![]() ![]() ![]() One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. ![]() Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss. Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.My rating:Ī princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. ![]()
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![]() ![]() And that means there’s a disaster on the horizon. AI systems, Russell argues in Human Compatible, care about only whatever we’ve put in as their objective. ![]() Humans care about a lot of things: fairness, law, democratic input, our safety and flourishing, our freedom. Or a health care cost-saving system that discriminates against black patients because it anticipates that they’re less likely to seek the health care they need. ![]() Imagine a self-driving car with an “objective” to get from Point A to Point B but unaware that we also care about the survival of the passengers and of pedestrians along the way. If they hit on a strategy that fits that objective, they will run with it, without explicit human instruction to do so.īut with this approach, we’ve set ourselves up for failure because the “objective” we’ve given the AI system is not the only thing we care about. AI systems, he notes, are evaluated by how good they are at achieving their objective: winning video games, writing humanlike text, solving puzzles. In a new book, Human Compatible, he explains how. He has also, for the last several years, been warning that his field has the potential to go catastrophically wrong. Stuart Russell is a leading AI researcher who literally wrote (well, co-authored) the top textbook on the topic. ![]() ![]() Strange, considering we’re meant to be well into spring. My cheeks grow warmer and I swear I can feel everyone’s appraising eyes on me. I reach across the table for my handbag and walk quickly toward the exit. I pull my matching black coat off the back of my chair and shrug it on over my shoulders. ![]() ![]() I rise to my feet and straighten my short, black dress. “Uh,” A blush instantly springs to my cheeks and I cringe at the thought of how red they must look. “Are you ready to order?” The young waiter asks, running his fingers through the front of his long, blond fringe. Only the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat made me peer around my hair. Startled, I quickly look down at my menu, letting the long chocolate strands of my hair work as a curtain between us. I peer over to the bar and meet the waiter’s boyish face and blue eyes. ![]() To make matters worse, the waiter that has been coming over to my table for the past hour asking me if I want to order is the same damn waiter that has attempted to serve me the last two times I’ve been stood up. It’s the third time this month Blade has left me at Salsa’s Mexican restaurant waiting for him because he prefers to ‘hang with his boys’ over his girlfriend of six years. Sadly, this isn’t the first time I’ve been stood up. I toss my phone back into my handbag and I glance around the room, frustrated by Blade’s cancellation. ![]() ![]() ![]() Home to a nation that Pratchett describes in this way:ĭjelibeybi really was a small, self-centered kingdom. For thousands of years, the kings and queens of Djelibeybi, the Discworld version of Egypt, have, upon death, had to put up with their bodies being locked up within pyramids.Įach found himself or herself in a space that was small and dark and, worst of all, boring, dead but never freed by Death - that rather bony character with the hood and scythe - to go do whatever a spirit does after its body is finished.Īll this begins to come to an end when 19-year-old Teppic, having just won a degree from the Assassin’s Guild in Anhk-Morpork (which means he survived his final exam), learns that his father has died, and he must come home to be king. So, it’s nearly the final page of Terry Pratchett’s 1989 Discworld novel Pyramids, and his recurring character, called Death (because he is), suddenly finds himself with a problem: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Our take: These books would be appropriate for teen and sensitive readers. May contain mild to moderate sexual tension and/or possible implications of something more taking place off canvas, but nothing beyond kissing actually occurs within the text. The overall rating for the book is the average of the ratings for each individual story. Note: Each novella has been summarized and reviewed separately. Midnight Assignment by Victoria Dahl - Star Rating: *** Sensuality Rating: 3.5 Midnight Surrender by Jean Brashear - Star Rating: ****1/2 Sensuality Rating: 3 Midnight Confessions by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #12) - Star Rating: ***1/2 Sensuality Rating: 1 Midnight Assignment by Victoria Dahl Review ![]() Midnight Confessions by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #12) Synopses and reviews of each individual novella in this anthology can be read via the links below. Midnight Kiss is an anthology of three contemporary romance novellas with a New Year's theme. Evernight Teen Summer Kick-off Blog Hopīy: Jean Brashear, Robyn Carr, Victoria Dahl.Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin Launch. ![]() ![]() For two years he endures her unnecessary formality and daily rejections with a patience he did not know he possessed. ![]() Kyle Westin, an alpha male who always gets what he wants, has watched and waited for the little she-wolf he knows is his perfect mate to show any signs of recognition. Can she conceal her growing feelings and her true self from this enigmatic, strong willed man, or will her world fall apart? She comes from a long line of story tellers. ![]() But when she lands a lucrative job as an administrative assistant to Kyle Westin, CEO of the Westin Foundation, her life changes and everything's at stake. Julie Trettel is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Paranormal Romance. She can not afford for anyone to get close, or know about the monster within. Running away is all she knows and necessary to preserve her deepest, darkest secret. ![]() Kelsey Adams is alone, and has been since childhood. ![]() ![]() ![]() Leona was standing by a mirror, about to fix her lipstick with a set of very unsteady fingers. 'Five minutes,' he repeated, and closed the door again. No, I am slowly sinking beneath my own plots and counter-plots. 'You are all right?' Rafiq frowned at him. His life was in crisis and he must go downstairs and be polite to people. ![]() 'Our guests are arriving,' he informed him. Going to open it, he found Rafiq standing there dressed very much like himself-only he was wearing his gutrah. ![]() A knock at the door was a thankful diversion. Tell her before the Al-Kadahs tell her that you already suspected all of this, days ago. 'Now I wish that I hadn't because, looking at you, I have a horrible feeling you are going to give the game away the moment anyone looks at you.'Ĭonfess all, he told himself. Which I've done.' She turned a wry smile on him. ![]() ![]() ![]() And afterwards but I dunno maybe that's normal.2120It17s not. And afterwards but I dunno maybe that's normal.2120It17s not.21Connell and Marianne grĭelve deeper into the Emmy- and Golden Globe11nominated Hulu series based on Sally Rooney's bestselling novel with this must-have collection of the Normal People scripts, featuring behind-the-scenes photos and an introduction by director Lenny Abrahamson.20You know, I did used to think that I could read your mind at times.2120In bed you mean.2120Yeah. ![]() Delve deeper into the Emmy- and Golden Globe11nominated Hulu series based on Sally Rooney's bestselling novel with this must-have collection of the Normal People scripts, featuring behind-the-scenes photos and an introduction by director Lenny Abrahamson.20You know, I did used to think that I could read your mind at times.2120In bed you mean.2120Yeah. ![]() ![]() ![]() His interest in me is nothing but a continuation of the games we played in high school.right?īut the longer he stays, the more I wonder if I’m wrong and his tender smile and heated attentions are genuine. ![]() I must stay strong until the wedding is over and Ryan scurries back into whatever alternate universe he escaped from. He wasn’t supposed to look like this or pursue me like a sexy guided missile. I'm a successful bakery owner now, and I plan to rub every delicious detail of my life in his ugly face. A lot has changed since our feuding days. Ryan Henderson is back in town for our best friends’ wedding, and I plan on showing him exactly how much I don’t care about him-or the almost kiss he ruthlessly dangled over me after graduation. Twelve years since he won our war of wits by outsmarting me with a tactic I didn’t even know was allowed. It’s been twelve years since I’ve seen him. Enemies should never get a second chance. ![]() ![]() ![]() Dancing Girls and Other Stories showcases Margaret Atwoods masterly skill for storytelling. Populated with characters who evoke laughter, compassion, terror and recognition, Atwood's stories show why she remains one of our greatest, most original storytellers. Buy Dancing Girls and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood from Waterstones today Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25. Or are they? In brilliant flashes of fantasy, humour and unexpected violence, Margaret Atwood reveals the complexities of human relationships and maps the motivations we scarcely know we have within us. Students, journalists, farmers, birdwatchers, ex-wives, adolescent lovers - and dancing girls. ![]() ![]() įrom the international bestselling author of The Handmaid's Tale, Dancing Girls and Other Stories showcases Margaret Atwood's masterly skill for storytelling. Populated with characters who evoke laughter. From the international bestselling author of The Handmaid's Tale, Dancing Girls and Other Stories showcases Margaret Atwood's masterly skill for storytelling. ![]() |