I repeated what a cognitive behavioral therapist once told me to repeat in difficult situations: “This is the moment I find myself in.”
“Gentlemen of the human race, I say to hell with the lot of you.”
― Les Misérables
― Les Misérables
“She points to two devices in the center of the dark space. The contraptions are silver and remind me of the suits knights wore in past centuries. The armor hangs suspended between two metal wires. “They are concentraction machines.” I slide my body into the machine. Dry gel hugs my feet, my legs, my torso and arms and neck, till only my head is free. The machine is built to resist my movements, yet it responds even to the tiniest stimuli. The idea of building muscle is to exercise it, which is nothing more than using the muscle intensely enough to create microscopic tears in the tissue fiber. This is the pain one feels in the days after an intense workout—torn tissue—not lactic acid. When the muscle repairs the tears, it builds on itself. This is the process the concentraction machine is built to facilitate. It is the devil’s own invention. Harmony slides the device’s faceplate over my eyes. My body is still in the gym, but I see myself moving across the rugged landscape of Mars. I’m running, pumping my legs against the concentraction machine’s resistance, which increases according to Harmony’s mood or the location of the simulation. Sometimes I venture to the jungles of Earth, where I race panthers through the underbrush, or I take to the pocked surface of Luna before it was populated. But always I return home to Mars to run across its red soil and jump over its violent ravines. Harmony sometimes accompanies me in the other machine so I have someone to race.”
― Red Rising
― Red Rising
“Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know.”
―
―
“God knows better than we do what we need.”
― Les Misérables
― Les Misérables
“Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”
― The Shadow of the Wind
― The Shadow of the Wind
Goodreads Librarians Group
— 315726 members
— last activity 1 minute ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
Manic Mood Readers
— 83 members
— last activity Jun 16, 2023 06:33AM
A group for readers who can't stick to one genre, who read 3-4 books at a time, and base their next read on vibes only. ...more
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge
— 26890 members
— last activity Mar 09, 2026 05:38AM
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
Booklist Queen Reading Challenge
— 713 members
— last activity 20 hours, 56 min ago
Ready to diversify your reading this year? Join the best Reading Challenge of 2026 and read a book a week with the Booklist Queen! For the full chall ...more
Bookworm Bitches
— 12408 members
— last activity 15 minutes ago
This group now has a Discord! https://discord.gg/QC8vCNfzKa I would encourage everyone to join as it will become a primary hub for book-of-the-month d ...more
Victoria’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Victoria’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Adult Fiction, Book Club, Chick-lit, Classics, Contemporary, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic novels, Historical fiction, History, Horror, Humor and Comedy, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Paranormal, Poetry, Psychology, Religion, Science fiction, Self help, Suspense, Spirituality, and Thriller
Polls voted on by Victoria
Lists liked by Victoria
































