Which book sounds better?

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Welcome to Which Book Polls!

(Despite the URL, it's no longer a tournament - I just don't want to have to redo all the tag links.)

The goal of this is basically - you send in books you love (or books you don't), they'll be posted in match-ups with their covers and blurbs/descriptions, and you vote based on which one you'd rather read/which one sounds the most interesting! Hopefully this will introduce people to some cool books they wouldn't otherwise have found.

Books can be absolutely any genre! By default I'll be getting the descriptions from Goodreads, but if there's another version that you'd like me to use just specify with your submission.

Submit books via the askbox - feel free to send in multiple at a time.

A poll was run to determine what people wanted from this blog, and the decided outcome is that 1v1 match-ups will be posted indefinitely with no need for additional rounds or a single tournament winner! Due to this, submissions are accepted for as long as interest in this blog lasts, and new match-ups will be made up and queued with every batch of 100 books submitted.

You can find a masterlist of tags here! This can help you narrow down books by genre, sub-genre, topic, age range, etc.

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Just Stab Me Now (2024) by Jill Bearup Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Historical, Adventure, Contemporary

Caroline Lindley is determined that her new romance novel will be her best one yet. Fantasy! Formal gowns! Fencing! And, of course, a twentysomething heroine to star in an enemies-to-lovers plot with all of Caroline’s favourite tropes. But Lady Rosamund Hawkhurst is a thirty-six-year-old widow with two children, her sole focus is facilitating a peace treaty between her adopted nation and her homeland, and she flatly refuses to take the correct approach to there being Only One Bed. What’s an author to do?

Creation: Back to Bible Times (2022) by Harmony Larson Fiction | Children's | Religion

You are probably familiar with Bible stories, especially the one that tells how God made the world. But sometimes they can be hard to understand, or so familiar that we miss how amazing these stories really are. It may even seem as though not much happens. But that is far from the truth. In author Harmony Larson’s book, Creation, you’ll meet Rosie. She thought some of the stories she learned in Sunday school were dull and boring. That all changes when she discovers a tunnel in her church. Thanks to the tunnel, Rosie gets to see God make the world! As Rosie relates the events and people as things happen, you’ll find yourself wanting to learn more about creation and the Bible. There are fictional elements in Creation, but God creating the world is all true! Rosie gets to witness that God—who is big enough to create the universe—is also big enough to take care of her and her family. What an amazing God that he not only creates with the sound of his voice, but still takes care of you and me!

Which would you read?

Just Stab Me Now

Creation: Back to Bible Times

Remaining time: 6 days 21 hours

Just Stab Me Now Creation: Back to Bible Times

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An Angel For Emily (1998) by Jude Deveraux Fiction | Adult | Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Fantasy

Emily Jane Todd has just found her guardian angel. Actually, the small-town librarian had just been stood up by her fiancé when she ran into the errant angel with her car. And while he appears to be unscathed, "Michael" continues to insist that his pedigree is quite legitimate. Emily just hopes his brain hasn't been scrambled in the accident; besides, she's not inclined to believe that an angel could be so dangerously sexy. Yet Michael quickly reveals the most astounding things about her, and makes her laugh in a way she never has before. What's more, he declares that he's been sent to save her. At this point, the only rescue Emily has in mind is her upcoming marriage, and she's ready to bid her most attractive angel goodbye. But when he lets slip that he also looks at souls -- and hers is a rare beauty -- Emily's ready to risk heaven in his arms. Their journey will break every angelic and earthly rule before it yields her one wish: a love divine.

Jackal (2022) by Erin E. Adams Fiction | Adult | Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Fantasy, Contemporary

Liz Rocher is coming home... reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward and passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the bride’s daughter, Caroline, goes missing—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood. As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: a summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart missing. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.

Which would you read?

An Angel For Emily

Jackal

Remaining time: 6 days 13 hours

An Angel For Emily Jackal

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The Constant Rabbit (2020) by Jasper Fforde Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, Comedy, Science Fiction, Satire, Dystopia

Peter Knox lives quietly in one of those small country villages that's up for the Village Garden of the Year award. Until Doc and Constance Rabbit move in next door, upsetting the locals (many of them members of governing political party United Kingdom Against Rabbit Population), complicating Peter's job as a Rabbit Spotter, and forcing him to take a stand, moving from unconscious leporiphobe to active supporter of the UK's amiable and peaceful population of anthropomorphised rabbits.

The Moonstone Covenant (2024) by Jill Hammer Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, LGBT

Istehar Sha'an, whose unique powers allow her to communicate with trees and books, has led her community of refugee forest people to a remarkable place. In the archipelago-city of Moonstone, the Sha'an people find themselves in an extraordinary, multicultural metropolis that houses the the world's all-encompassing repository of wisdom. But in their search for a new home, the refugees soon garner the suspicion of Moonstone's locals, who forbid their magical practices. And when a hostile prince makes a bid to inherit the city's rule from his father, Istehar and her people realize they may be faced with exile—or worse. Meanwhile, Istehar has married three wives of Moonstone—a brave warrior librarian, a subtle-minded former concubine, and a tenacious apothecary who has spent years trying to solve her parents' murder. Driven by magical intuition and guided by a mysterious book, Istehar and her wives embark on a journey that will transform not only their lives, but the city of Moonstone itself.

Which would you read?

The Constant Rabbit

The Moonstone Covenant

Remaining time: 4 days 21 hours

The Constant Rabbit The Moonstone Covenant

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Big Chief (2025) by Jon Hickey Fiction | Adult | Contemporary

Mitch Caddo started out with the best of intentions. After his mother’s sudden death in a car crash, he finished law school and returned to Passage Rouge—the reservation where he grew up—hoping to represent disadvantaged families in tribal court. But that was before he got sucked into the world of Mack Plum, his charismatic childhood friend. Before Mack ran and won the race for Tribal President as an underdog populist. Before they compromised their morals to keep Mack at the head of the tribal council. And before he came face to face once again with his teenage flame, Layla Plum—none other than Mack’s sister. Now, on the eve of Passage Rouge’s next tribal election, Mitch finds himself torn between two rivals. He’s unsettled by his own complicity in Mack’s abuse of power, but he doesn’t quite trust Mack’s opponent, Gloria Hawkins, a nationally known activist and politician—whose campaign happens to be run by Layla. But when an accident claims the life of a central figure in the reservation’s complicated political landscape, the election descends into chaos, and Mitch and Layla find themselves trying to stop the tribe’s slide towards all-out violence while doing their best to correct the wrongs of the past.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015) by George R.R. Martin Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, Adventure

These never-before-collected adventures recount an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living consciousness. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two... as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.

Which would you read?

Big Chief

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Remaining time: 4 days 13 hours

Big Chief A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

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The Starless Sea (2019) by Erin Morgenstern Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, Romance, Dark Academia, LGBT

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton Fiction | Adult | Classics, Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror, Fantasy, Adventure

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now, humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price. Until something goes wrong...

Which would you read?

The Starless Sea

Jurassic Park

Remaining time: 4 days 9 hours

The Starless Sea Jurassic Park

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The Six-Gun Tarot (2013) by R.S. Belcher Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, Western, Horror, Steampunk, Historical, Paranormal, Science Fiction

Nevada, 1869: Beyond the pitiless 40-Mile Desert lies Golgotha, a cattle town that hides more than its share of unnatural secrets. The sheriff bears the mark of the noose around his neck; some say he is a dead man whose time has not yet come. His half-human deputy is kin to coyotes. The mayor guards a hoard of mythical treasures. A banker’s wife belongs to a secret order of assassins. And a shady saloon owner, whose fingers are in everyone’s business, may know more about the town’s true origins than he’s letting on. A haven for the blessed and the damned, Golgotha has known many strange events, but nothing like the primordial darkness stirring in the abandoned silver mine overlooking the town. Bleeding midnight, an ancient evil is spilling into the world, and unless the sheriff and his posse can saddle up in time, Golgotha will have seen its last dawn… and so will all of Creation.

Victorian Psycho (2025) by Virginia Feito Fiction | Adult | Horror, Historical, Gothic, Thriller

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess. She’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate’s dreary confines and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan. Whether creeping across the moonlit lawns in her undergarments or gently tormenting the house staff, Winifred struggles at every turn to stifle the horrid compulsions of her past until her chillingly dark imagination breaches the feeble boundary of reality on Christmas morning.

Which would you read?

The Six-Gun Tarot

Victorian Psycho

Remaining time: 4 days 5 hours

The Six-Gun Tarot Victorian Psycho

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In the Dream House (2019) by Carmen Maria Machado Nonfiction | Adult | Memoir, LGBT

For years, Carmen Maria Machado has struggled to articulate her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship. In this extraordinarily candid and radically inventive memoir, Machado tackles a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness and an inquiring spirit, as she uses a series of narrative tropes—including classic horror themes—to create an entirely unique piece of work which is destined to become an instant classic.

Mickey7 (2022) by Edward Ashton Fiction | Adult | Science Fiction, Fantasy

EXPENDABLE \ik'spen-d'-b'l\ n. A human clone utilized for dangerous work on space exploration missions. An Expendable's personality and memories may be transferred intact to a new body if and when the current host dies. Mickey Barnes is an Expendable, now on his seventh iteration, living—and dying—among his fellow colonists on the near-uninhabitable ice world of Niflheim. Some consider him immortal. Others believe he's a soulless monstrosity. For the past nine years, he has been deployed for hazardous assignments and subjected to experiments that test the limits of human endurance, his humanity sacrificed for the greater good. While on reconnaissance, Mickey7 is injured and left for dead, only to be saved by Niflheim's native species, thought to be insentient by the colonists. Returning to base, Mickey7 meets his next generation, Mickey8. Neither clone is willing to recycle himself, but if anyone discovers multiple Mickeys exist, they'll both be executed—and there won't ever be a Mickey9. But Mickey7's premature twin isn't his only secret. He hasn't uploaded his memories in a month, leaving his clone in the dark about his near death and close encounter with the planet's inhabitants. Mickey7 also doesn't know how all of his previous selves died, and those he remembers have left him traumatized and mistrustful of the colony's mission. A mission that has Mickey Barnes questioning his moral and mortal existence... again... and again....

Which would you read?

In the Dream House

Mickey7

Remaining time: 4 days 1 hour

In the Dream House Mickey7

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What Moves the Dead (2022) by T. Kingfisher Fiction | Adult | Horror, Fantasy, Gothic, Mystery, Retellings, Historical

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruravia. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves. Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008) by Patrick Ness Fiction | Young Adult | Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Thriller

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

Which would you read?

What Moves the Dead

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Remaining time: 2 days 13 hours

What Moves the Dead The Knife of Never Letting Go

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The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters (2010) by B.R. Myers Nonfiction | Adult | History, Politics, Sociology, Race

What do the North Koreans really believe? How do they see themselves and the world around them? Here, B.R. Myers, a North Korea analyst and a contributing editor of The Atlantic, presents the first full-length study of the North Korean worldview. Drawing on extensive research into the regime’s domestic propaganda, including films, romance novels, and other artifacts of the personality cult, Myers analyzes each of the country’s official myths in turn—from the notion of Koreans’ unique moral purity, to the myth of an America quaking in terror of “the Iron General.” In a concise but groundbreaking historical section, Myers also traces the origins of this official culture back to the Japanese fascist thought in which North Korea’s first ideologues were schooled. What emerges is a regime completely unlike the West’s perception of it. This is neither a bastion of Stalinism nor a Confucian patriarchy, but a paranoid nationalist, “military-first” state on the far right of the ideological spectrum. Since popular support for the North Korean regime now derives almost exclusively from pride in North Korean military might, Pyongyang can neither be cajoled nor bullied into giving up its nuclear program. The implications for US foreign policy—which has hitherto treated North Korea as the last outpost of the Cold War—are as obvious as they are troubling. With North Korea now calling for a “blood reckoning” with the “Yankee jackals,” Myers’s unprecedented analysis could not be more timely.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions (2018) by Stephen W. Hawking Nonfiction | Adult | Science

Stephen Hawking was recognized as one of the greatest minds of our time and a figure of inspiration after defying his ALS diagnosis at age twenty-one. He is known for both his breakthroughs in theoretical physics as well as his ability to make complex concepts accessible for all, and was beloved for his mischievous sense of humor. At the time of his death, Hawking was working on a final project: a book compiling his answers to the "big" questions that he was so often posed--questions that ranged beyond his academic field. Within these pages, he provides his personal views on our biggest challenges as a human race, and where we, as a planet, are heading next. Each section will be introduced by a leading thinker offering his or her own insight into Professor Hawking's contribution to our understanding.

Which would you read?

The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Remaining time: 2 days 9 hours

The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters Brief Answers to the Big Questions

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I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World (2019) by Kai Cheng Thom Nonfiction | Adult | Poetry, Essays, LGBT, Memoir

What can we hope for at the end of the world? What can we trust in when community has broken our hearts? What would it mean to pursue justice without violence? How can we love in the absence of faith? In a heartbreaking yet hopeful collection of personal essays and prose poems, blending the confessional, political, and literary, Kai Cheng Thom dives deep into the questions that haunt social movements today. With the author's characteristic eloquence and honesty, I Hope We Choose Love proposes heartfelt solutions on the topics of violence, complicity, family, vengeance, and forgiveness. Taking its cues from contemporary thought leaders in the transformative justice movement such as Adrienne Maree Brown and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, this provocative book is a call for nuance in a time of political polarization, for healing in a time of justice, and for love in an apocalypse.

Flowers for Algernon (1966) by Daniel Keyes Fiction | Young Adult | Classics, Science Fiction

Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence – a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon. As the treatment takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance, until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?

Which would you read?

I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World

Flowers for Algernon

Remaining time: 2 days 5 hours

I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World Flowers for Algernon

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The Horse and His Boy (1954) by C.S. Lewis Fiction | Middle Grade | Classics, Fantasy, Adventure

The Horse and his Boy is a stirring and dramatic fantasy story that finds a young boy named Shasta on the run from his homeland with the talking horse, Bree. When the pair discover a deadly plot by the Calormen people to conquer the land of Narnia, the race is on to warn the inhabitants of the impending danger and to rescue them all from certain death.

The Missing Piece (2021) by Kun Yi Wei Lou Fiction | Adult | Romance, Contemporary, LGBT

Ever since an incident three years ago, art school graduate Shen Mo hasn’t been able to paint with his right hand. He’s currently working a desk job in a company owned by the Ji family, one of the wealthiest families in the city. Unbeknownst to his coworkers, however, he has a far more important role: the fake lover of the Ji family’s young CEO, Ji Mingxuan. Ever the perfectionist, Ji Mingxuan makes Shen Mo put on the full act, both in public and in the bedroom. Their fake relationship continues this way, until Ji Mingxuan’s sister returns from abroad with her boyfriend—Shen Mo's ex. Once the four are reunited, the nightmares that Shen Mo has tried so desperately to escape catch up to him at last. As the lovers’ acting becomes more and more real, Shen Mo begins to learn about the things that Ji Mingxuan is keeping from him, as well as the truth of what really happened three years ago. Only one question left: what will become of a love founded on pretense?

Which would you read?

The Horse and His Boy

The Missing Piece

Remaining time: 2 days 1 hour

The Horse and His Boy The Missing Piece

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The Shamer's War (2003) by Lene Kaaberbøl Fiction | Middle Grade | Fantasy, Adventure

The Dragon Lord of Dunark is ruthlessly hunting down Shamers and burning them at the stake. He must be brought down, and so a rebellion is formed. Rebellions need leaders, and what better choice than the legitimate heir to Dunark, Dina's friend Nico? Nico is reluctant to kill even a rabbit. Still, Dina's considerable powers should help him triumph over the Dragon Lord. But Nico knows only too well that heroes have a nasty habit of ending up dead...

Death Sentence (1998) by Jerry Bledsoe Nonfiction | Adult | True Crime

Barbara Stager was known as a devoted mother, loving wife, and dedicated church leader in her Durham, North Carolina, community. When she “accidentally” shot her husband, popular high school coach, Russ, the police were inclined to believe her—until they learned that ten years earlier, her first husband had died in a strangely similar way. Sgt. Rick Buchanan’s relentless investigation into Stager’s life revealed a stunning vortex of compulsive lying, obsessive spending, and sexual promiscuity. With every new discovery, more of Barbara’s impeccable image unraveled. But the greatest shock—a damning piece of evidence Russ Stager left behind—revealed the nightmare truth about Barbara. With “the fine-toothed-comb reporting of [an] ace crime journalist,” this book takes us deep into a spellbinding case of double life, lethal lust, and almost perfect murder (Kirkus Reviews).

Which would you read?

The Shamer's War

Death Sentence

Remaining time: 1 day 21 hours

The Shamer's War Death Sentence

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Swords of Japan (2016) by Yasuko Kubo Nonfiction | Adult | History, Reference

The sword is a widely recognised cultural symbol of Japan. Japanese swords are fundamentally weapons, and yet the high level of skill involved in the production of a beautiful and effective sword greatly increases its value, making them both sacred objects and symbols of authority. The way in which a particular sword is manufactured reflects the period in which it was made. By examining the finely polished surface steel and various patterns of the hardened edge, one can determine the province, school, and even maker. This illustrated handbook offers an educative look at the history, evolution, production, fittings and mountings, and appraisal of these elegant blades.

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement (1998) by John Lewis and Michael D'Orso Nonfiction | Adult | History, Memoir, Race

An eloquent, epic firsthand account of the civil rights movement by a man who lived it - an American hero whose courage, vision, and dedication helped change history. The son of an Alabama sharecropper, and now a sixth-term United States Congressman, John Lewis has led an extraordinary life, one that found him at the epicenter of the civil rights movement in the late '50s and '60s. As Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis was present at all the major battlefields of the movement. Arrested more than forty times and severely beaten on several occasions, he was one of the youngest yet most courageous leaders. Written with charm, warmth, and honesty, Walking with the Wind offers rare insight into the movement and the personalities of all the civil rights leaders - what was happening behind the scenes, the infighting, struggles, and triumphs. Lewis takes us from the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he led more than five hundred marchers on what became known as "Bloody Sunday." While there have been exceptional books on the movement, there has never been a front-line account by a man like John Lewis. A true American hero, his story is "destined to become a classic in civil rights literature."

Which would you read?

Swords of Japan

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement

Remaining time: 1 day 13 hours

Swords of Japan Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement

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Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (1995) by James W. Loewen Nonfiction | Adult | Education, History

James W. Loewen, a sociology professor and distinguished critic of history education, puts 12 popular textbooks under the microscope-and what he discovers will surprise you. In his opinion, every one of these texts fails to make its subject interesting or memorable. Worse still is the proliferation of blind patriotism, mindless optimism and misinformation filling the pages. From the truth about Christopher Columbus to the harsh reality of the Vietnam War, Loewen picks apart the lies we've been told.

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (1974) by Piers Paul Read Nonfiction | Adult | History, Biography, Survival

On October 12, 1972, a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the remote, snow-peaked Andes. Out of the forty-five original passengers and crew, only sixteen made it off the mountain alive. For ten excruciating weeks they suffered deprivations beyond imagining, confronting nature head-on at its most furious and inhospitable. And to survive, they were forced to do what would have once been unthinkable... This is their story—one of the most astonishing true adventures of the twentieth century.

Which would you read?

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

Remaining time: 1 day 9 hours

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

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Airborn (2004) by Kenneth Oppel Fiction | Middle Grade | Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Adventure

Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.

Natsume's Book of Friends (2005) by Yuki Midorikawa Fiction | Young Adult | Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Supernatural, Paranormal

Takashi Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. He has always been set apart from other people because of his gift, drifting from relative to relative, never fitting in. Now he is a troubled high school student who has come to live in the small town where his grandmother grew up. And there he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko.

Which would you read?

Airborn

Natsume's Book of Friends

Remaining time: 1 day 5 hours

Airborn Natsume's Book of Friends

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The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (2017) by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical, Alternate History

When Melisande Stokes, an expert in linguistics and languages, accidently meets military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons in a hallway at Harvard University, it is the beginning of a chain of events that will alter their lives and human history itself. The young man from a shadowy government entity approaches Mel, a low-level faculty member, with an incredible offer. The only condition: she must sign a nondisclosure agreement in return for the rather large sum of money. Tristan needs Mel to translate some very old documents, which, if authentic, are earth-shattering. They prove that magic actually existed and was practiced for centuries. But the arrival of the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment weakened its power and endangered its practitioners. Magic stopped working altogether in 1851, at the time of the Great Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace—the world’s fair celebrating the rise of industrial technology and commerce. Something about the modern world "jams" the "frequencies" used by magic, and it’s up to Tristan to find out why. And so the Department of Diachronic Operations—D.O.D.O. —gets cracking on its real mission: to develop a device that can bring magic back, and send Diachronic Operatives back in time to keep it alive... and meddle with a little history at the same time. But while Tristan and his expanding operation master the science and build the technology, they overlook the mercurial—and treacherous—nature of the human heart.

The Magicians' Guild (2001) by Trudi Canavan Fiction | Young Adult | Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work-—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders... and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield. What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.

Which would you read?

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

The Magicians' Guild

Remaining time: 1 day 1 hour

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. The Magicians' Guild