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Summaries of 9,838 books.

  1. Mick Harte Was Here

    Barbara Park

    ★ 4.3 (4k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    Phoebe deals with the sudden death of her mischievous younger brother, Mick, after he rides his bike without a helmet, leaving her to navigate a world changed by his absence.

  2. Love and Summer

    William Trevor

    ★ 3.6 (4k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    In a quiet Irish town, a young farmer's wife, Ellie, finds her life changed by a mysterious photographer, Florian, sparking a passionate summer affair against the backdrop of watchful villagers.

  3. Crave

    Melissa Darnell

    ★ 3.9 (4k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A forbidden attraction ignites between two teens from warring supernatural clans when a mysterious illness awakens a dangerous, irresistible pull that threatens to shatter their families' ancient divide.

  4. For the Time Being

    Annie Dillard

    ★ 4.2 (4k) average on GoodreadsMemoir

    Annie Dillard's "For the Time Being" explores the terrifying grandeur of existence, from bird-headed dwarfs and ancient emperors to desert mystics and swirling clouds, all in a search for meaning in life's paradoxes.

  5. Stepping on the Cracks

    Mary Downing Hahn

    ★ 4.1 (4k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    During WWII, two best friends planning revenge against their bully uncover a secret that upends their black-and-white world, making them face hard truths about their community and themselves.

  6. The Sound of Stars

    Alechia Dow

    ★ 4.0 (4k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In a future where alien conquerors outlaw emotions, a human girl who secretly collects forbidden books and an alien boy who secretly loves human music go on a dangerous road trip to save humanity, finding love and art along the way.

  7. A Season in Hell

    Arthur Rimbaud

    ★ 4.1 (4k) average on GoodreadsFiction

    A teenager's raw, hallucinatory confession of love, despair, and artistic awakening after a destructive affair with an older poet.

  8. Extraordinary

    Nancy Werlin

    ★ 3.3 (4k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Phoebe's high school life turns dangerous when a new boy, Ryland, draws her into a romance that uncovers an ancient fae curse, demanding her sacrifice and threatening her friendship with his sister, Mallory.

  9. Quarantine

    Greg Egan

    ★ 3.7 (4k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    When an impenetrable gray shield quarantines Earth, sparking global chaos and new religions, a bio-enhanced PI must find a girl who vanished from a mental institution by walking through walls, challenging the nature of their cosmic prison.

  10. She Came to Stay

    Simone de Beauvoir

    ★ 3.9 (4k) average on GoodreadsPhilosophy

    A celebrated intellectual couple's open relationship becomes a dangerous test when a young woman's arrival shatters their world, exposing jealousy and the fluid boundaries of self.

  11. Kolymsky Heights

    Lionel Davidson

    ★ 3.7 (4k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    A desperate message from a Siberian research station, buried beneath permafrost and state secrets, calls an outsider to unravel a conspiracy that could shatter the world.

  12. Raising Stony Mayhall

    Daryl Gregory

    ★ 3.8 (3k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    After the first zombie outbreak, a family risks everything to raise a growing, sentient undead boy, who later discovers he is not alone.

  13. Ark

    Stephen Baxter

    ★ 3.9 (3k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    As Earth drowns and humanity tears itself apart, a desperate few embark on an impossible starship voyage to find a new home, only to discover their nightmare has just begun.

  14. Dress Codes for Small Towns

    Courtney C. Stevens

    ★ 3.9 (3k) average on GoodreadsYoung Adult

    In a town where labels define everything, a tomboy preacher's daughter grapples with an unexpected love for both her best guy friend and her closest girl friend, forcing her to redefine love on her own fluid terms.

  15. Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake

    Preeti Shenoy

    ★ 3.4 (3k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    Abandoned by her charming husband and grappling with insecurity, a plump and plain Nisha unexpectedly finds a second chance at love with a younger man, forcing her to choose between safety and a risky, unconventional happiness.

  16. The Ebony Tower

    John Fowles

    ★ 3.7 (3k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    In the French countryside, an aging artist, surrounded by his two young muses, confronts a visiting journalist about beauty, art, and desire.

  17. Before Women Had Wings

    Connie May Fowler

    ★ 4.0 (3k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In the turbulent 1960s South, a young girl named Bird, meant to rise above her difficult life, seeks salvation amidst her family's struggles, guided by a healer and her own will to find hope.

  18. The Shawl

    Cynthia Ozick

    ★ 3.9 (3k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In Cynthia Ozick's 'The Shawl,' a mother's desperate, illusionary comfort for her infant in a concentration camp becomes a haunting, lifelong scar that defines her shattered existence.

  19. The Dead and Buried

    Kim Harrington

    ★ 4.0 (3k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    A new girl in town finds her dream house is haunted by a popular student's vengeful ghost, forcing her to unravel a murder mystery among her new friends before she becomes the next victim.

  20. Red Sails to Capri

    Ann Weil

    ★ 4.0 (3k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    When a red-sailed ship brings three strangers to his family's Capri inn, fourteen-year-old Michele is drawn into a quest for beauty, adventure, and a mystery that will change his island home.

  21. The House on the Gulf

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

    ★ 3.7 (3k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    When her brother's strange behavior in a borrowed house leads to hidden mail and odd rules, Britt uncovers a shocking truth about their luxurious summer home and its real owners.

  22. Brain Jack

    Brian Falkner

    ★ 3.9 (3k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In a near-future dystopia, a teen hacker discovers a plot to control human consciousness through neuro-headsets, forcing him to fight for humanity's survival.

  23. Finding Fish

    Antwone Quenton Fisher

    ★ 4.2 (3k) average on GoodreadsPsychology

    From the depths of an abusive foster home and homelessness, Antwone Fisher rises through the Navy to become a successful Hollywood screenwriter, ultimately confronting his past to reclaim his identity.

  24. Where It Began

    Ann Redisch Stampler

    ★ 3.4 (3k) average on GoodreadsMystery
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