76,707 books
—
285,122 voters
to-read
(475)
currently-reading (1)
read (152)
did-not-finish (1)
adult (109)
fantasy (92)
high-fantasy (55)
lgbtq (53)
2024 (50)
2025 (50)
2023 (48)
romance (40)
currently-reading (1)
read (152)
did-not-finish (1)
adult (109)
fantasy (92)
high-fantasy (55)
lgbtq (53)
2024 (50)
2025 (50)
2023 (48)
romance (40)
physical-tbr
(39)
low-fantasy (25)
favourites (24)
nonfiction (24)
science-fiction (21)
tears-were-had (20)
novella (19)
epic-fantasy (18)
contemporary (16)
urban-fantasy (16)
classics (14)
retellings (13)
low-fantasy (25)
favourites (24)
nonfiction (24)
science-fiction (21)
tears-were-had (20)
novella (19)
epic-fantasy (18)
contemporary (16)
urban-fantasy (16)
classics (14)
retellings (13)
“Once, very long ago, Time fell in love with Fate. This, as you might imagine, proved problematic. Their romance disrupted the flow of time. It tangled the strings of fortune into knots. The stars watched from the heavens nervously, worrying what might occur. What might happen to the days and nights were time to suffer a broken heart? What catastrophes might result if the same fate awaited Fate itself? The stars conspired and separated the two. For a while they breathed easier in the heavens. Time continued to flow as it always had, or perhaps imperceptibly slower. Fate weaved together the paths that were meant to intertwine, though perhaps a string was missed here and there. But eventually, Fate and Time found each other again. In the heavens, the stars sighed, twinkling and fretting. They asked the Moon her advice. The Moon in turn called upon the parliament of owls to decide how best to proceed. The parliament of owls convened to discuss the matter amongst themselves night after night. They argued and debated while the world slept around them, and the world continued to turn, unaware that such important matters were under discussion while it slumbered. The parliament of owls came to the logical conclusion that if the problem was in the combination, one of the elements should be removed. They chose to keep the one they felt more important. The parliament of owls told their decision to the stars and the stars agreed. The Moon did not, but on this night she was dark and could not offer her opinion. So it was decided, and Fate was pulled apart. Ripped into pieces by beaks and claws. Fate’s screams echoed through the deepest corners and the highest heavens but no one dared to intervene save for a small brave mouse who snuck into the fray, creeping unnoticed through the blood and bone and feathers, and took Fate’s heart and kept it safe. When the furor died down there was nothing else left of Fate. The owl who consumed Fate’s eyes gained great site, greater site then any that had been granted to a mortal creature before. The Parliament crowned him the Owl King. In the heavens the stars sparkled with relief but the moon was full of sorrow. And so time goes as it should and events that were once fated to happen are left instead to chance, and Chance never falls in love with anything for long. But the world is strange and endings are not truly endings no matter how the stars might wish it so. Occasionally Fate can pull itself together again. And Time is always waiting.”
― The Starless Sea
― The Starless Sea
“Hope is the pillar that holds up the world.”
― Cloud Cuckoo Land
― Cloud Cuckoo Land
“I know why those librarians read the old stories to you,” Rex says. “Because if it’s told well enough, for as long as the story lasts, you get to slip the trap.”
― Cloud Cuckoo Land
― Cloud Cuckoo Land
“Reading a book four times in one day is perfectly normal behavior.”
― The Starless Sea
― The Starless Sea
“He should have risked more. It has taken him his whole life to accept himself, and he is surprised to understand that now that he can, he does not long for one more year, one more month: eighty-six years has been enough. In a life you accumulate so many memories, your brain constantly winnowing through them, weighing consequence, burying pain, but somehow by the time you’re this age you still end up dragging a monumental sack of memories behind you, a burden as heavy as a continent, and eventually it becomes time to take them out of the world.”
― Cloud Cuckoo Land
― Cloud Cuckoo Land
Goodreads Librarians Group
— 310359 members
— last activity 0 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
M/M Romance
— 37346 members
— last activity 1 hour, 29 min ago
The #1 resource on the Internet for M/M Romance fans, this group has something for everyone. * Book and Series Discussions * Daily Updates on New Rel ...more
Aldora’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Aldora’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Aldora
Lists liked by Aldora











































