572 books
—
443 voters
to-read
(362)
currently-reading (70)
read (236)
did-not-finish (0)
history (71)
business (55)
russia (53)
recent-history (48)
netherlands (40)
america (36)
currently-reading (70)
read (236)
did-not-finish (0)
history (71)
business (55)
russia (53)
recent-history (48)
netherlands (40)
america (36)
current-affairs
(32)
politics (32)
travel (31)
ukraine (31)
gay (26)
memoir (16)
biography (13)
geography (13)
education (12)
fables (11)
politics (32)
travel (31)
ukraine (31)
gay (26)
memoir (16)
biography (13)
geography (13)
education (12)
fables (11)
“After a pause Lily looks up at me. “Sometimes I think of you as Dad.” My heart rises in my throat. That’s the only term of endearment I need.”
― Lily and the Octopus
― Lily and the Octopus
“Anna wrote to her father that she found her new land “a barbarous country where the houses are gloomy, the churches ugly, and the customs revolting.” Paris under Henry I was clearly not Constantinople, but more importantly, in Anna’s eyes, it did not rank even with Kyiv.”
― The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
― The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
“To focus, I think of how dogs are witnesses. How they are present for our most private moments, how they are there when we think of ourselves as alone. They witness our quarrels, our tears, our struggles, our fears, and all of our secret behaviors that we have to hide from our fellow humans. They witness without judgment.”
― Lily and the Octopus
― Lily and the Octopus
“You may still be standing, dear,’ it read, ‘but the rest of us are on the fucking floor.”
― Me
― Me
“As everyone knows, fame, especially sudden fame, is a hollow, shallow and dangerous thing, its dark, seductive powers no substitute for true love or real friendship. On the other hand, if you’re a terribly shy person, desperately in need of a confidence boost – someone who spent a lot of their childhood trying to be as invisible as possible so you didn’t provoke one of your mum’s moods or your dad’s rage – I can tell you for a fact that being hailed as the future of rock and roll in the LA Times and feted by a succession of your musical heroes will definitely do the trick.”
― Me
― Me
The History Book Club
— 26103 members
— last activity 51 minutes 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
Philip’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Philip’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Philip
Lists liked by Philip








































