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Summaries of 9,840 books.

  1. Development as Freedom

    Amartya Sen

    ★ 4.1 (6k) average on GoodreadsPolitics

    Amartya Sen says development is about expanding human freedoms, not just economic growth. He argues these freedoms are both the goal and the best way to achieve societal progress and well-being.

  2. Half a Chance

    Cynthia Lord

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    Armed with her camera and a secret ambition, Lucy navigates a new lakeside home, discovering the truths of a neighbor's grandmother's fading memory and the power of art to capture both beauty and loss.

  3. Bolt

    Dick Francis

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    Jockey Kit Fielding races against a ruthless arms dealer, navigating threats to unmask those behind the killing of racehorses before he becomes the next victim.

  4. The Daybreakers

    Louis L'Amour

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    Two brothers, one a reluctant lawman and the other a natural fighter, build a life in the untamed West, but their violent past catches up, threatening their dreams and forcing them to return to their instincts.

  5. Caught

    Harlan Coben

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    When a star athlete vanishes, a reporter known for exposing predators uncovers a tangled web that challenges her assumptions about good and evil, forcing her to question if the missing girl is a victim or a participant in a dark secret.

  6. Romiette and Julio

    Sharon M. Draper

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    In modern Verona, an online romance between an African-American girl and a Hispanic boy starts a dangerous feud with a racist gang, forcing them to fight for their love and lives against prejudice.

  7. The Tennis Partner

    Abraham Verghese

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsBiography

    In El Paso, a doctor with a failing marriage finds an unexpected connection on the tennis court with a recovering addict, only to face the return of his friend's past problems.

  8. Thirst

    Claire Farrell

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Haunted by her hybrid nature and a thirst for blood, Ava Delaney accidentally enslaves a human, thrusting her into a treacherous vampire civil war where loyalty is a luxury and survival means embracing the very power she fears.

  9. Beautiful Losers

    Leonard Cohen

    ★ 3.6 (6k) average on GoodreadsFiction

    A historian's obsession with a 17th-century Mohawk saint, a love triangle, and a search for spiritual and sexual liberation blur the lines between sacred and profane.

  10. The Piano Lesson

    August Wilson

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In 1936 Pittsburgh, a brother and sister argue over their family's antique piano, a powerful heirloom carved with the faces of their enslaved ancestors. They must decide whether to sell their past for a chance at a future or keep it as a reminder of their lasting legacy.

  11. Shadow

    Laurann Dohner

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    Beauty, from the Gift Species, finds her unique abilities are a cage. An unexpected spark of freedom and forbidden desire ignites when a powerful Species officer mistakes her for a threat. This leads them both to a secluded cabin where their inexperience with intimacy starts a passionate journey of healing and discovery.

  12. The Art of Choosing

    Sheena Iyengar

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsBusiness

    Explore the science and philosophy behind our daily decisions, revealing the hidden forces that shape our choices, from small to life-changing.

  13. The Black Pearl

    Scott O'Dell

    ★ 3.5 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    A young pearl diver tries to prove himself by finding a legendary black pearl, but he unleashes a curse and must face both man and monster.

  14. Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All

    Allan Gurganus

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    A spirited ninety-nine-year-old widow of a Confederate colonel recounts a century of Southern history, from the Civil War's echoes to her feisty battles in a modern nursing home, all through her own sharp-witted and unforgettable lens.

  15. The Darkest Legacy

    Alexandra Bracken

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Five years after escaping the Psi rehabilitation camps, spokesperson Suzume 'Zu' Kimura is a hunted fugitive once more, forced to ally with untrustworthy strangers to clear her name and expose the sinister truths threatening to re-enslave all Psi kids.

  16. Forest Dark

    Nicole Krauss

    ★ 3.1 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    A retired lawyer in Tel Aviv gives away his possessions to find his ancestral roots, while a novelist with writer's block explores self and story in a hotel. Both go on journeys that blur identity and reality.

  17. Steel

    Carrie Vaughn

    ★ 3.4 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A modern-day fencing prodigy finds a magical rapier tip that thrusts her into a swashbuckling pirate past, where she must duel a ruthless captain to return home.

  18. Company

    Max Barry

    ★ 3.7 (6k) average on GoodreadsBusiness

    A new hire at Zephyr Holdings enters a hilariously absurd corporate world where donuts spark intrigue and the CEO is a myth. He questions what business even is.

  19. The Takeover

    T.L. Swan

    ★ 4.6 (6k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    A grieving widow finds herself drawn to the ruthless businessman who tried to steal her late husband's company, leading to a battle between hate and desire.

  20. Pendragon

    Stephen R. Lawhead

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Treachery and dark magic threaten his fragile kingdom, forcing the newly crowned Arthur to face a powerful enemy alone and become the legendary Pendragon or lose everything.

  21. Twelve

    Lauren Myracle

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    Winnie Perry navigates the hilarious and mortifying gauntlet of turning twelve, from shifting friendships and junior high pressures to the ultimate pre-teen trial: bra shopping with Mom.

  22. Rowan of Rin

    Emily Rodda

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A timid boy, convinced he lacks courage, journeys into a dangerous, dragon-haunted mountain to find the source of his village's dying river, discovering that bravery is acting despite fear.

  23. Companions of the Night

    Vivian Vande Velde

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A late-night errand to retrieve a forgotten teddy bear plunges Kerry into a dangerous world of vampire hunters and their enigmatic prey, forcing her to choose sides in an ancient, bloody conflict.

  24. The Lost Language of Cranes

    David Leavitt

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    As New York City changes, a complacent couple's world shatters when their son's coming out forces them to confront the unspoken desires and secret life that have long defined their own fragile marriage.

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