“A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge is an exception to this rule. If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind. If this rule were always observed; if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with the tranquillity of his domestic affections, Greece had not been enslaved, Caesar would have spared his country, America would have been discovered more gradually, and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed.”
― Frankenstein
― Frankenstein
“The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future.”
― Dune
― Dune
“Lonely, ain't it?
Yes, but my lonely is mine. Now your lonely is somebody else's. Made by somebody else and handed to you. Ain't that something? A secondhand lonely.”
― Sula
Yes, but my lonely is mine. Now your lonely is somebody else's. Made by somebody else and handed to you. Ain't that something? A secondhand lonely.”
― Sula
“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
― Dune
― Dune
“For if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves; and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realise that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away. In the long run, a hierarchical society was only possible on a basis of poverty and ignorance.”
― 1984
― 1984
Mount TBR 2020
— 194 members
— last activity Jan 23, 2021 06:44AM
This group is for those who would like to participate in the 2020 edition of the Mount TBR Reading Challenge which I am hosting on my blog My Reader's ...more
Goodreads Librarians Group
— 306542 members
— last activity 2 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
Babes in Bookland
— 2 members
— last activity Oct 22, 2017 05:50PM
Babes in Bookland is an intimate group of babes in the Twin Cities that enjoy each others company, good food, good drinks, and good books!
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
— 42830 members
— last activity 30 minutes ago
This group is for people participating in the Popsugar reading challenge for 2025 or 2026 (or any other year). The Popsugar website posted a reading c ...more
Our Shared Shelf
— 223225 members
— last activity 6 hours, 45 min ago
OUR SHARED SHELF IS CURRENTLY DORMANT AND NOT MANAGED BY EMMA AND HER TEAM. Dear Readers, As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading ...more
Maura’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Maura’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Maura
Lists liked by Maura














































