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Celebrate intellectual freedom! Adults can register for this challenge on Beanstack. - lesterlibrary.beanstack.com/reader365
"Around the year 1049, William, Duke of Normandy and future conqueror of England, raced to the palace of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders. The count’s eldest daughter, Matilda, had refused William’s offer of marriage and publicly denounced him as a bastard. Encountering the young woman, William furiously dragged her to the ground by her hair and beat her mercilessly. Matilda’s outraged father immediately took up arms on his daughter’s behalf. But just a few days later, Baldwin was aghast when Matilda, still recovering from the assault, announced that she would marry none but William, since “he must be a man of great courage and high daring” to have ventured to “come and beat me in my own father’s palace.”
Thus began the tempestuous marriage of Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror. While William’s exploits and triumphs have been widely chronicled, his consort remains largely overlooked. Now, in her groundbreaking Queen of the Conqueror, acclaimed author and historian Tracy Borman weaves together a comprehensive and illuminating tapestry of this noble woman who stood only four-foot-two and whose role as the first crowned Queen of England had a large and lasting influence on the English monarchy.
From a wealth of historical artifacts and documents, Matilda emerges as passionate, steadfast, and wise, yet also utterly ruthless and tenacious in pursuit of her goals, and the only person capable of taming her formidable husband—who, unprecedented for the period, remained staunchly faithful to her. This mother of nine, including four sons who went on to inherit William’s French and English dominions, confounded the traditional views of women in medieval society by seizing the reins of power whenever she had the chance, directing her husband’s policy, and at times flagrantly disobeying his orders."
A really interesting book about a very interesting woman.
Pompeii -- "Pompeii, a city that's many things to many people. For Cato, it's the perfect escape from a failed political career in Rome. A place to start again, become a winemaker. But when a corrupt politician wrongfully jails Cato's sister, he must oust the man from power to save her.
For Ariella, Pompeii is a means to an end. As a young Jew, she escaped the fall of Jerusalem only to endure slavery to a cruel Roman general. She ends up in Pompeii, disguised as a young man and sold into a gladiator troupe. Her anger fuels her to fight well, hoping to win the arena crowds and reveal her gender at the perfect time. Perhaps then she will win true freedom.
But evil creeps through the streets of Pompeii. Political corruption, religious persecution, and family peril threaten to destroy Ariella and Cato, who are thrown together in the battle to survive. As Vesuvius churns with deadly intent, the two must bridge their differences to save the lives of those they love, before the fiery ash buries Pompeii, leaving the city lost to the world" -- from www.amazon.com
A really good historical fiction novel until it got a little preachy at the end -- only those who believed in the one true Christian God survived Pompeii and all the evil polytheistic characters died a horrible death. It was just a little too pat.
Pompeii: City On Fire -- Started: July 4, 2013 Finished: July 10, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #50
Realityland -- "Based on nearly a decade of research and 100 interviews with past and present employees ("cast members" in Disney-speak), Koenig explores the genesis of Walt Disney's east coast outpost. It began as Disney's dream for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT: a multilevel, glass encased, climate-controlled city. Part of that dream died with Walt in 1966-less than a year before construction began on Disney World-and it would be two decades before his severely altered plans would become reality. In erudite and fluid prose, Koenig takes readers on Walt's clandestine land acquisition exploits in central Florida, through the chaotic construction and frantic early years of the Magic Kingdom and into Disney's disastrous entry into the hotel business. He also recounts the company's struggle to develop a scaled-down EPCOT Center and overcome tumultuous leadership changes." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a well-written history of the magic kingdom covering both the good and the bad in the process. Koenig doesn't gloss over the many problems of disney world nor does he spend the entire book "disney-bashing"...it's a nice balanced look at the development of Disney's East Coast empire.
Realityland -- Started: Feb. 18, 2012 Finished: Feb. 22, 2012
25 Book Challenge Book #11
Boleyn King -- "Just seventeen years old, Henry IX, known as William, is a king bound by the restraints of the regency yet anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics sowing the seeds of rebellion at home, William trusts only three people: his older sister Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by William’s mother, Anne Boleyn.
Against a tide of secrets, betrayal, and murder, William finds himself fighting for the very soul of his kingdom. Then, when he and Dominic both fall in love with Minuette, romantic obsession looms over a new generation of Tudors. One among them will pay the price for a king’s desire, as a shocking twist of fate changes England’s fortunes forever." -- from www.amazon.com
A really interesting idea and well written to boot.
The Boleyn King -- Started: Nov. 17, 2013 Finished: Nov. 30, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #96
I went on kind of a mysteries of ancient history kick this week. "The Rose Labyrinth" was very similar to "The Da Vinci Code" and Kate Mosse's "Labyrinth". It was okay but kind of jumbled like the author couldn't organize her thoughts and just sort of threw in anything that popped into her head. "The Charlemagne Pursuit" is the fourth in Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series. It's pretty good so far, but it's missing a few characters from the previous novels that I really liked. "The Secret Magdalene" is another reworking of the stories of Christ and Mary Magdalene. I'm only a few chapters in but, so far, it's very well written and different from other things I've read on this theme.
The Secret Magdalene -- Started: Jan. 11, 2009 Finished: Jan. 29, 2009
The Rose Labyrinth -- Started: Jan. 12, 2009 Finished: Jan. 17, 2009
The Charlemagne Pursuit -- Started: Jan. 13, 2009 Finished: Jan. 19, 2009
25 Book Challenge 2009 Books #3, #4 & #5
Twilight Of Avalon -- "Ancient grudges, old wounds, and the quest for power rule in the newly widowed Queen Isolde's court. Hardly a generation after the downfall of Camelot, Isolde grieves for her slain husband, King Constantine, a man she secretly knows to have been murdered by the scheming Lord Marche -- the man who has just assumed his title as High King. Though her skills as a healer are renowned throughout the kingdom, in the wake of Con's death, accusations of witchcraft and sorcery threaten her freedom and her ability to bring Marche to justice. Burdened by their suspicion and her own grief, Isolde must conquer the court's distrust and superstition to protect her throne and the future of Britain.
One of her few allies is Trystan, a prisoner with a lonely and troubled past. Neither Saxon nor Briton, he is unmoved by the political scheming, rumors, and accusations swirling around the fair queen. Together they escape, and as their companionship turns from friendship to love, they must find a way to prove what they know to be true -- that Marche's deceptions threaten not only their lives but the sovereignty of the British kingdom." -- from www.amazon.com
An interesting novel...a much different take on the Tristan and Isolde than I've ever seen before.
Twilight Of Avalon -- Started: Jan. 15, 2014 Finished: Jan. 29, 2014
25 Book Challenge 2014 Book #2
A Tale of Love and Darkness -- "Tragic, comic, and utterly honest, this extraordinary memoir is at once a great family saga and a magical self-portrait of a writer who witnessed the birth of a nation and lived through its turbulent history.
It is the story of a boy growing up in the war-torn Jerusalem of the forties and fifties, in a small apartment crowded with books in twelve languages and relatives speaking nearly as many. His mother and father, both wonderful people, were ill-suited to each other. When Oz was twelve and a half years old, his mother committed suicide, a tragedy that was to change his life. He leaves the constraints of the family and the community of dreamers, scholars, and failed businessmen and joins a kibbutz, changes his name, marries, has children, and finally becomes a writer as well as an active participant in the political life of Israel." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
I liked this book...Amos Oz has led a very complex, interesting and saddening life...it was interesting to read about what it was like growing up in Jerusalem during that time period: the chaos, the conflict (especially among the radically different Jewish groups), and the abject poverty.
A Tale of Love and Darkness -- Started: Apr. 30, 2012 Finished: May 16, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #33
The Irish Princess -- "Born into a first family of Ireland, with royal ties on both sides, Elizabeth Fitzgerald-known as Gera-finds her world overturned when Henry VIII imprisons her father, the Earl of Kildare, and brutally destroys her family. Torn from the home she loves, her remaining family scattered, Gera dares not deny the refuge offered her in England's glittering royal court. There she must navigate ever-shifting alliances even as she nurtures her secret desire for revenge." -- from www.amazon.com
The beginning of the book was a little slow and I wasn't sure I was going to really get into the story...after the first 20 or 30 pages though, the plot started moving and it got more interesting. It was more of an historical romance than I originally thought it was going to be, but it was a good read anyway.
The Irish Princess -- Started: Feb. 16, 2013 Finished: Feb. 22, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #15
Third Gate -- "Under the direction of famed explorer Porter Stone, an archaeological team is secretly attempting to locate the tomb of an ancient pharaoh who was unlike any other in
history. Stone believes he has found the burial chamber of King Narmer, the near mythical god- king who united upper and lower Egypt in 3200 B.C., and the archaeologist has reason to believe
that the greatest prize of all—Narmer’s crown—might be buried with him. No crown of an Egyptian king has ever been discovered, and Narmer’s is the elusive “double” crown of the two Egypts, supposedly possessed of awesome powers. The dig itself is located in one of the most forbidding places on earth—the Sudd, a nearly impassable swamp in northern Sudan. Amid the nightmarish, disorienting tangle of mud and dead vegetation, a series of harrowing and inexplicable occurrences are causing people on the expedition to fear a centuries- old curse. With a monumental discovery in reach, Professor Jeremy Logan is brought onto the project to investigate. What he finds will raise new questions . . . and alarm." -- from www.amazon.com
A good thriller with an interesting premise...wish it had been a little bit longer though with a little bit more going on, plotwise.
The Third Gate -- Started: July 6, 2012 Finished: July 7, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #47
The Lantern -- "Dom, an erudite English musician, and an aspiring translator he calls "Eve" meet in a maze, fall in love, and decamp to Les Genévriers (the Junipers), a hamlet in Provence, at the start of Lawrenson's extravagant new novel. Eve is immediately intrigued by the misnamed French house, constructed in 1887; "there is only one low-spreading juniper, hardly noble enough to warrant such recognition." Les Genévriers is rich with antiques and hidden rooms, and also seems to be haunted. Eve is distressed when Dom refuses to talk about his ex-wife, who has gone missing, and becomes increasingly determined to investigate the disappearance. As summer slides into fall, a new narrative gracefully emerges with the discovery of audio recordings made by Bénédicte Lincel, a resident of Les Genévriers in the early 20th century. The recordings reveal a woman haunted by past tragedies and further deepen the mystery of the house." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
Very similar to Du Maurier's "Rebecca" but not quite as dark and threatening...decent plot, but a little underdeveloped.
The Lantern -- Started: June 9, 2012 Finished: June 13, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #40
"Two sisters discover passion during the War of the Roses—one in the arms of the king, the other in the world of silk From the author of the acclaimed novel Portrait of an Unknown Woman comes an epic tale of love and intrigue. The year is 1471. Edward IV, who won the throne with the help of his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is restoring law and order after years of war. Under Edward IV, life in England begins to improve. Business is booming once more and the printing and silk industries prosper in London. When silk merchant John Lambert marries off his two beautiful daughters, their fortunes are forever changed. Elder daughter Jane Shore begins a notorious liaison with the king while industrious and clever Isabel finds herself married into the house of Claver, a wealthy silk dynasty. Fate delivers Isabel a challenge when her new husband is killed and she is forced into apprenticeship to her mother-in-law, Alice Claver. It is from Alice Claver that Isabel learns to love silk and the exotic and passionate fabrics from Italy, Persia, Spain, Tunisia, and beyond. Isabel learns to make her way in this new world of silk—to find friends and enemies—and she strikes an alliance with her sister's lover, King Edward IV, that will bring the secrets of silk-making to London. As Isabel grows in power and her plan for a silk industry run by Englishwomen is set into motion, the political landscape shifts in dangerous ways. One sister will fall as the other rises and choices must be made that will change their lives forever."
A very good novel. Well plotted and the characters are believable. All around enjoyable other than frustration at Isabel's lack to awareness of what is going on around here,.
Fall Reading Challenge for adults 18+: Fill a BINGO card on Beanstack to earn a sweet locally handcrafted laser-engraved wooden bookmark. Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Secrets of the Tomb -- "Robbins (Quarterlife Crisis) begins by setting readers up with the ridiculous myth of Yale's Skull and Bones, an exclusive society whose powerful members including both presidents Bush are sworn to secrecy for life about the club's activities: the myth says that the society's members form a clique that rules the world. Robbins then proposes demystifying the group. On the one hand, she propagates the myth, spelling out how Bonesmen have promoted one another in enormously successful political and business careers; they presided over the creation of the atomic bomb as well as the CIA, she says. On the other hand, Robbins turns up much that is prosaic, as she traces the society's origins back to 1832, when William Russell founded it as retribution for a classmate's having been passed over by Phi Beta Kappa; she discovers that the club's cryptic iconography is derived from German university societies. She reveals the inventory of the Tomb (an evocative name for what is essentially a frat house) and details about the group's oddly juvenile fraternal ritual. The narrative never gets more dramatic than Robbins staking out the Tomb for President George W. Bush during Yale's tercentennial celebrations in 2002, and while she relies heavily on the testimony of many Bonesmen, she never names names. While the book may demystify Skull and Bones, it also imparts the sense that Robbins, herself a Yale graduate and member of a rival society, believes in Yalies' elitist entitlement to power and prestige." -- from www.amazon.com
Boring...and more boring...and just when I couldn't be more bored, lo and behold, bored again. Got halfway through the book before the author even got to the founding of "skull & bones" and even then, she managed to make one of the most infamous and speculated about groups in history sound, well, boring as all get out.
Secrets Of The Tomb -- Started: Sept. 16, 2012 Finished: Oct. 8, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #59
Penelope's Daughter -- "With her father Odysseus gone for twenty years, Xanthe barricades herself in her royal chambers to escape the rapacious suitors who would abduct her to gain the throne. Xanthe turns to her loom to weave the adventures of her life, from her upbringing among servants and slaves, to the years spent in hiding with her mother's cousin, Helen of Troy, to the passion of her sexual awakening in the arms of the man she loves.
And when a stranger dressed as a beggar appears at the palace, Xanthe wonders who will be the one to decide her future-a suitor she loathes, a brother she cannot respect, or a father who doesn't know she exists..." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a good book...an interesting take on events from the Iliad and the Odyssey...glad I grabbed it when I had a chance...and on sale too! :)
Penelope's Daughter -- Started: Mar. 28, 2011 Finished: Mar. 31, 2011
25 Book Challenge 2011 Book #29
Secret Daughter -- "Veronica is an aspiring historian living in present-day Los Angeles when she meets a mysterious man who may be heir to the Russian throne. As she sets about investigating the legitimacy of his claim through a winding path of romance and deception, the ghosts of her own past begin to haunt her. Lena, a servant in the imperial Russian court of 1902, is approached by the desperate Empress Alexandra. After conceiving four daughters, the Empress is determined to sire a son and believes Lena can help her. Once elevated to the Romanov’s treacherous inner circle, Lena finds herself under the watchful eye of the meddling Dowager Empress Marie. Charlotte, a former ballerina living in World War II occupied Paris, receives a surprise visit from a German officer. Determined to protect her son from the Nazis, Charlotte escapes the city, but not before learning that the officer’s interest in her stems from his longstanding obsession with the fate of the Russian monarchy. Then as Veronica's passion intensifies, and her search for the true heir to the throne takes a dangerous turn, the reader learns just how these three vastly different women are connected." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
An okay novel...the idea was intriguing, but the plot and characters needed to fleshed out a lot more.
The Secret Daughter Of The Tsar -- Started: Feb. 3, 2014 Finished: Feb. 4, 2014
25 Book Challenge 2014 Book #6
Last day to pick up Winter Reading Challenge prizes is June 3. Stop by the Help Desk or call ahead to pick up at the drive-thru.
Please note: we are out of some of the indicated prizes, but alternatives are available.
Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Are you above average? A brand new year-long challenge for ages 14+.
Register now on Beanstack. Download the app or access at lesterlibrary.beanstack.com/reader365. Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
White As Snow -- "Tanith Lee's White as Snow, a retelling of Snow White darkly intertwined with the myth of Demeter and Persephone...In an alternate-history medieval Europe, the noble maiden Arpazia, raised in an isolated castle, finds herself the captive of the conquering general-king Draco. The only remnant of her former life is an exotic glass mirror possessed of witchy powers. She feels no connection to Coira, daughter of her forced marriage to the brutal Draco. She becomes the lover of a woodsman, Klytemno, who embodies the divine Hunter King in pagan rituals. Then Klytemno requires her to send her black-haired, snow-pale daughter Coira into the woods as a sacrifice." -- from www.amazon.com
This was my first Tanith Lee book and I'm not really that impressed with it. The characters were very shallow and underdeveloped, the plot didn't really have any motion or point to it, and the use of violence was less "dark and sensual" (as the cover put it) and more vulgar, crude and unnecessary. Maybe I'll try another of her books sometime in the future, but not really feeling that eager about doing so.
White As Snow -- Started: Nov. 2, 2010 Finished: Nov. 4, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #80
"Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course. Hatshepsut enters a loveless marriage with her half brother, Thut, to secure his claim to the Isis Throne and produce a male heir. But it is another of Thut’s wives, the commoner Aset, who bears him a son, while Hatshepsut develops a searing attraction for his brilliant adviser Senenmut. And when Thut suddenly dies, Hatshepsut becomes de facto ruler, as regent to her two-year-old nephew. Once, Hatshepsut anticipated being free to live and love as she chose. Now she must put Egypt first. Ever daring, she will lead a vast army and build great temples, but always she will be torn between the demands of leadership and the desires of her heart. And even as she makes her boldest move of all, her enemies will plot her downfall.... "
A decent book. When it comes to historical fiction about Egypt, this book ranks about average -- nothing spectacular.
Have you signed up for the Winter Reading Challenge?
Children 0-7 earn a series of fun wintry prizes for every five books read. Read 50 books to complete the challenge–and then select a FREE book from our AMAZING WALL OF PRIZE BOOKS! Your mom will probably help. Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Premier Ted Baillieu is joined by former premiers to launch the Premiers’ Reading Challenge at the State Library of Victoria. The initiative encourages students to develop their love of reading and their literacy skills, with the support of teachers, schools, parents and classmates.
Sisterhood Everlasting -- "On the cusp of turning thirty, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are now living separate lives, out on their own. Yet despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness. Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected" -- from www.amazon.com
I didn't realize there had been a follow up book to the "Traveling Pants" series until I spotted this book in a book sale bin at the supermarket...I really enjoyed reading this, it was a very moving and more adult story than the earlier books.
Sisterhood Everlasting -- Started: June 25, 2013 Finished: June 26, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #46
Book of Lost Things -- "High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book... The Book of Lost Things." -- from www.amazon.com
A very intriguing fairytale...dark and a little disturbing at times but an extremely good book. I especially enjoyed the ending.
The Book of Lost Things -- Started: Mar. 10, 2012 Finished: Mar. 14, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #18
Flame of Sevenwaters -- "Maeve, daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, was badly burned as a child and carries the legacy of that fire in her crippled hands. After ten years, she’s returning home, having grown into a courageous, forthright woman with a special gift for gentling difficult animals. But while her body’s scars have healed, her spirit remains fragile, fearing the shadows of her past.
Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son, married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish—only to allow their murdered bodies to be found, one by one.
When Maeve finds the body of one of the missing men in a remote part of the woods, she and her brother Finbar embark on a journey that may bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign, or lead to a hideous death. If she is successful, Maeve may open the door to a future she has not dared to believe possible…" -- from www.amazon.com
This was a very good book...it definitely helps to have read the other books in the series first, otherwise I would have been lost when it came to some of the family relationships.
Flame Of Sevenwaters -- Started: Feb. 3, 2013 Finished: Feb. 4, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #12
Arcadia Falls -- "Following the death of her husband, Meg Rosenthal accepts a job teaching at an upstate New York boarding school and moves there with her teenage daughter, Sally. The school, Arcadia Falls, also happens to be central to her thesis, which focuses on the two female coauthors of fairy tales: Vera Beecher, who founded the school, and her friend Lily Eberhardt, who died mysteriously in 1947. While the campus is bucolic, school life proves anything but—Meg thinks she sees ghosts and Arcadia's brightest and most ambitious student, Isabel Cheney, is found dead in a ravine. Feeling Sally drifting further from her each day, Meg finds refuge in Lily's preserved diary and begins to unravel the secrets behind Isabel's death." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a pretty good mystery/thriller read. It reminded me of the Jennifer Lee Carrell books I read not long ago. The quibble I had is that though the story is interesting and moves well, the characters could be a little better developed and the ending felt rushed and was a bit of a letdown considering all the plot buildup.
Arcadia Falls -- Started: July 31, 2010 Finished: July 31, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #54
"A breathtaking discovery at the top of the world...
A terrifying collision between modern science and Native American legend...
An electrifying new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lincoln Child.
Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle lies Alaska’s Federal Wildlife Zone, one of the most remote and inhospitable places on Earth. But for paleoecologist Evan Marshall and a small group of fellow scientists, an expedition to the Zone represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study the effects of global warming.
Everything about the expedition changes, however, with an astonishing find. On a routine exploration of a glacial ice cave, the group discovers an enormous ancient animal, encased in solid ice. The media conglomerate sponsoring their research immediately intervenes and arranges the ultimate spectacle--the creature will be cut from the ice, thawed, and revealed live on television. Despite dire warnings from the local Native American village, and the scientific concerns of Marshall and his team, the “docudrama” plows ahead... until the scientists make one more horrifying discovery. The beast is no regular specimen--it may be an ancient killing machine. And they may be premature in believing it dead." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a really good read...it reminded me a lot of "Relic" -- one of Child's books with Douglas Preston -- i.e. a group of scientists on the trail of a deadly & mysterious monster. I've liked a lot of his (and Preston's) books...they're very well written, just scientific enough to be believable without being boring, and intellectual enough to make you feel a little smarter for reading them without being condescending toward the reader.
Terminal Freeze -- Started: Mar. 1, 2009 Finished: Mar. 4, 2009
25 Book Challenge 2009 Book #14
Murder in the Adirondacks -- "The Gillette-Brown murder case from which Dreiser drew his An American Tragedy was a sensation in its day. Newsman Craig Brandon has done a remarkable job of researching the case and the family backgrounds of the two principals and, is probably more familiar with the complete story than Dreiser ever was. Yet with all this information, this new treatment reads like a novel. Accompanied with over 100 photos, Murder in the Adirondacks sheds new light on what was a yellow journalist's delight in 1906." -- from www.amazon.com
A good book, but a bit of a dry read...the information the author presented could have been better organized and presented as well -- the book was a bit all over the place.
Murder in the Adirondacks -- Started: July 27, 2012 Finished: Aug. 8, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #52
Lori is obviously above average. You can be too.
Sign up for the Above Average Reader challenge. Read 13 books to get this WAY above average tote. AND if you read 52 books in 2022, you earn an exclusive SUPERIOR READER patch to attach. lesterlibrary.beanstack.com/reader365 Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Shit my Dad Says -- "After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair," has never minced words, and when Justin moved back home, he began to record all the ridiculous things his dad said to him..." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
The book was absolutely hilarious -- and touching, especially the very last anecdote. I couldn't put it down...I finished it in about an hour or two, and that's not counting all the time I spent laughing :)
Sh*t My Dad Says -- Started: Aug. 24, 2010 Finished: Aug. 24, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #62
The Children of Kings -- "Although the Terran Federation has departed Darkover due to a nasty interstellar civil war, the planet’s location in the galactic arm makes it a prime hideout for smugglers, rebels, and other refugees. When smugglers start arming the warlike Dry Towners with forbidden weapons, Gareth Elhalyn, grandson of Regis Hastur and heir to the throne, takes off on a secret mission to stop them..." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
A pretty decent read...could have used a little more character development here and there, but the plot was ok.
The Children Of Kings -- Started: Mar. 8, 2013 Finished: Mar. 10, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #20
The Scarlet Contessa -- "Daughter of the Duke of Milan and wife of the conniving Count Girolamo Riario, Caterina Sforza was the bravest warrior Renaissance Italy ever knew. She ruled her own lands, fought her own battles, and openly took lovers whenever she pleased.
Her remarkable tale is told by her lady-in-waiting, Dea, a woman knowledgeable in reading the “triumph cards,” the predecessor of modern-day tarot cards. As Dea tries to unravel the truth about her husband’s murder, Caterina single-handedly holds off invaders who would steal her title and lands. However, Dea’s reading of the cards reveals that Caterina cannot withstand a third and final invader—none other than Cesare Borgia, son of the corrupt Pope Alexander VI, who has an old score to settle with Caterina. Trapped inside the fortress at Ravaldino as Borgia’s cannons pound the walls, Dea reviews Caterina’s scandalous past and struggles to understand their joint destiny, while Caterina valiantly tries to fight off Borgia’s unconquerable army." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
A lot like her book "The Devil's Queen", with a little less sex and a little more political intrigue, the novel would be great.
The Scarlet Contessa -- Started: Mar. 4, 2013 Finished: Mar. 13, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #19
FINISH THAT BOOK and finalize your reading log on Beanstack; the Fall Reading Challenge ends this Saturday, Dec. 18!
Pick up prizes by Jan. 15. Then we'll start afresh with Winter Reading Challenges for all ages, at the Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
The principal challenged the kids to read 75,000 books during the school year. They did, and he had to sleep on the roof. In a thunderstorm.
Pirate's Daughter -- "Ida Joseph is 13 years old when Errol Flynn is nearly shipwrecked off the coast of her hometown of Port Antonio in 1946. Flynn instantly loves Jamaica and, eager to find a refuge from stateside scandal, purchases an island across from the port. Navy Island becomes the setting for his glittering parties, movie projects and affair with Ida in her senior year of high school. Flynn refuses to take responsibility for the resulting child, May, and after trying to make a go of it in Jamaica, Ida leaves May and heads to New York City, where she marries a wealthy baron friend of Flynn's who purchases the island after Flynn dies. May grows to adulthood on Navy Island, develops something more than a crush on a married family friend 40 years her senior and indulges in drugs and free love." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a very good book and I liked it a lot but the end felt a little anti-climactic...I was left feeling like there should have been more to the story. The characters could have been a little better developed but she painted a very vivid and real picture of Jamaica.
The Pirate's Daughter -- Started: Jan. 9, 2010 Finished: Jan. 11, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #5
The Columbus Affair -- "Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when a controversial report from a war-torn region is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation crashes and burns. Now he lives in virtual exile—haunted by bad decisions and the shocking truth he can never prove: that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of a trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger with a request that cannot be ignored.
Zachariah Simon has the look of a scholar, the soul of a scoundrel, and the zeal of a fanatic. He also has Tom Sagan’s estranged daughter at his mercy. Simon desperately wants something only Sagan can supply: the key to a 500-year-old mystery, a treasure with explosive political significance in the modern world. For both Simon and Sagan the stakes are high, the goal intensely personal, the consequences of opposing either man potentially catastrophic. On a perilous quest from Florida to Vienna to Prague and finally to the mountains of Jamaica, the two men square off in a dangerous game. Along the way, both of their lives will be altered—and everything we know about Christopher Columbus will change." -- from www.amazon.com
Another great Steve Berry book...lots of action, twists and turns, and new historical ideas and information...great read!
Columbus Affair -- Started: June 7, 2012 Finished: June 9, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #39
Night Villa -- "University of Texas classics professor Sophie Chase, after barely surviving a gunman with ties to a sinister cult, joins an expedition to Capri. A donor has funded both the exact reconstruction of a Roman villa destroyed when Mount Vesuvius buried nearby Herculaneum in A.D. 79, and a computer system that can decipher the charred scrolls being excavated from the villa's ruins. Sophie's hopes for a recuperative idyll fade after her old boyfriend, who disappeared years before into the same cult as the campus gunman, appears in the area, implicating the cult in a criminal conspiracy. Meanwhile, extracts from the scrolls—the journals of a Roman visiting the villa just before the volcano erupted—shade toward bloodshed and betrayal." -- from www.amazon.com
I think this was my favorite novel I've read so far of hers. It was really the only one of her books where the ending was satisfying and the plot didn't feel incomplete...and there was a twist I didn't see coming which is always nice.
*The fountain in the photo is in the Villa Philmonte on the grounds of Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM
The Night Villa -- Started: Aug. 13, 2010 Finished: Aug. 14, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #57
Revolution -- "BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.
PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.
Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present." -- from www.barnesandnoble.com
This was a really good novel. I enjoyed reading it. The characters and the plot were interesting and I enjoyed the descriptions of 18th century Paris. The ending was good, but it felt like a few things were left unresolved that I thought could have been worked out before the novel came to a close -- especially Andi's relationship with her father.
Revolution -- Started: Apr. 7, 2013 Finished: Apr. 8, 2013
25 Book Challenge 2013 Book #24
77 Shadow Street -- "The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents—among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager—the Pendleton’s magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.
But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped." -- from www.amazon.com
I really loved this book. A little gross at times with some very vivid imagery and a twist at the end that explains everything - that I didn't see coming. Great book!
77 Shadow Street -- Started: Mar. 21, 2012 Finished: Mar. 28, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #24
Winter Reading Challenges end April 30! That's less than two weeks away; log those books to earn your prizes! Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
Black Ships -- "In a time of war and doubt, Gull is an oracle. Daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, chosen at the age of seven to be the voice of the Lady of the Dead, she is destined to counsel kings.
When nine black ships appear, captained by an exiled Trojan prince, Gull must decide between the life she was born for and a most perilous adventure - to join the remnant of her mother's people in their desperate flight. From the doomed bastions of the City of Pirates to the temples of Byblos, from the intrigues of the Egyptian court to the haunted caves beneath Mount Vesuvius, only Gull can guide Prince Aeneas on his quest, and only she can dare the gate of the Underworld to lead him to his destiny.
In the last shadowed days of the Age of Bronze, one woman dreams of the world beginning anew. This is her story." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a very good book...I was really impressed with the development of the characters and the time and research she obviously put into the novel. I would definitely recommend this book.
Black Ships -- Started: Mar. 12, 2010 Finished: Mar. 16, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #24
Lost Lands -- "There are places that turn up in literature or in film--mystical and legendary places whose names may be familiar but about which we know little. We nod knowingly at the reference, but are often left wondering about places such as Atlantis, the lost land overwhelmed by the sea, or El Dorado, the fabulous city that vanished somewhere in the South American jungles. Other names are more evocative--Mount Olympus, the Garden of Eden, the mystic Isle of Avalon, and Davy Jones' Locker.
But did such places actually exist and if so, where were they, and what really happened? What are the traditions and legends associated with them? In the fascinating new book, Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms, historian Dr. Bob Curran sets out to find the answers by journeying to the far-flung corners of the world and to the outer reaches of human imagination." -- from www.amazon.com
This was a good book. There were a lot of myths and legends I had heard of before but quite a few that I never knew about too. It was an interesting read and there was a great bibliography in the back -- I've already looked up a few of his references :)
Lost Lands -- Started: Jan. 22, 2010 Finished: Jan. 28, 2010
25 Book Challenge 2010 Book #8
What The Night Knows -- "In the late summer of a long-ago year, Alton Turner Blackwood brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a fourteen-year-old boy.
Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, re-creating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family—his wife and three children—will be targets, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was fourteen and killed their slayer.
As a detective, John is a man of reason who deals in cold facts. But an extraordinary experience convinces him that sometimes death is not a one-way journey, that sometimes the dead return." -- from www.amazon.com
This was an interesting mystery-thriller and very enjoyable. The only frustrating part about the story was the fact that while the protagonist figured out what was going early in the novel, the rest of the characters seemed to take forever to catch on.
What The Night Knows -- Started: Mar. 28, 2012 Finished: Apr. 12, 2012
25 Book Challenge 2012 Book #25