Eitanli/goodreads huggingface dataset:
The Quincunx
by Charles Palliser
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Victorian, British Literature, Gothic
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.01

A tour de force of mystery, intrigue, and passionate revenge, The Quincunx is an ingenious modern twist on the grand fictional tradition of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. Charles Palliser unfolds an epic story of murder, disinheritance, and deception that knits all levels of English society together in a mesmerizing, intricately crafted plot.Searching for clues to his origins, John Huffam, a young man from the north of England, comes to believe that he is the victim of a vast and ancient conspiracy, and that only by claiming his mystery-enshrouded birthright can he escape it.His quest for the truth draws him from the remote countryside of his childhood into the violent and corrupt London underworld of the Late Regency—a world of poverty and fear for many, of fabulous wealth and luxury for the few. Here John finds that nothing is safe from the laws of supply and demand—the living and the dead, loyalty, friendship, and even justice itself.Each time he believes that he has eluded the conspiracy, its tentacles seem to entrap him and those dearest to him, destroying them or turning them against him. But is there a plot or are the connections he keeps finding merely coincidences? To answer all of his questions and solve the mysteries of his birth, he decides that, at peril of his life, he must uncover the darkest secrets of his family's past.And with the obsessive logic of a nightmare, the figure of the quincunx, a figure of five parts, appears at every crucial turning point in John's quest. Herein lies the secret not only of John's identity but of the crime that stained his family with blood on his parents' wedding night and for generations before that.The Quincunx combines the narrative thrust of the Victorian novel with the spellbinding ingenuity of a modern whodunnit—indeed, many of the clues to the mysteries that John confronts are to be found in the illustrative clues throughout the novel. Riveting in its suspense, scrupulously accurate in its period detail, and daringly original in form, The Quincunx is that rarest of literary achievements: a superbly written work of fiction that is impossible to put down.
A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #4)
by Louise Penny
Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Canada, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Adult
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.21

"What happened here last night isn't allowed," said Madame Dubois.It was such an extraordinary thing to say it stopped the ravenous Inspector Beauvoir from taking another bite of his roast beef on baguette."You have a rule against murder?" he asked."I do. When my husband and I bought the Bellechasse we made a pact....Everything that stepped foot on this land would be safe."It is the height of summer, and Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious inn not far from the village of Three Pines. But they're not alone. The Finney family—rich, cultured, and respectable—has also arrived for a celebration of their own.The beautiful Manoir Bellechasse might be surrounded by nature, but there is something unnatural looming. As the heat rises and the humidity closes in, some surprising guests turn up at the family reunion, and a terrible summer storm leaves behind a dead body. It is up to Chief Inspector Gamache to unearth secrets long buried and hatreds hidden behind polite smiles. The chase takes him to Three Pines, into the dark corners of his own life, and finally to a harrowing climax.
Thunderstruck
by Erik Larson
Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Science, Crime, Mystery, Historical
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.76

The interwoven stories of two men whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal cases of all time - Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication.A true story of love, murder, and the end of the world’s “great hush” In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect crime. With his superb narrative skills, Erik Larson guides these parallel narratives toward a relentlessly suspenseful meeting on the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate. Thunderstruck presents a vibrant portrait of an era of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all presided over by the amiable and fun-loving Edward VII as the world slid inevitably toward the first great war of the twentieth century. Gripping from the first page, and rich with fascinating detail about the time, the people, and the new inventions that connect and divide us, Thunderstruck is splendid narrative history from a master of the form.
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place (Flavia de Luce, #9)
by Alan Bradley
Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Historical, Young Adult, British Literature
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.98

Flavia is enjoying the summer, spending her days punting along the river with her reluctant family. Languishing in boredom, she drags a slack hand in the water, and catches her fingers in the open mouth of a drowned corpse.Brought to shore, the dead man is found to be dressed in blue silk with ribbons at the knee, and wearing a single red ballet slipper.Flavia needs to put her super-sleuthing skills to the test to investigate the murder of three gossips in the local church, and to keep her sisters out of danger. But what could possibly connect the son of an executed killer, a far too canny police constable, a travelling circus, and the publican's mysteriously talented wife?
Arabella
by Georgette Heyer
Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical, Fiction, Classics
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.09

To Arabella Tallant, the eldest daughter of a penniless country clergyman, the invitation to stay with her London godmother was like the key to heaven, for in addition to living in the glamorous city, Arabella might even find a suitable husband there. Armed with beauty, virtue and a benevolent godmother, the impetuous but impoverished Arabella embarked on her first London season with her mother's wish in mind: snare a rich husband. On her way to London Arabella's carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy and socially prominent Robert Beaumaris, fate cast her in his path. Arabella's only fault is impetuosity, and her pride stung when she overhears a remark of her path of arrogant host, who accused her of being another petty female after his wealth, the proud, headstrong ingenue made a most startling claim -- she was an heiress! A pretense that deeply amuses the jaded Beau. To counter her white lie, Beaumaris launches her into high society and thereby subjects her to all kinds of amorous fortune hunters in London and other embarrassments.Suddenly Arabella found herself the talk of the ton and pursued by some of the most eligible young men of the day. But only one caught Arabella's fancy: Beaumaris, the handsome and dedicated bachelor. She should know better than to allow herself to be provoked by nonpareil Beau. But would her deceitful charade destroy her one chance for true love...?Beaumaris, however, although a most artful matrimonial dodger, badly underestimated his seemingly naive adversary... When compassionate Arabella rescues such unfortunate creatures as a mistreated chimney sweep and a mixed-breed mongrel, she foists them upon Beaumaris, who finds he rather enjoys the role of rescuer and is soon given the opportunity to prove his worth in the person of Bertram Tallant, the also impetuous young brother of Arabella....
A Pale View of Hills
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Genres: Fiction, Japan, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Japanese Literature, Contemporary, Novels
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.78

Librarian note: This a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780571225378.In his highly acclaimed debut, A Pale View of Hills, Kazuo Ishiguro tells the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. Retreating into the past, she finds herself reliving one particular hot summer in Nagasaki, when she and her friends struggled to rebuild their lives after the war. But then as she recalls her strange friendship with Sachiko - a wealthy woman reduced to vagrancy - the memories take on a disturbing cast.
Laughter in the Dark
by Vladimir Nabokov
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Russia, Russian Literature, Novels, Literature, 20th Century
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.00

"Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster." Thus begins Vladimir Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark; this, the author tells us, is the whole story except that he starts from here, with his characteristic dazzling skill and irony, and brilliantly turns a fable into a chilling, original novel of folly and destruction. Amidst a Weimar-era milieu of silent film stars, artists, and aspirants, Nabokov creates a merciless masterwork as Albinus, an aging critic, falls prey to his own desires, to his teenage mistress, and to Axel Rex, the scheming rival for her affections who finds his greatest joy in the downfall of others. Published first in Russian as Kamera Obskura in 1932, this book appeared in Nabokov's own English translation six years later. This New Directions edition, based on the text as Nabokov revised it in 1960, features a new introduction by Booker Prize-winner John Banville.
Daniel & Ian (The MacGregors #5 & #0.2)
by Nora Roberts
Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Romance, Historical, Chick Lit
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.06

Two classic, passionate stories about the beloved MacGregor clan by fan favorite Nora Roberts are collected in this two-in-one volume. Includes "For Now, Forever" and "In from the Cold" Reissue.For Now, ForeverAnna--Daniel's wife of forty years--relives her remarkable courtship, when meddlesome matchmaking patriarch and self-made millionaire Daniel MacGregor faced his biggest challenge: to convince the love of his life to marry him! Here at last is the story of how Daniel wooed and won the fiercely independent Anna Whitfield and launched his formidable dynasty.In From the ColdIn this story about an eighteenth-century MacGregor, we learn that battling the British couldn't prepare Minuteman Ian MacGregor for the fight he's got on his hands to win the heart of Irish spitfire Allanna Flynn.
The Girl in the Red Coat: A Memoir
by Margot Bettauer Dembo
Genres: Nonfiction, Holocaust, History, Memoir, World War II, Biography, War
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.96

As a child in German-occupied Poland, Roma Ligocka was known for the bright strawberry-red coat she wore against a tide of gathering darkness. Fifty years later, Roma, an artist living in Germany, attended a screening of Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, and instantly knew that “the girl in the red coat”—the only splash of color in the film—was her. Thus began a harrowing journey into the past, as Roma Ligocka sought to reclaim her life and put together the pieces of a shattered childhood.The result is this remarkable memoir, a fifty-year chronicle of survival and its aftermath. With brutal honesty, Ligocka recollects a childhood at the heart of evil: the flashing black boots, the sudden executions, her mother weeping, her father vanished…then her own harrowing escape and the strange twists of fate that allowed her to live on into the haunted years after the war. Powerful, lyrical, and unique among Holocaust memoirs, eloquently explores the power of evil to twist our lives long after we have survived it. It is a story for anyone who has ever known the darkness of an unbearable past—and searched for the courage to move forward into the light.
New York to Dallas (In Death, #33)
by J.D. Robb
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Crime, Romantic Suspense, Futuristic, Suspense
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.44

Twelve years ago, Eve Dallas was just a rookie NY cop when her instincts led her to the apartment of Isaac McQueen, a man she discovered to be a sick murderer and pedophile, who was keeping young girls in cages. Now a homicide Lieutenant, Eve is one of the most distinguished officers in the city—and then she learns that McQueen has escaped from jail. Bent on revenge against Eve and with a need to punish more "bad girls" McQueen heads to Dallas, Texas—the place where Eve was found as a child, the place where she killed her own abusive monster when she was only eight years old. With Eve and Roarke in pursuit of McQueen, everything is on the line and secrets from Eve's past are about to be shockingly revealed.An unabridged recording on 12 CDs (13 hours, 54 minutes).
My Sergei: A Love Story
by Ekaterina Gordeeva
Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Sports, Romance, Biography Memoir, Figure Skating
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.11

Thrown together as children by the Soviet regime and told to skate for the good of the state, Sergei Grinkov and Katia Gordeeva became the most celebrated pairs skaters in the world--falling madly in love, marrying, and having a beautiful baby daughter. But after winning two Olympic gold medals and four World Championships, Katia's world collapsed when Sergei suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 28. A deeply moving, heartfelt memoir of their remarkable lives, this is Katia's final love letter to her beloved Sergei. This edition will contain an epilogue written by Ekaterina Gordeeva. 16-page photo insert. National ads/media.
Opal (Lux, #3)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Aliens, Science Fiction, Paranormal Romance
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.25

No one is like Daemon Black.When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well… There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different… And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.Together we’re stronger… and they know it.
Cory's Way
by A.J. Brown
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.42

After his father leaves in the middle of the night, Cory Maddox and his mom, Gina, are forced to start over. Left alone while Gina tries to work her way out of debt, Cory deals with life as the new kid in school with no friends. Fleeing from the school bullies, Cory ends up under an overpass where an old homeless man lives. After being saved from the bullies, Cory and the homeless man, Mr. Washington, become friends.But things don’t get any easier for Cory. Children are disappearing from around the state, and the bullies haven’t forgotten his escape the first time they went after him. And there is something wrong with Mr. Washington…something terribly wrong. Accompanied by his only two friends and the unlikeliest of allies, Cory sets out to keep a promise to the ailing homeless man. Will Cory and his friends find a way to keep the promise, or will the journey prove too difficult for them?
Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales
by H.P. Lovecraft
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Gothic
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.22

Originally written for the pulp magazines of the 1920s and 1930s, H. P. Lovecraft's astonishing tales blend elements of horror, science fiction, and cosmology that are as powerful today as they were when first published. This tome presents original versions of many of his most harrowing stories, including the complete Cthulhu Mythos cycle, in order of publication.See also: Eldritch Tales.
Rescued Royal: Sex, Drugs, and Jesus - Walking Through Hell and Colliding with Love
by Kayla Buckner
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.71

In this revolutionary book, Kayla Buckner shares her compelling journey of struggles, hurt, addiction, surrender, redemption, intimacy, and being captured by Love.  Kayla reveals her heart through vulnerability and the real and rawness of life that we often are uncomfortable sharing. As you walk through reading Rescued Royal you will see the journey Kayla walked through and understand the reality of healing that took place in her life. The change that shifting perspective can cause is a vital piece of what Rescued Royal is about.  “I know what it feels like to have to look your past in the face and be reminded of failure and fear. I know what it feels like to believe you are nothing, worthless, and unlovable but I also know what freedom feels like and I will stop at nothing to see others set free! It is what I was created for.” Kayla says. “It is in understanding who we are, who we were created to be, and in Who we were created for that we begin to heal from past hurts and fully walk out our God given destiny.”  In her vulnerable and raw writing, Kayla takes you through a journey of beautiful and brutal honesty, revealing the heart of God and His desire for you.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
by Tom Franklin
Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Southern, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.83

Tom Franklin's extraordinary talent has been hailed by the leading lights of contemporary literature—Philip Roth, Richard Ford, Lee Smith, and Dennis Lebanese. Reviewers have called his fiction “ingenious” (USA Today) and “compulsively readable” (Memphis Commercial Appeal). His narrative power and flair for characterization have been compared to the likes of Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy. Now the Edgar Award-winning author returns with his most accomplished and resonant novel so far—an atmospheric drama set in rural Mississippi. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town.More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.
The President Is Missing
by Bill Clinton
Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Politics, Suspense
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.85

President Bill Clinton and bestselling novelist James Patterson have written a spellbinding thriller, The President is Missing.As the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing...Set in real time, over the course of three days, The President Is Missing is one of the most dramatic thrillers in decades. And it could all really happen. The President Is Missing is Bill Clinton and James Patterson's totally authentic and spellbinding thriller.
The Warrior's Path (The Sacketts, #3)
by Louis L'Amour
Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Historical, Action, Audiobook
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.14

Filled with exciting tales of the frontier, the chronicle of the Sackett family is perhaps the crowning achievement of one of our greatest storytellers.In The Warrior’s Path, Louis L’Amour tells the story of Yance and Kin Sackett, two brothers who are the last hope of a young woman who faces a fate worse than death. When Yance Sackett’s sister-in-law is kidnapped, he and Kin race north from Carolina to find her. They arrive at a superstitious town rife with rumors—and learn that someone very powerful was behind Diana’s disappearance. To bring the culprit to justice, one brother must sail to the exotic West Indies. There, among pirates, cutthroats, and ruthless “businessmen,” he will apply the skills he learned as a frontiersman to an unfamiliar world—a world
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
by Julia Serano
Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Queer, Gender, LGBT, Transgender, Gender Studies
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.25

A provocative manifesto, Whipping Girl tells the powerful story of Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist. Serano shares her experiences and observations—both pre- and post-transition—to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole.Serano's well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. She exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this “feminine” weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire.In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activist must work to embrace and empower femininity—in all of its wondrous forms.