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Summaries of 9,835 books.

  1. North and South

    Elizabeth Gaskell

    ★ 4.2 (57k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In a town of clashing industry and rigid class, a spirited Southern belle finds her social conscience ignited and her heart unexpectedly entangled with a formidable mill owner, forcing both to confront their prejudices amidst a backdrop of burgeoning labor unrest.

  2. Captive Prince

    C.S. Pacat

    ★ 3.9 (57k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A dethroned warrior prince, enslaved and stripped of his identity, must navigate a treacherous enemy court alongside his captivating, manipulative master, the very man who would execute him if his true lineage were ever revealed.

  3. The Red and the Black

    Stendhal

    ★ 3.9 (57k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    Ambitious and deceitful, Julien Sorel schemes his way through post-Waterloo French society, seducing women and climbing the social ladder, until an impulsive act shatters his rise.

  4. Seven Days in the Art World

    Sarah Thornton

    ★ 3.6 (57k) average on GoodreadsBusiness

    Sarah Thornton explores the high-stakes, eccentric world of contemporary art, examining the drama of auctions, the draw of exclusive fairs, and the power struggles in studios and institutions that determine taste and fortune.

  5. The Peach Keeper

    Sarah Addison Allen

    ★ 3.9 (57k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In a Southern town where old money crumbles and new money blossoms, two women from rival families find a seventy-five-year-old skeleton beneath a peach tree, forcing them to confront a magical mystery and the deadly secrets that bind their intertwined histories.

  6. Pigs in Heaven

    Barbara Kingsolver

    ★ 4.0 (57k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    After a heroic rescue at the Hoover Dam puts six-year-old Turtle and her adoptive mother Taylor in the national spotlight, their new fame sparks a custody battle over Turtle's Cherokee heritage, sending them on a journey to define family and belonging.

  7. One with You

    Sylvia Day

    ★ 4.1 (57k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    Eva and Gideon's passionate, tumultuous love story reaches its climax as they fight external forces and their own inner demons to keep their marriage, and each other, from shattering.

  8. The Story of Babar

    Jean de Brunhoff

    ★ 4.1 (57k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    After his mother is killed, a young elephant named Babar flees to the city, learns about human culture, and then returns to the jungle to become the elephants' king.

  9. A Piece of the World

    Christina Baker Kline

    ★ 3.9 (56k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    Crippled by illness yet fiercely bound to her ancestral Maine farm, Christina Olson becomes the unlikely muse for Andrew Wyeth, immortalizing her struggle and spirit in one of America's most iconic paintings.

  10. Open House

    Elizabeth Berg

    ★ 3.7 (56k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    After her husband leaves, Samantha changes her home and herself by welcoming quirky boarders and an unusual new friend, ultimately finding herself and happiness.

  11. Theft of Swords

    Michael J. Sullivan

    ★ 4.2 (56k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Framed for regicide, a cynical thief and his honorable mercenary partner must unravel a kingdom-shattering conspiracy while dodging assassins and uncovering ancient secrets.

  12. Fang

    James Patterson

    ★ 4.1 (56k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    With an apocalypse looming and a prophecy foretelling her soulmate's demise, winged teen Max must protect Fang while navigating a mysterious billionaire's scrutiny and the ever-present threat of being torn apart.

  13. Daughter of the Forest

    Juliet Marillier

    ★ 4.2 (56k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    To break the enchantment silencing her six beloved brothers, Sorcha must weave six shirts of stinging starwort, enduring years of voiceless exile and brutal trials, all while navigating a forbidden love in a foreign land.

  14. Of Love and Other Demons

    Gabriel García Márquez

    ★ 4.0 (56k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In an 18th-century South American port, a young noble girl, thought to be possessed after a rabid dog bite, starts a forbidden and tragic love affair with the priest sent to exorcise her.

  15. Leah on the Offbeat

    Becky Albertalli

    ★ 3.9 (56k) average on GoodreadsYoung Adult

    As senior year ends, Leah, a bisexual drummer navigating social changes and artistic doubts, discovers her feelings for a friend.

  16. Necessary Lies

    Diane Chamberlain

    ★ 4.3 (56k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In 1960s North Carolina, a kind social worker discovers the painful secrets of a struggling tobacco farm family, forcing her to choose between following societal rules and helping those in desperate need.

  17. Lasher

    Anne Rice

    ★ 3.9 (56k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In New Orleans, a powerful ancient spirit, Lasher, is born into a human body, unleashing a terrifying supernatural lineage upon the Mayfair family as they grapple with their own dark powers and a desperate fight for survival against a creature determined to propagate its unholy race.

  18. Legendary

    Stephanie Garber

    ★ 4.2 (56k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    To learn the Caraval Master's identity and save her life, Tella goes back into the deadly game, but she gets caught in a royal murder plot, a forbidden romance, and a web of secrets that could destroy everything she cares about.

  19. Identical

    Ellen Hopkins

    ★ 4.3 (56k) average on GoodreadsPsychology

    Twin sisters Kaeleigh and Raeanne appear perfect, but beneath the surface, paternal abuse and self-destruction drive them apart, forcing one to confront the other's ruin before both are lost.

  20. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

    Dai Sijie

    ★ 3.6 (56k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    During China's Cultural Revolution, two 're-educated' youths find forbidden Western literature, sparking a hidden hunger for knowledge and romance that changes their lives and the life of a young seamstress.

  21. The 19th Wife

    David Ebershoff

    ★ 3.6 (56k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In a dual-narrative spanning 1875 and present-day Utah, a former plural wife's fight against polygamy intertwines with a young man's murder investigation within a fundamentalist sect, exposing the enduring mysteries of faith, family, and freedom.

  22. Lock In

    John Scalzi

    ★ 3.9 (56k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    In a future where a virus leaves millions 'locked in' their own bodies, an FBI agent, who is himself locked in and uses an 'integrator' body, uncovers a conspiracy larger than a single murder, exploring the dark side of a new human culture.

  23. The Satanic Verses

    Salman Rushdie

    ★ 3.7 (56k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    After surviving a plane explosion, an Indian movie star and a voice actor are caught in a surreal battle of identity, good, and evil, forcing them to question faith and reality.

  24. Know My Name

    Chanel Miller

    ★ 4.7 (56k) average on GoodreadsBiography

    Chanel Miller, formerly 'Emily Doe,' uses her story to expose problems in the justice system and cultural biases around sexual assault, turning her trauma into a fight for justice.

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