475 ratings (2.87 avg)
24 reviews
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Val

Val’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (1098)
currently-reading‎ (0)
read‎ (476)
did-not-finish‎ (0)
soon‎ (38)
literary-fiction‎ (416)
historical-fiction‎ (397)

british-lit‎ (325)
lgbt‎ (317)
memoirs-biographies‎ (268)
classics‎ (264)
history‎ (230)
series‎ (118)
canadian-irish-lit‎ (113)

favorites‎ (100)
shortstories‎ (96)
nyrb-europa-persephone‎ (87)
penguin-oxfordclassics‎ (61)
childrens‎ (52)
academic‎ (40)
japanese-fic‎ (31)

plays‎ (21)
20s‎ (18)
poetry‎ (18)
newdirections-dalkey-otherpress‎ (13)

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Val’s Quotes

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
― Rudyard Kipling

tags: words

5551 likes

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
― Abraham Lincoln

tags: attributed-no-source, happiness

23776 likes

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
― Bernard M. Baruch

tags: ataraxy, be-yourself, confidence, fitting-in, individuality, misattributed-dr-seuss, those-who-matter

130571 likes

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

tags: attributed-no-source, books, simile, soul

136004 likes

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.”
― Anais Nin

2577 likes

More of Val’s quotes…

The Seasonal Reading Challenge — 9275 members — last activity 2 hours, 19 min ago
Do you want to broaden your reading horizons and discover new books, authors and genres? Do you love reading challenges? Do you live for competition? ...more

Goodreads Librarians Group — 329171 members — last activity 7 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

The History Book Club — 26266 members — last activity 10 hours, 37 min ago
"Interested in history - then you have found the right group". The History Book Club is the largest history and nonfiction group on Goodread ...more

Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge — 26978 members — last activity Jun 26, 2026 12:04AM
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

Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) — 16367 members — last activity 4 hours, 17 min ago
The world is made up of two kinds of people: first, those who love classics, and second, those who have not yet read a classic. Be bold and join us as ...more

More of Val’s groups…