Ann Patchett's "52 All-time Favorite Books From The Year I Turned 52"

I made a deal with Sonia Quindt—the billionaire CEO. After I'd proposed to her ninety-nine freaking times, she swore she'd finally show up for the hundredth. Spoiler: she didn't. She was out there at some concert with her boy toy. And, of course, someone caught them on livestream. Big kiss. Big viral moment. Meanwhile, my face was plastered all over the internet too—lonely guy number one, waiting for a bride who never existed. Everyone online started making bets. Who was the mystery woman? How long until I came crawling back for the hundred-and-first proposal? Sonia, apparently struck by some last-minute guilt, promised she'd make it right next time. Said she'd actually show up. And she did. Wedding dress. Perfect makeup. Cameras ready. She got a text from me: [Sonia, there won't be a hundred-and-first proposal. We're done.]

The Nation of Gryaz has fallen, crushed under the foot and the flying cities of The Empire.Red_Two, a scientist forced to recreate the technologies that had failed him, learns about the Time Travel Project, and makes a vow to steal the device to save himself, and potentially undo the destruction of his home nation. But as he travels into the past, and meets the kindest man and scientist that he has ever known, will Red_Two be able to truly carry out his original goals, considering what is at stake if he does so?Will the spy that he meets let him, or will she simply destroy his world, as he once destroyed hers?

I was diagnosed with cancer. After much deliberation, I called my husband. He fell silent for a long while. “Most of our mortgage is unpaid, and our children need money for school. You should go for conservative treatment.” I called my mother while weeping. “You’re so troublesome. None of my friends or family have cancer!” I stopped crying and started living for myself. God favored me and let me see reality early in my life. He even gave me a chance to start over.

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains scenes of psychological manipulation, emotional abuse, explicit content, and morally gray characters. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Not for the faint of heart. 🔞‼️ Cassandra Jenkins was blackmailed into marrying Trovian Blackwood to shield her sister from her father’s brutal brand of control. On the surface, she looks like a pawn. A delicate, obedient bride in a designer cage. But behind her silence is a woman quietly plotting. Trovian, ruthless and ice-blooded, believes Cassandra is her father's latest puppet. He wants vengeance, not vows. Every glance is a power play. Every touch is a calculated punishment. He makes her pay for sins she didn’t commit. But the more he watches her… The more he realizes that she’s hiding fire beneath her bruised loyalty. Their marriage becomes a battlefield of cruel words, broken trust, and tension so thick it borders on violence. Yet somewhere between the hate and the hurt, desire creeps in. Dark. Twisted. Addictive. When enemies from the shadows rise, Cassandra and Trovian must decide— Will they destroy each other? Or become the kind of monsters willing to burn the world down together?

Four creatures live in this world: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and Wizards, and Humans. In a change of event, I was taken in by Werewolves and protected from the war ongoing between Hunters and Vampires. All were attacked by a new enemy from the Old World but when the time came and my powers as a witch grew vastly, I was able to capture the minds of Vampires, Werewolves and Hunters to join hands to defeat our common enemy. They learned they needed to watch each other's back and being the Witch for the New World and the Queen Of All Vampire's Kings, I was able to ever the peace.

After being accepted into a prestigious university located in upstate New York, Rose Campbell, a visual arts student begins her academic life. Together with her newest group of friends, who become her family, she is ready to begin her new journey as an adult and face all the challenges that come her way. When Christian Davis, a mysterious chemistry student, unexpectedly enters her life, Rose discovers a new source of inspiration for her days, and most of all, that love and hate are separated by a thin line.

While I was five months pregnant, my husband, Randall Harris, accompanied his assistant to the hospital for an IV drip.   He even posted a selfie with her on social media.   I called him, and he lied straight to my face, saying he was stuck in a meeting at the office.   When I confronted him, he fought with me, gave me the cold shoulder, and then went straight back to his assistant for comfort.   “Are you sure you don’t want to notify the baby’s father? The surgeon asked me. “After this surgery, you won’t ever be able to have children again.”  I closed my eyes.  “He’s dead to me.” 

Isabella is faced with emotional turmoil as her family sees her as a means to an end and Richard's parents thought she was after their wealth even though she sacrificed everything to be the ideal wife to their son. Her infertility made matters worse as she was unable to give Richard an heir. Just when she believes her marriage is at its lowest point, Richard betrays her by getting her cousin pregnant Now, as she confronts a brutal divorce and battles to reclaim her self-esteem, the question remains: Will Isabella find the strength to rebuild her life and rise above the betrayals, or will Richard's regret drag her back into the mess of marriage she desperately needs to leave?

A young widow is given one more chance at life when her life is reversed back in time using a time travel machine that had been her late husband's father's life's work, way before she was forced into an arranged marriage. But what does the new trip in time hold for her, especially when she meets her then husband in a new setting, and sees him in a different light, bearing in mind that he is already dead? And how fast is a whirlwind romance when she has to go back to her place in time to an empty bed? "You don't...look like someone who has a long time to live." I said to him, watching as his gaze became a little sad. "I guess when you live right, you don't need to."

I poured out my heart to him, telling him everything and not leaving a single part out of it. "Please, Don Xander, I will be grateful if you could grant me just this one wish" I begged desperately, my voice cracking at the end, even though I tried so hard to stay strong. He tilted his head to one side and smirked. "I can do that for you" he said, and my eyes beam with happiness immediately. "But..." He trailed off, swirling his drink in his hand. "What do I get in return for helping you? After all, it's all about give and take" My jaw dropped instantly. His playboy attitude playing in my head. "I... I can't... I mean, I'm sorry Don Xander but I'm not the type of girl who sleeps around with men. If it's okay with you, I can work for you instead" I suggested. He wave his index finger, shaking his head. "No, Bella" he said in a low, husky voice. Then, he rose from his seat and walked towards to me, his movement graceful and deliberate. I shivered, still seated as he crouched beside me. He leaned closer to my face and I tilted my head to look at him in the eyes. "If I will help you..." he whispered, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "You must give me something in return" "What do you want?" I asked in a low voice. His eyes gleamed with intensity. "I want you, Isabella" he whispered, his lips grazing my ear. I jerked back, shocked by his request. "Don Xander!" I exclaimed, my voice trembling.