Eitanli/goodreads huggingface dataset:
Inconvenient Memories: A Personal Account of the Tiananmen Square Incident and the China Before and After
by Anna  Wang
Genres: China, History, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Asia, Politics
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.92

Inconvenient Memories is a rare and truthful memoir of a young woman's coming of age amid the Tiananmen Protests of 1989. In 1989, Anna Wang was one of a lucky few who worked for a Japanese company, Canon. She traveled each day between her grandmother’s dilapidated commune-style apartment and an extravagant office just steps from Tiananmen Square. Her daily commute on Beijing’s impossibly crowded buses brought into view the full spectrum of China’s economic and social inequalities during the economic transition. When Tiananmen Protests broke out, her Japanese boss was concerned whether the protests would obstruct Canon’s assembly plant in China, and she was sent to Tiananmen Square on a daily basis to take photos for her boss to analyze for evidence of turning tides. From the perspective as a member of the emerging middle class, she observed firsthand that Tiananmen Protests stemmed from Chinese people’s longing for political freedom and their fear for the nascent market economy, an observation that readers have never come across from the various accounts of the historical events so far.
The Sense of Touch
by Ron  Parsons
Genres: Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Novels
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.18

Named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014Sprung from the variously lush, rugged, and frozen emotional landscapes of the north country, this luminous collection of stories captures the progress of a diverse ensemble of souls as they struggle to uncover themselves and negotiate a meaningful communion, of any kind, with the world around them. A brilliant but troubled Bangladeshi physics student searches for balance, acceptance, and his own extraordinary destiny after his father disappears. When a Halloween blizzard immobilizes Minneapolis, a young woman is forced to confront the snow-bound nature of her own relationships and emotions. During an excursion to an idyllic swimming hole hidden in the Black Hills, two old friends unexpectedly compete for the affections of an irresistible, though married, Lakota woman. Like a mythical expedition to reach the horizon or the quest to distill truth from the beauty around us, the revelation confirmed by these imaginative stories - elegant, sometimes jarring, always wonderfully absurd - is that the very act of reaching is itself a form of touch.“The quiet plains of the North Country serve as a perfect backdrop for Parsons’ moving debut, a collection of short stories whose characters often live deeply solitary, if not always lonely, lives.”-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Eloquently written and replete with a continual stream of un-hackneyed twists and turns, Parsons’ collection is superbly crafted. Engaging, riveting, and at times, mind-boggling, The Sense of Touch is earmarked to become a literary classic.”-- San Francisco Book Review (five-star review)"Parsons has made himself a man to watch in the literary world. Each of these stories is as thrilling as the next." -- Portland Book Review (five-star review)"Each story is honed with purpose and infused with subtle energies. He creates delicate lines between the frigid cosmos and the warmth that can be generated among people. Parsons' writing has a strong pulse. This debut assortment heralds his promising career." -- The US Review of Books (Top-Rated Recommended Review)
The Truth-Seeker’s Handbook: A Science-Based Guide
by Gleb Tsipursky
Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Psychology, Self Help, Business, Politics, Teaching
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.14

How do you know whether something is true? How do you convince others to believe the facts? Research shows that the human mind is prone to making thinking errors - predictable mistakes that cause us to believe comfortable lies over inconvenient truths. These errors leave us vulnerable to making decisions based on false beliefs, leading to disastrous consequences for our personal lives, relationships, careers, civic and political engagement, and for our society as a whole.Fortunately, cognitive and behavioral scientists have uncovered many useful strategies for overcoming our mental flaws. This book presents a variety of research-based tools for ensuring that our beliefs are aligned with reality. With examples from daily life and an engaging style, the book will provide you with the skills to avoid thinking errors and help others to do so, preventing disasters and facilitating success for yourself, those you care about, and our society.
Istorii cu Vlad Țepeș
by Miruna Drăghici
Average rating on Goodreads: 5.00

”Istorii cu Vlad Țepeș”: autor Horia Gârbea, ilustrator Miruna Drăghici - volum pentru toți admiratorii, mari și mici, ai domnitorului Vlad Țepeș. Cartea cuprinde șase povestiri, având la bază evenimente istorice reale, consemnate fie în cronici, fie în tradiția orală. Narațiunea autorului îmbrățișează atât rezonanța istorică a celor relatate, cât și dimensiunea legendară a personajului principal, domnitorul Țării Românești, a cărui figură a constituit fundamentul dezvoltării mitului lui Dracula. Și cu referire la acest aspect, autorul face cunoscută poziția sa, delimitând ficțiunea de faptul istoric. Ediția beneficiază de ilustrațiile alb-negru ale Mirunei Drăghici, realizate în concordanță cu atmosfera istorică a narațiunii.
Stories Of The Prophets
by ابن كثير
Genres: Islam, Religion, History, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Biography, Reference
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.50

The Stories of the Prophets have been compiled from 'Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah' (The Beginning and the End) which is a great work of the famous Muslim exegete and historian Ibn Kathir and has a prominent place in the Islamic literature. The stories of the prophets and all the events in their lives have been supported by the Qur'anic Verses and the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet (SAW). Ibn Kathir has reproduced the views and interpretations of all the great exegetes of the Qur'an of his time. The systemic narratives have been written in chronological order which renders a historical style to the book.قصص الأنبياء في القرآن الكريم هي قصص لصفوة الخلق وخيرتهم على الإطلاق، فهم هداة العالمين ورحمة الله للناس أجمعين، وما كان الله قص ما قص من قصص في قرآن الكريم للتسلية والتلهي، وإنما جاء عظة وعبرة لأولي الألباب، وجاء يثير في النفس التأمل والتفكر في سنن الحياة وقواعد الاجتماع البشري وسيرة الناس عبر الزمان والمكان. وإن كان ربنا، تبارك وتعالى، أنعم علينا بنعمة قصص طائفة من حكايات الأنبياء وأقوامهم فإنه يلفت النظر إلى أن المهم في تاريخ هؤلاء العظماء أ نقف عند حد العظة والعبرة. ولقد تمثل المفسر الحافظ ابن كثير منهجاً علمياً بديعاً في عرض هذا القصص القرآني، حاول فيه الابتعاد عن خرافات الإسرائيليات وخزعبلات القصاص وأكاذيب بعض المؤرخين.ويمكن تحديد معالم هذا المنهج على النحو التالي: أولاً التزامه بإيراد كل ما يتعلق بالنبي صاحب القصة من كتاب الله تعالى، وأخبار القرآن في هذا السياق هي الأخبار المجزوم يصدقها على وجه اليقين من دون تردد. ولم يكتف المؤلف بذلك بل وقف مع الآيات محللاً لها، مفسراً لمعانيها، متعمقاً في مغازيها، وهو المفسر الواعي بدقائق التفسير.ثانياً عنايته عناية كبيرة بالأخبار والآثار المروية بشأن هؤلاء الأنبياء على عدة مستويات، فالأحاديث يعنى بعزوها إلى مصادرها، منبهاً على صحيحها وسقيمها في كثير من الأحيان، والإسرائيليات إذا وردت في النص، فإنه يرويها في حذر المحدث الواعي بالمرويات، مبيناً الغث منها وما يمكن أن يكون في إطار المقبول، والآثار يتتبع ما يلقي على النص شيئاً من الضوء لإيضاح غامض أو توضيح مبهم. ثالثاً العناية باللغة إلى حد معقول فيفسر ما نبا من مفردات، ويشرح ما ثقل فهمه من نصوص، وهو يحمل في ذهنه عقلية لغوية بليغة. رابعاً بالإضافة إلى ذلك كله التسلسل المنهجي المنطلق مع الأحداث، مع شيء من الاستطراد المقبول بهدف استخراج العظة والوقوف مع فائدة هنا، أو شاردة هناك.وكتاب قصص الأنبياء الذي هو بين يدي القارئ هو جزء من كتاب ابن كثير "البداية والنهاية"، انتزعه كل طبع الكتاب مستقلاً منه، فليس هو مصنفاً مستقلاً في أصل تأليف ووضعه. ولأهميته تمّ الاعتناء به على هذا النحو: أولاً: العناية بإخراج النص إخراجاً صحيحاً بعيداً عن الأخطاء ما أمكن ذلك، ثانياً: تخريج الآيات القرآنية، مع استعراض غريب المفردات التي توجد في الآيات، ثالثاً: تخريج المرويات المتعددة، رابعاً: شرح المفردات الغريبة في النص كله تيسيراً للفهم وتحقيقاً لهدف تبسيط النص، خامساً: وضع عناوين جانبية لكل فكرة جديدة، ليسهل على القارئ متابعة تسلسل الأحداث والاستفادة بما في الكتاب من فوائد علمية متنوعة.
The Illusion of Murder (Illusions and Shadows #1)
by Diane Henson
Average rating on Goodreads: 5.00

Accused of murder, Rena is forced to flee the dangerous reach of the real killer, her uncle and planetary leader, Geran Kelshan. Using his political and criminal connections, Geran seeks to dispose of her before she can prove her innocence and expose his complicity. He enlists the aid of her twin sister, Beka, who is a captain in the Guardians, a branch of the Galactic Defense Forces responsible for pursuing criminals. Past animosity between the sisters ensures that there will be no cooperation between the two, and that Rena will find no allies in her sister's squad. However, she is not without resources of her own, and using unrevealed telekinetic talents, she is able to escape off world to Fenaira, a planet obsessed with protecting their environment no matter the cost in human lives.  As Beka and her squad attempt to track Rena down, they are forced to battle the dangerous wildlife and difficult terrain with the limited equipment and supplies allowed by the Fenairan officials. Rena's illusions and tricks slow them down even more, allowing her to increase the distance between them. Geran's other forces, including his chief-of-security assigned as liaison with Beka's squad, further hinder their efforts, threatening to not only prevent them from completing their mission, but also endangering their lives.  The Illusion of Murder is a science fiction story set in the midst of the corrupt democratic society of the Galactic Confederacy. Beka and Rena, forced onto opposite sides of the law, must put their past, with its tangle of old hurts and misconceptions, behind them as they face predator cats, dangerous betrayals, and a shadowy group that believes they know too much. Their very survival depends on them achieving a level of cooperation that neither of them desires, nor believes to be possible.
Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods (English)
by Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Adventure
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.46

Who could tell the true stories of the gods and goddesses of Olympus better than modern-day demigod Percy Jackson? In this action-packed tour of Greek mythology, Percy gives his hilarious personal views on the feuds, fights and love affairs of the Olympians. Want to know how Zeus came to be top god? How many times Kronos ate one of his own kids? How Athena literally burst out of another god's head? It's all here in black and white. . . Plus, an exclusive bonus chapter from The Blood of Olympus, the fifth and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series!
بين القصرين
by Naguib Mahfouz
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Egypt, Classics, Africa, Novels, Literature
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.19

هذه هي الثلاثية التي بهرت العالم وكل من قرأها لمؤلفها الأديب الكبير نجيب محفوظ والتي قال عنها سعيد جودة السحارناشره: "لو رآها مقرروا جائزة نوبل لمنحوك إياها" فهي ليست رواية أجيال عادية وإنما هي حياة تموج داخل الكتاب بكامل أعضائها ومكوناتها وأشخاصها تقص علينا نبأ فترة هامة من تاريخ مصر بادئة من أوائل القرن العشرين، وفيها نرى تلاحما بين الأحداث اليومية لتلك الأسرة وأحداث الوطن الأم يئن تحت وطأة الاحتلال فيتمخض عن ثورة 1919م. ونرى فيها رب الأسرة والأم التقليدية والحارة والطلبة والثائرين، نرى القاهرة من خلف المشربية، نرى أحداثها التقليدية وقد كتبت بطريقة غير تقليدية بالمرة ليصل بها أديب نوبل إلى ذورة النضج في الرواية المصرية . نتابع تلك الأحداث في بين القصرين حينا وفي قصر الشوق حينًا آخر عندما يتفرق المقروبون والأهلون، وأخيراً في السكرية وقد كبر الأحفاد وشاخ الأجداد. نرى نغمة الحياة وهى تدور على كل أحياشها وتسمعهم صوتها فيسمعها الكل ولكن كل بطريقته.
THE BOOK THAT HAPPENED – Is Reality but Sheer Coincidence?
by Attila  Pergel
Genres: Nonfiction, Inspirational
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.44

This is the book of awkward questions.It doesn’t promise easy entertainment—it provides understanding at a level that we never reached in school.Do the past, present, and future exist?What are miracles made of?Why can’t science define what time truly is?Is it that simple to understand infinity?You will find a multitude of logical deductions and thought experiments in this book. You will realize how astonishingly wonderful our reality is. This book aims to provide an understanding of the universe. It will help you understand time and space, dimensions, infinity, and coincidence.Did the universe simply happen? By sheer chance? And the people in it? Are we just a product of coincidence? Or were we called to existence by some higher power?The answers will be provided by you—the reader. The book brings up a series of questions that spark up thoughts, inspire, provoke, and point out contradictions and paradoxes. It doesn’t try to persuade you. It doesn’t shove the author’s truth down your throat.It shows things. It reveals things.It shows that one inch is extremely far from being an exact distance measurement. It reminds you that the speed of an arrow shot from a truck, equals the truck’s and its own speed, whereas the same logic doesn’t work with a ray of light.The book takes the scientific definitions of time, space, geometric points, and line segments – and shows you their incompetence. You’ll see how ungrounded of a scientific base we have, and yet we build our daily lives on it.Can you define the present time? What really is the present? Just think about it: you started reading this blurb half a minute ago: in the past. You will pay for the book in five minutes: in the future. Right? And now? Are you reading at home, having bought the book two hours ago?Only one thing is for sure: you are a winner if you can talk about reading The Book that Happened in the past tense. Come along now. Start the adventure with Attila Pergel and get your ticket for this fantastic journey that will send you flying from the atomic nucleus to the edge of the universe!
The Prison of Deviants
by Tamuna Tsertsvadze
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.55

Ever since Theo got infected with the vampire dust, the symptoms of a vampire have taken over her, so she was sent to the Prison of Deviants - a secluded fortress in a remote part of the world, created to keep deviants (humanoid creatures with different blood and superior powers) away from humanity.Theo tries to keep herself aloof since, as a newly-infected human, she hates deviants, but this attitude doesn't last long: young deviant men are very interested in getting their hands on the newcomer. Derek, a merman, invites her to parties; and Shon, a newly-turned werewolf, becomes her close friend. It grows even more complicated with the appearance of Knut - a mysterious feline hunk whose identity and powers are not quite clear, but who manages to attract Theo with his complex personality.Theo, aware that the inborn deviants will never look at them - the infected humans - as equals, decides to break out of the prison along with her friends. But for that, she'll have to challenge the mysterious and omnipotent warden, whom few have seen, yet all are terrified of.
The School for Scandal
by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Genres: Plays, Classics, Drama, Fiction, Theatre, 18th Century, Humor
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.62

"The School for Scandal" is Richard Brinsley Sheridan's classic comedy that pokes fun at London upper class society in the late 1700s. Often referred to as a "comedy of manners", "The School for Scandal" is one Sheridan's most performed plays and a classic of English comedic drama.
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Management, Leadership, Productivity, Entrepreneurship, Self Help
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.99


The revolutionary movement behind the explosive growth of Intel, Google, Amazon and Uber. 

 With a foreword by Larry Page, and contributions from Bono and Bill Gates.
 Measure What Matters is about using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), a revolutionary approach to goal-setting, to make tough choices in business.  In 1999, legendary venture capitalist John Doerr invested nearly $12 million in a startup that had amazing technology, entrepreneurial energy and sky-high ambitions, but no real business plan. Doerr introduced the founders to OKRs and with them at the foundation of their management, the startup grew from forty employees to more than 70,000 with a market cap exceeding $600 billion. The startup was Google. Since then Doerr has introduced OKRs to more than fifty companies, helping tech giants and charities exceed all expectations. In the OKR model objectives define what we seek to achieve and key results are how those top­ priority goals will be attained. OKRs focus effort, foster coordination and enhance workplace satisfaction. They surface an organization's most important work as everyone's goals from entry-level to CEO are transparent to the entire institution.  In Measure What Matters, Doerr shares a broad range of first-person, behind-the-scenes case studies, with narrators including Bono and Bill Gates, to demonstrate the focus, agility, and explosive growth that OKRs have spurred at so many great organizations.  This book will show you how to collect timely, relevant data to track progress - to measure what matters. It will help any organization or team aim high, move fast, and excel.
And So it Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life
by Charles J. Shields
Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, History, Literature, Memoir, Writing
Average rating on Goodreads: 3.95


The first authoritative biography of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a writer who changed the conversation of American literature
In 2006, Charles Shields reached out to Kurt Vonnegut in a letter, asking for his endorsement for a planned biography. The first response was no ("A most respectful demurring by me for the excellent writer Charles J. Shields, who offered to be my biographer"). Unwilling to take no for an answer, propelled by a passion for his subject, and already deep into his research, Shields wrote again and this time, to his delight, the answer came back: "O.K." For the next year—a year that ended up being Vonnegut's last—Shields had access to Vonnegut and his letters.And So It Goes is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut resonates with readers of all generations from the baby boomers who grew up with him to high-school and college students who are discovering his work for the first time. Vonnegut's concise collection of personal essays, Man Without a Country, published in 2006, spent fifteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold more than 300,000 copies to date. The twenty-first century has seen interest in and scholarship about Vonnegut's works grow even stronger, and this is the first book to examine in full the life of one of the most influential iconoclasts of his time.
Twenty Years Later
by Charlie Donlea
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Crime
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.27

Hiding her own dark past in plain sight, a TV reporter is determined to uncover the truth behind a gruesome murder decades after the investigation was abandoned. But TWENTY YEARS LATER, to understand the present, you need to listen to the past… Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story—a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal—is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence. Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won’t be complete until she can clear Victoria’s name. Alone she’s had no luck, but she’s convinced that Avery’s connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA. But the twisted puzzle of Victoria’s private life just the beginning. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery’s own secret past—one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried . . .  Accused of a brutal murder, Victoria Ford made a final chilling call from the North Tower on the morning of 9/11. Twenty years ago, no one listened. Today, you will.
The Perfect Child
by Lucinda Berry
Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense
Average rating on Goodreads: 4.08


A page-turning debut of suspense about a young couple desperate to have a child of their own—and the unsettling consequences of getting what they always wanted.
Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.