<br />INTRODUCTION by John Joseph Adams<br />HERD IMMUNITY by Tananarive Due<br />THE SIXTH DAY OF DEER CAMP by Scott Sigler<br />GOODNIGHT STARS by Annie Bellet<br />ROCK MANNING CAN’T HEAR YOU by Charlie Jane Anders<br />FRUITING BODIES by Seanan McGuire<br />BLACK MONDAY by Sarah Langan<br />ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE by Nancy Kress<br />AGENT ISOLATED by David Wellington<br />THE GODS WILL NOT BE SLAIN by Ken Liu<br />YOU’VE NEVER SEEN EVERYTHING by Elizabeth Bear<br />BRING THEM DOWN by Ben H. Winters<br />TWILIGHT OF THE MUSIC MACHINES by Megan Arkenberg<br />SUNSET HOLLOW by Jonathan Maberry<br />PENANCE by Jake Kerr<br />AVTOMAT by Daniel H. Wilson<br />DANCING WITH BATGIRL IN THE LAND OF NOD by Will McIntosh<br />BY THE HAIR OF THE MOON by Jamie Ford<br />TO WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD by Desirina Boskovich<br />IN THE MOUNTAIN by Hugh Howey<br />DEAR JOHN by Robin Wasserman]]></book_description>
  <book id="23176804">
    <num_pages>335</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Joseph Adams</author_name>
  <isbn>1497484375</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:25 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.84</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Joseph Adams<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.84<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615653?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18870662</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm. <br /><br />But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. <br /><br />THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH tells their stories. <br /><br />Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse. <br /><br />THE END HAS COME features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Seanan McGuire, Ken Liu, Carrie Vaughn, Mira Grant, Jamie Ford, Tananarive Due, Jonathan Maberry, Robin Wasserman, Nancy Kress, Charlie Jane Anders, Elizabeth Bear, Ben H. Winters, Scott Sigler, and many others. <br /><br />THE END IS NIGH is about the match. <br /><br />THE END IS NOW is about the conflagration. <br /><br />THE END HAS COME is about what will rise from the ashes.<br /><br /><br /><u>
<strong>CONTENTS</strong>
</u><br /><br />01 - Carrie Vaughn, <em>Bannerless</em><br />02 - Megan Arkenberg, <em>Like All Beautiful Places</em><br />03 - Will McIntosh, <em>Dancing With a Stranger in the Land of Nod</em><br />04 - Scott Sigler, <em>The Seventh Day of Deer Camp</em><br />05 - Sarah Langan, <em>Prototype</em><br />06 - Chris Avellone, <em>Acts of Creation</em><br />07 - Seanan McGuire, <em>Resistance</em><br />08 - Leife Shallcross, <em>Wandering Star</em><br />09 - Ben H. Winters, <em>Heaven Come Down</em><br />10 - David Wellington, <em>Agent Neutralized</em><br />11 - Annie Bellet, <em>Goodnight Earth</em><br />12 - Tananarive Due, <em>Carriers</em><br />13 - Robin Wasserman, <em>In the Valley of the Shadow of the Promised Land</em><br />14 - Jamie Ford, <em>The Uncertainty Machine</em><br />15 - Elizabeth Bear, <em>Margin of Survival</em><br />16 - Jonathan Maberry, <em>Jingo and the Hammerman</em><br />17 - Charlie Jane Anders, <em>The Last Movie Ever Made</em><br />18 - Jake Kerr, <em>The Gray Sunrise</em><br />19 - Ken Liu, <em>The Gods Have Not Died in Vain</em><br />20 - Hugh Howey, <em>In the Woods</em><br />21 - Nancy Kress, <em>Blessings</em>]]></book_description>
  <book id="18870662">
    <num_pages>324</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Joseph Adams</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 30 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:23 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>2015</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: John Joseph Adams<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 2015<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/30<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Lesser Dead</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6495928193?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>29056419</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<i>The secret is, vampires are real and I am one.<br /><br />The secret is, I’m stealing from you what is most truly yours and I’m not sorry—</i><br /><br />New York City in 1978 is a dirty, dangerous place to live. And die. Joey Peacock knows this as well as anybody—he has spent the last forty years as an adolescent vampire, perfecting the routine he now enjoys: womanizing in punk clubs and discotheques, feeding by night, and sleeping by day with others of his kind in the macabre labyrinth under the city’s sidewalks.<br /><br />The subways are his playground and his highway, shuttling him throughout Manhattan to bleed the unsuspecting in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park or in the backseats of Checker cabs, or even those in their own apartments who are too hypnotized by sitcoms to notice him opening their windows. It’s almost too easy.<br /><br />Until one night he sees them hunting on his beloved subway. The children with the merry eyes. Vampires, like him…or not like him. Whatever they are, whatever their appearance means, the undead in the tunnels of Manhattan are not as safe as they once were.<br /><br />And neither are the rest of us.]]></book_description>
  <book id="29056419">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Christopher Buehlman</author_name>
  <isbn>0698146328</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 6 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 10 May 2024 17:01:39 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.04</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29056419-the-lesser-dead?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Lesser Dead" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1455118136l/29056419._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Christopher Buehlman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.04<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/06<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615758?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615758?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>52454426</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.<br /><br />But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten.<br /> <br />In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.<br /> <br />Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.<br /> <br />Yet it is also far more than that.<br /> <br />Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.<br /> <br />Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.]]></book_description>
  <book id="52454426">
    <num_pages>286</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Max Brooks</author_name>
  <isbn>1984826786</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:26 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <book_published>2020</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52454426-devolution?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566875204l/52454426._SX50_SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Max Brooks<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.88<br/>
                                    book published: 2020<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6463987163?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6463987163?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>57693457</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Now experience where the hit movie from Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, starring Robert Pattinson, started in <i>Mickey7</i> (the inspiration for the film <i>Mickey 17</i>).</b><br /><br />Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.<br /><br />Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.<br /><br />On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.<br /><br />Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.<br /><br />That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.]]></book_description>
  <book id="57693457">
    <num_pages>296</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Edward Ashton</author_name>
  <isbn>1250275032</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 5 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 28 Apr 2024 12:19:45 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <book_published>2022</book_published>
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    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693457-mickey7?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636369192l/57693457._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Edward Ashton<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.74<br/>
                                    book published: 2022<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/06/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6553130621?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Upgrade</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6553130621?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>60487735</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<strong>An ordinary man undergoes a startling transformation—and fears that all of humanity may be next—in the mind-blowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of <em>Dark Matter</em> and <em>Recursion </em></strong><br /><br /><em>“You are the next step in human evolution.” </em><br /><br />At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorizing better, needing less sleep.<br /><br />But before long, he can’t deny it: Something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him—even those he loves most—in whole new ways.<br /><br />The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy.<br /><br />Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one that will inflict the same changes on humanity at large—at a terrifying cost.<br /><br />Because of his new abilities, Logan’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. Maybe even something other than human.<br /><br />And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution?<br /><br />Intimate in scale yet epic in scope, <em>Upgrade</em> is an intricately plotted, lightning-fast tale that charts one man’s thrilling transformation, even as it asks us to ponder the limits of our humanity—and our boundless potential.]]></book_description>
  <book id="60487735">
    <num_pages>341</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Blake Crouch</author_name>
  <isbn>1529045355</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:30 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 01 Jun 2024 22:24:00 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.79</average_rating>
  <book_published>2022</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60487735-upgrade?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Upgrade" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652490272l/60487735._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Blake Crouch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.79<br/>
                                    book published: 2022<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/14<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615407?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Stories of Your Life and Others]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615407?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>223381</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358755376l/223381._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[What if men built a tower from Earth to Heaven - and broke through to Heaven's other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were inconsistent? What if there was a science of naming things which calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? What if all the beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity were literally true, and the sight of sinners being swallowed into Hell was a routine event on city streets? These are the kinds of outrageous questions posed by the stories of Ted Chiang. Collected here for the first time are eight of his extraordinary stories - including one specially written for this volume.]]></book_description>
  <book id="223381">
    <num_pages>336</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ted Chiang</author_name>
  <isbn>1405041021</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:17 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2002</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223381.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Stories of Your Life and Others" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358755376l/223381._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Ted Chiang<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2002<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615346?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Vicious (Villains, #1)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615346?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13638125</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.</b><br /><br />Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.<br /><br />Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?<br /><br />In <i>Vicious</i>, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.<br /><br /><i>Listening Length: 9 hours and 55 minutes</i>]]></book_description>
  <book id="13638125">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Victoria E. Schwab</author_name>
  <isbn>0765335344</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 9 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:15 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.25</average_rating>
  <book_published>2013</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13638125-vicious?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Vicious (Villains, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527839682l/13638125._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Victoria E. Schwab<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.25<br/>
                                    book published: 2013<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/09<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615284?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Vengeful (Villains, #2)</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6446615284?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>26856502</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A super-powered collision of extraordinary minds and vengeful intentions—<i>#1 New York Times</i> bestselling author V. E. Schwab returns with the thrilling follow-up to <i>Vicious</i>.</b><br /><br />Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.<br /><br />But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought—and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.<br /><br />With Marcella's rise, new enmities create opportunity--and the stage of Merit City will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.]]></book_description>
  <book id="26856502">
    <num_pages>462</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Victoria E. Schwab</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 13 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:29 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:34:14 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2018</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26856502-vengeful?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Vengeful (Villains, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1683488509l/26856502._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Victoria E. Schwab<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2018<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/13<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195339?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The End is Nigh (The Apocalypse Triptych)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195339?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>21429434</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397320716l/21429434._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Famine. Death. War. Pestilence. These are the harbingers of the biblical apocalypse, of the End of the World. In science fiction, the end is triggered by less figurative means: nuclear holocaust, biological warfare/pandemic, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm. But before any catastrophe, there are people who see it coming. During, there are heroes who fight against it. And after, there are the survivors who persevere and try to rebuild. THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH will tell their stories. Edited by acclaimed anthologist John Joseph Adams and bestselling author Hugh Howey, THE APOCALYPSE TRIPTYCH is a series of three anthologies of apocalyptic fiction. THE END IS NIGH focuses on life before the apocalypse. THE END IS NOW turns its attention to life during the apocalypse. And THE END HAS COME focuses on life after the apocalypse. THE END IS NIGH features all-new, never-before-published works by Hugh Howey, Paolo Bacigalupi, Jamie Ford, Seanan McGuire, Tananarive Due, Jonathan Maberry, Scott Sigler, Robin Wasserman, Nancy Kress, Charlie Jane Anders, Ken Liu, and many others.]]></book_description>
  <book id="21429434">
    <num_pages>361</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>John Joseph Adams</author_name>
  <isbn>1495471179</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:14:02 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.03</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21429434-the-end-is-nigh?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The End is Nigh (The Apocalypse Triptych)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397320716l/21429434._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: John Joseph Adams<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.03<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/23<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195308?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195308?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>33503613</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497392811l/33503613._SX50_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A new collection of stories, including some that have never before been seen, from the <i>New York Times</i> best-selling author of the Silo trilogy.</b> <br /><br />Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive page-turners of boundless imagination, spawning millions of fans worldwide, first with his best-selling novel <i>Wool</i>, and then with other enthralling works such as <i>Sand</i> and <i>Beacon 23</i>. <br /><br />Now comes <i>Machine Learning</i>, an impressive collection of Howey's science fiction and fantasy short fiction, including three stories set in the world of Wool, two never-before-published tales written exclusively for this volume, and fifteen additional stories collected here for the first time. These stories explore everything from artificial intelligence to parallel universes to video games, and each story is accompanied by an author's note exploring the background and genesis of each story. <br /><br />Howey's incisive mind makes <i>Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories</i> a compulsively readable and thought-provoking selection of short works—from a modern master at the top of his game.]]></book_description>
  <book id="33503613">
    <num_pages>352</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Hugh Howey</author_name>
  <isbn>1328767523</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:14:01 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.96</average_rating>
  <book_published>2017</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33503613-machine-learning?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497392811l/33503613._SX50_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Hugh Howey<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.96<br/>
                                    book published: 2017<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/03/17<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
</item>
<item>
  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020532?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>35606041</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558367199l/35606041._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The chimneys of industry rise over Adua and the world seethes with new opportunities. But old scores run deep as ever.<br /><br />On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments.<br /><br />Savine dan Glokta - socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union - plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.<br /><br />The age of the machine dawns, but the age of magic refuses to die. With the help of the mad hillwoman Isern-i-Phail, Rikke struggles to control the blessing, or the curse, of the Long Eye. Glimpsing the future is one thing, but with the guiding hand of the First of the Magi still pulling the strings, changing it will be quite another...<br /><br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="35606041">
    <num_pages>480</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>031618716X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 2 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:37:00 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.44</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35606041-a-little-hatred?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558367199l/35606041._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.44<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/01/02<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195456?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40701777</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Conspiracy. Betrayal. Rebellion.<br />Peace is just another kind of battlefield...<br /><br />Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way.<br /><br />For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye . . . before it kills her.<br /><br />The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply.<br /><br />The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever.<br /><br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="40701777">
    <num_pages>506</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575095911</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
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  <average_rating>4.59</average_rating>
  <book_published>2020</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.59<br/>
                                    book published: 2020<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/01/27<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343195505?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>40701780</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Chaos. Fury. Destruction.<br /><br />The Great Change is upon us...<br /><br />Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.<br /><br />With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies... while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.<br /><br />The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together...<br /><br />]]></book_description>
  <book id="40701780">
    <num_pages>520</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575095970</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
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  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.58</average_rating>
  <book_published>2021</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.58<br/>
                                    book published: 2021<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/02/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:28 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Exhalation</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5909999006?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>41160292</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[In these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.<br /><br />In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and second chances. In "Exhalation," an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications that are literally universal. In "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom," the ability to glimpse into alternate universes necessitates a radically new examination of the concepts of choice and free will.<br /><br />Including stories being published for the first time as well as some of his rare and classic uncollected work, <i>Exhalation</i> is Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic—revelatory.]]></book_description>
  <book id="41160292">
    <num_pages>368</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Ted Chiang</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
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  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sun, 15 Oct 2023 08:33:54 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.27</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
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                                    author: Ted Chiang<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.27<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Dark Matter</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892934957?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>27833670</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy. </b><br /><br />Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.<br /><br /><i>"Are you happy with your life?"</i><br /><br />Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. <br /><br />Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. <br /><br />Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend." <br /><br />In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.<br /><br />Is it this world or the other that's the dream? <br /><br />And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.<br /><br /><b><i>Dark Matter</i> is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.</b>]]></book_description>
  <book id="27833670">
    <num_pages>342</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Blake Crouch</author_name>
  <isbn>1101904224</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 07 Oct 2023 09:07:09 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
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  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
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                                    author: Blake Crouch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/10<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Recursion</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5892934887?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>42046112</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Memory makes reality.</b><br /><br />That's what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.<br /><br />That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It's why she's dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.<br /><br />As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.<br /><br />But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?<br /><br />At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.]]></book_description>
  <book id="42046112">
    <num_pages>326</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Blake Crouch</author_name>
  <isbn>1524759783</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Sat, 07 Oct 2023 09:07:07 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <book_published>2019</book_published>
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                                    author: Blake Crouch<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.15<br/>
                                    book published: 2019<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/04/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Blacktongue Thief (Blacktongue, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5673849560?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>55077697</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.<br /><br />But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.<br /><br />Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.<br /><br />Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva's. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.]]></book_description>
  <book id="55077697">
    <num_pages>416</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Christopher Buehlman</author_name>
  <isbn>1250621194</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:24:27 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:08:32 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves>in-calibre</user_shelves>
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  <average_rating>4.18</average_rating>
  <book_published>2021</book_published>
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                                    author: Christopher Buehlman<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.18<br/>
                                    book published: 2021<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2024/05/21<br/>
                                    date added: 2024/07/31<br/>
                                    shelves: in-calibre<br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:49 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Sharp Ends</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020862?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>26030742</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b><i>Sharp Ends</i> is the ultimate collection of award winning tales and exclusive new short stories from the master of grimdark fantasy, Joe Abercrombie.</b><br /><br />Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue's gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law.<br /><br />The Union army may be full of bastards, but there's only one who thinks he can save the day single-handed when the Gurkish come calling: the incomparable Colonel Sand dan Glokta.<br /><br />Curnden Craw and his dozen are out to recover a mysterious item from beyond the Crinna. Only one small problem: no one seems to know what the item is.<br /><br />Shevedieh, the self-styled best thief in Styria, lurches from disaster to catastrophe alongside her best friend and greatest enemy, Javre, Lioness of Hoskopp.<br /><br />And after years of bloodshed, the idealistic chieftain Bethod is desperate to bring peace to the North. There's only one obstacle left -- his own lunatic champion, the most feared man in the North: the Bloody-Nine . . .]]></book_description>
  <book id="26030742">
    <num_pages>304</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>031639081X</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:49 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <book_published>2016</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26030742-sharp-ends?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Sharp Ends" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456696097l/26030742._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.13<br/>
                                    book published: 2016<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/12/18<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020202?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:41 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020202?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>944077</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Striking, character-driven and cynical noir fantasy]]></book_description>
  <book id="944077">
    <num_pages>536</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575077891</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 12 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:41 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <book_published>2008</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.31<br/>
                                    book published: 2008<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/11/12<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020605?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:39 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Best Served Cold</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020605?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>5961140</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Springtime in Styria. And that means war.<br /><br />There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. Armies march, heads roll and cities burn, while behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.<br /><br />War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.<br /><br />Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...<br /><br />Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.<br /><br />BEST SERVED COLD is the new standalone novel set in the world of Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy.]]></book_description>
  <book id="5961140">
    <num_pages>632</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0316044962</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 24 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:39 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:37:01 -0800]]></user_date_created>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.10</average_rating>
  <book_published>2009</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.10<br/>
                                    book published: 2009<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/11/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:38 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>The Heroes</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020984?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>9300768</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbor, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them. For glory, for victory, for staying alive.]]></book_description>
  <book id="9300768">
    <num_pages>581</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0316123358</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 5 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:38 -0800]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.34</average_rating>
  <book_published>2011</book_published>
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    <![CDATA[
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.34<br/>
                                    book published: 2011<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/12/05<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:35 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title>Red Country</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020419?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>13521459</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[They burned her home.<br />They stole her brother and sister.<br />But vengeance is following.<br /><br />Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she'll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she's not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb's buried a bloody past of his own. And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.<br /><br />Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into an alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust . . . <br />RED COUNTRY takes place in the same world as the First Law trilogy, <em>Best Served Cold,</em> and <em>The Heroes</em>. This novel also sees the return of one of Abercrombie's most beloved characters.]]></book_description>
  <book id="13521459">
    <num_pages>469</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0316214442</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:35 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:36:58 -0800]]></user_date_created>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.31</average_rating>
  <book_published>2012</book_published>
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                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.31<br/>
                                    book published: 2012<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/12/13<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:33 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6087020315?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>944078</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Bitter and merciless war is coming to the frozen north. It's bloody and dangerous and the Union army, split by politics and hamstrung by incompetence, is utterly unprepared for the slaughter that's coming. Lacking experience, training, and in some cases even weapons the army is scarcely equipped to repel Bethod's scouts, let alone the cream of his forces.<br /><br />In the heat-ravaged south the Gurkish are massing to assault the city of Dagoska, defended by Inquisitor Glokta. The city is braced for the inevitable defeat and massacre to come, preparations are made to make the Gurkish pay for every inch of land ... but a plot is festering to hand the city to its beseigers without a fight, and the previous Inquisitor of Dagoska vanished without trace. Threatened from within and without the city, Glokta needs answers, and he needs them soon.<br /><br />And to the east a small band of malefactors travel to the edge of the world to reclaim a device from history - a Seed, hidden for generations - with tremendous destructive potential. A device which could put a end to war, to the army of Eaters in the South, to the invasion of Shanka from the North - but only if it can be found, and only if its power can be controlled ...]]></book_description>
  <book id="944078">
    <num_pages>570</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575082011</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>5</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:33 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 17:36:56 -0800]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.37</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/944078.Before_They_Are_Hanged?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565400464l/944078._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.37<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 5<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/11/28<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5891780482?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:30 -0800]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5891780482?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>6740999</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Logen Ninefingers, the infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, his friends dead and his future bleak, he could be staring at death for the last time. But it's the dead who will offer him a final chance — someone out there still has plans for the Bloody-Nine.<br /><br />Captain Jezal dan Luthar, paragon of selfishness, has little more dangerous in mind seizing glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, the army is mobilising, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.<br /><br />Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would be delighted to see Jezal come home in a box. But then he hates everyone. Cutting treason out of the heart of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendships — and his latest trail of corpses could lead straight to the rotten heart of government...if he can stay alive long enough to follow it...]]></book_description>
  <book id="6740999">
    <num_pages>624</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Joe Abercrombie</author_name>
  <isbn>0575091088</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Dec 2023 18:01:30 -0800]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:37:06 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.12</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6740999-the-blade-itself?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327406018l/6740999._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Joe Abercrombie<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.12<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/10/19<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/12/27<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
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  <guid><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637972763?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></guid>
  <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:47:02 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Robot Uprisings</title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637972763?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>18209312</book_id>
  <book_image_url><![CDATA[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384733625l/18209312._SY75_.jpg]]></book_image_url>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives. With contributions from a mix of bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming writers, and including a rare story by “the father of artificial intelligence,” Dr. John McCarthy, Robot Uprisings meticulously describes the exhilarating and terrifying near-future in which humans can only survive by being cleverer than the rebellious machines they have created.]]></book_description>
  <book id="18209312">
    <num_pages>496</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Daniel H. Wilson</author_name>
  <isbn>0345803639</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>2</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 1 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Wed, 11 Oct 2023 12:47:02 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:15:31 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.85</average_rating>
  <book_published>2014</book_published>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[
    <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18209312-robot-uprisings?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=rss"><img alt="Robot Uprisings" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1384733625l/18209312._SY75_.jpg" /></a><br/>
                                    author: Daniel H. Wilson<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.85<br/>
                                    book published: 2014<br/>
                                    rating: 2<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/10/01<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/10/11<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:44:52 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title>Glow-worm</title>
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  <book_id>54257200</book_id>
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  <author_name>Wildbow</author_name>
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                                    average rating: 3.78<br/>
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                                    rating: 0<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/07/27<br/>
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                                    shelves: <br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:14 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2)]]></title>
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  <book_id>17430759</book_id>
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  <book id="17430759">
    <num_pages>288</num_pages>
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  <author_name>John Flanagan</author_name>
  <isbn>1448100984</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
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  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
  <book_published>2005</book_published>
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                                    author: John Flanagan<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.00<br/>
                                    book published: 2005<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/02/23<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
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  <title>Airman</title>
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  <isbn>0141908882</isbn>
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  <average_rating>3.00</average_rating>
  <book_published>2007</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.00<br/>
                                    book published: 2007<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/05/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[Fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill longs to escape from the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. When a rare chance to get away comes, he grabs it, but the attempt goes fatally wrong. He can feel his life force ebbing away, sucked out of him by a strange blue Parasite ... until a wisecracking gang of kids burst in, blast the creature and save him. They are the Supernaturalists, dedicated to ridding the world of these life-sucking blue parasites. When they realise that Cosmo has the ability to see these blue creatures too, they enlist him as one of them. Their mission leads Cosmo into a world of high-level corruption, James Bond type technology, thrilling adventure and finally back to a place that Cosmo ever thought he'd have to return...the dreaded Clarissa Frayne.]]></book_description>
  <book id="60667687">
    <num_pages>0</num_pages>
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn>0141910089</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>3</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Sun, 7 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:09 -0700]]></user_date_added>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>2.50</average_rating>
  <book_published>2004</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 2.50<br/>
                                    book published: 2004<br/>
                                    rating: 3<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/05/07<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:06 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, #3)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637992887?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>60546821</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<b>Artemis Fowl is attempting to go straight. But there's always time for one last job.</b><br /><br />Artemis Fowl has created the most powerful new supercomputer known to man - using stolen technology from an elite race of underground fairies.<br /><br />And when the computer falls into the hands of an IT billionaire with a shady past and an alleged mob connection, Artemis is in deep trouble. The consequences for humans and fairies alike are deadly. Only one person, well, fairy, can help him now.<br /><br /><b>If only Artemis Fowl wasn't the fairies' public enemy number one . . .</b>]]></book_description>
  <book id="60546821">
    <num_pages>259</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn/>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:06 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:25:14 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
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  <average_rating>3.67</average_rating>
  <book_published>2003</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.67<br/>
                                    book published: 2003<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/20<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:05 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637992950?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>29937363</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[<p>Ten millennia ago, the fairy People were defeated in a great battle with mankind, forcing them to move underground. Only the eighth family of fairies remained undefeated: the demons. But now one demon has discovered the secrets of the fairy world, and if humans get hold of this information the fairies are in BIG trouble. Only one person can prevent this disaster - teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl.</p><p>Action packed and full of humour - a must-read for boys and girls aged 10+.</p>]]></book_description>
  <book id="29937363">
    <num_pages>417</num_pages>
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  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
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  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
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  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>3.59</average_rating>
  <book_published>2006</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 3.59<br/>
                                    book published: 2006<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/25<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
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  <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:04 -0700]]></pubDate>
  <title><![CDATA[The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl, #4)]]></title>
  <link><![CDATA[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5637993001?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss]]></link>
  <book_id>114954</book_id>
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  <book_description><![CDATA[The evil pixie Opal Koboi has spent the last year in a self-induced coma, plotting her revenge on all those who foiled her attempt to destroy the LEPrecon fairy police. And Artemis Fowl is at the top of her list.<br /><br />After his last run-in with the fairies, Artemis had his mind wiped of his memories of the world belowground. But they have not forgotten about him. Once again, he must stop the human and fairy worlds from colliding—only this time, Artemis faces an enemy who may have finally outsmarted him.]]></book_description>
  <book id="114954">
    <num_pages>528</num_pages>
  </book>
  <author_name>Eoin Colfer</author_name>
  <isbn>1423103998</isbn>
  <user_name>Sadman</user_name>
  <user_rating>4</user_rating>
  <user_read_at><![CDATA[Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000]]></user_read_at>
  <user_date_added><![CDATA[Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:47:04 -0700]]></user_date_added>
  <user_date_created><![CDATA[Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:25:17 -0700]]></user_date_created>
  <user_shelves/>
  <user_review/>
  <average_rating>4.06</average_rating>
  <book_published>2005</book_published>
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                                    author: Eoin Colfer<br/>
                                    name: Sadman<br/>
                                    average rating: 4.06<br/>
                                    book published: 2005<br/>
                                    rating: 4<br/>
                                    read at: 2023/03/24<br/>
                                    date added: 2023/08/29<br/>
                                    shelves: <br/>
                                    review: <br/><br/>
                                    ]]>
  </description>
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  </channel>
</rss>

Closing notes

It’s incredible how much you can do with the Astro Content Loader API and a little bit of creativity. I’m really glad that Goodreads provides RSS feeds for their bookshelves because otherwise I feel like there’s really no other easy way of accessing your data programmatically (short of exporting your data, which would be a massive pain to do on a regular basis).

I’ve been tracking my read (and want-to-read) books on Goodreads since early 2023 (ever since I got my hands on an ereader), and it’s really nice to be able to display them on my blog so that I can share my experiences with others (as you might have concluded, I absolutely love reading).

I’ve been looking for a way to do this for a while now, and it’s been disappointing scouring the web and searching using terms like "react goodreads component" or "astro goodreads component" and coming up with nothing particularly helpful, so I’m really happy with what has been made possible by the Astro team.

What’s next?

I already use a Goodreads component on my blog’s /about page to show my recently read books, and I also used it extensively in my “What I read in 2024” post to showcase my favourite books from the last year.

I thought I already knew a lot about the Content Loader API, but from taking another look at the docs while writing this post I notice that there’s a couple of features I haven’t used yet (like object loaders to control how long to cache data), so I’m excited to optimize how I use the Content Loader API on my site even more and see what else I can get up to with it in the future.

Special thanks to the following posts for introducing me to the idea of using Goodreads RSS feeds to retrieve data and helping me figure out how to set this all up:

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