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The Quiet American
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Reading for the 2nd time
read in March 2026
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Song for Another ...
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by Bora Lee Reed (Goodreads Author)
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Book cover for The Stockholm Octavo
People come into our lives without our bidding, and stay without our invitation. They give us knowledge we do not seek, gifts we do not want. But we need them all the same.”
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Nathaniel Philbrick
“When Washington became president of the United States, he was still wrestling with the meaning of the American Revolution. He'd entered the conflict an unrepentant Virginia slaveholder. By the end of the war, he'd learned that his African-American soldiers were as competent and brave as anyone else in his army. He'd also befriended the idealistic French nobleman Lafayette, who later claimed, "I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America if I could have conceived that thereby I was founding a land of slavery." Gradually, ever so gradually, a new Washington was emerging, one who realized that "nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union, by consolidating bond of principle." But even if he had come to recognize the direction the country must take in the future, he remained a slaveholder himself for the rest of his life. A struggle was being waged inside Washington between his ideological aspirations and his financial and familial commitment to slavery at Mount Vernon. Yes, Washington freed his enslaved workers upon his death, but it had been a very long time in coming. And yet, given where Washington had begun in life--as a slaveholder through inheritance at the age of eleven, when his father died--his eventual decision to free his slaves was no empty gesture.”
Nathaniel Philbrick, Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy

Warren Zanes
“Guitar Town was out, and it was doing okay," [Steve] Earle recalled. "But the label didn't want it to happen. Jimmy [Bowen] certainly didn't. He didn't like the record. He didn't like me. But it was out there and got really good reviews, though mostly from the rock side of things. . . . "'Guitar Town' was doing okay as the second single," Earle said. "Then around the same time, Bruce Springsteen walked into Tower Records in L.A. and bought a couple of things. He got Willy DeVille's first solo record, and he bought Guitar Town. A kid who worked there at Tower reported it, and it ended up in a column in Billboard. I sold fifty thousand records the next week and got booked all over the place. So that was it: I had a career largely because Bruce bought my record and it got into print.”
Warren Zanes, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska

Costanza Casati
“Power changes men, and not for the better or kings and soldiers wouldn't be so merciless. And on such power the world is built: gods and kings at the top, who are bound to no will but their own., then governors and courtiers, then soldiers and so on, until, at the bottom, common people such as herself. All commoners can do is pray and worship, gaining favors with loyalty and adulation. And, of course, subdue those even smaller and weaker than they are.”
Costanza Casati, Babylonia

Costanza Casati
“But happiness is a liar, for it makes us believe it will last forever, when it never does.”
Costanza Casati, Babylonia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“Prohibition had been good to Tijuana . . . . The number of saloons had doubled in the span of a few years. Gambling clubs mushroomed: Monte Carlo, the Tivoli Bar, the Foreign Club. Raunchy establishments mixed with others that promised a glimpse of "old Mexico," a false creation more romantic than any Hollywood film. But what did the tourists know? The Americans streamed into Mexico, ready to construct a new playground for themselves, to drink the booze that was forbidden in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, but flowed abundantly across the border. Lady Temperance had no abode here.”
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Gods of Jade and Shadow

1044066 The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge — 27419 members — last activity 1 hour, 5 min ago
This group is for those participating in The 52 Book Club's annual challenges! With 52 unique prompts released each year, the goal is to diversify our ...more
174195 Around the Year in 52 Books — 11225 members — last activity 4 hours, 17 min ago
~ 2026 Reading Challenge ~ 52 books for 52 weeks. Each week, members read the book of their choice for that week's challenge requirement. ▶︎ CURREN ...more
152458 Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge — 42964 members — last activity 5 hours, 14 min ago
This group is for people participating in the Popsugar reading challenge for 2026 (or any other year). The Popsugar website posted a reading challenge ...more
152441 Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge — 26899 members — last activity 10 hours, 19 min ago
An annual reading challenge to to help you stretch your reading limits and explore new voices, worlds, and genres! The challenge begins in January, bu ...more
220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 316979 members — last activity 4 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
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Barbara...
754 books | 192 friends

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