5/10/2023 0 Comments Background Noise by Peter DeMarcoYes, it sounded dark and depressing-but it also included an interesting psychological bent that roped me in. When Peter DeMarco asked if I'd be interested in reviewing Background Noise, I read the description and immediately was intrigued. But does the justice he metes out make him a popular hero or an enemy of the people? In razor-sharp prose reminiscent of Haruki Murakami, Peter DeMarco startles the mind while touching the heart. Written as a collection of interwoven short stories, told in sparse, piercing prose, this haunting novel examines Henry Walker’s transformation from the misfit and the victim- to vengeful retaliator. As Henry immerses himself in his past, memories become guilt, guilt becomes regret, and regret becomes obsession-until violence seems to be the only logical response. While suffering the loss of close family members and friends, desperately seeking companionship in the form of unconventional friendships, and becoming a victim of extreme bullying and violence, Henry ultimately becomes an outcast in the only town he knows. From an alienated adolescent to a frustrated young adult, Henry encounters one disappointment after another. Troubled young suburbanite Henry Walker is on a one-man mission to clean up his town, protect his property, and chase after fantasies of a better life ahead. Source: e-copy provided by the author for an honest review
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5/10/2023 0 Comments Vera by stacy schiffShe fascinates of her own right.” - The New York Times Book Review But the triumph of Véra is not just in providing entrée to her famous husband. This portrait of a fifty-two-year marriage to a woman who was the writer’s prime reader opens up Nabokov’s private life. “An absorbing story, illumined by Schiff’s flair for the succinct insight. Stacy Schiff's Véra is a triumph of the biographical form. Véra, both beautiful and brilliant, is its outsized heroine-a woman who loves as deeply and intelligently as did the great romantic heroines of Austen and Tolstoy. Set in prewar Europe and postwar America, spanning much of the twentieth century, the story of the Nabokovs’ fifty-two-year marriage reads as vividly as a novel. “Without my wife,” he once noted, “I wouldn’t have written a single novel.” Nabokov wrote his books first for himself, second for his wife, and third for no one at all. Stacy Schiff brings to shimmering life one of the greatest literary love stories of our time: Vladimir Nabokov, émigré author of Lolita Pale Fire and Speak, Memory, and his beloved wife, Véra. ONE OF ESQUIRE’S 50 BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME
His career as a top attorney (he has never lost a case) prosecuting men who abuse their wives also gives him the resources to provide Grace with anything she wants, even a brand new house, which she will only see after the honeymoon. Grace will become Millie’s guardian when Millie graduates from high school in the next year Jack understands that he will have to be a part of Millie’s life. Grace’s parents never wanted children and would rather move to New Zealand for their retirement. Grace falls in love with him because he seems to understand her attachment to her sister, whose care Grace has basically been in charge of since Grace was a pre-teen. From there, Jack and Grace have a whirlwind romance. Millie had been dancing when no one else was, pretending to have a partner, until Jack came to the rescue. He wins her over when he saves an awkward moment-dancing the waltz at the park bandstand with Grace’s sister, Millie, who has Down Syndrome. When Grace Harrington meets Jack Angel in Regent’s Park in London, he seems like the perfect man-smart, kind, and even more attractive than George Clooney. 5/9/2023 0 Comments Mere christianity book 1He examines its role in the conversion experiences of such figures as Charles Colson, who read the book while facing arrest for his role in the Watergate scandal. Marsden recounts how versions of those talks were collected together in 1952 under the title Mere Christianity, and how the book went on to become one of the most widely read presentations of essential Christianity ever published, particularly among American evangelicals. Tolkien and Hugh Dyson-and how Lewis delivered his wartime talks to a traumatized British nation in the midst of an all-out war for survival. George Marsden describes how Lewis gradually went from being an atheist to a committed Anglican-famously converting to Christianity in 1931 after conversing into the night with his friends J. Here is the story of the extraordinary life and afterlife of this influential and much-beloved book. Lewis’s eloquent and winsome defense of the Christian faith, originated as a series of BBC radio talks broadcast during the dark days of World War Two. 5/9/2023 0 Comments Who We Are by Nicola HakenSeb is bi sexual and has a 15 year old son Scott and also hasn’t dated for a while. At one bar they go to, Seb is so enamoured with the sexy barman that he ends up asking him out and thus the story of Ollie and Seb begins. Seb doesn’t usually go out to bars but his best friend Benny is celebrating his birthday and has dragged Seb out to join in the fun. There has been little activity in the boyfriend department until Seb literally falls into his life at the bar he is boosting his earning at. He is colourful and theatrical and his alter ego Mis Tique allows him to sing and perform and exude a confidence he doesn’t always feel in his everyday life. Oliver is a hairdresser with a creative flair that overflows to his own image and character. Ollie sacrificed his own young adulthood and now that his baby brother Tyler is 14 is trying to re-claim his life a little bit. What a wonderful young man entirely devoted to raising his brother after their mother passed away from cancer. I absolutely fell in love with Oliver straight away. Delphini: Situation Critical by Hannah Walkerįalling Hard: Stories of Men in Love by Dale Cameron LowryĬozzi Cove: New Beginnings by Joe Cosentino 5/9/2023 0 Comments Goddess test bookIt was fun having a base knowledge of Greek mythology without being a diehard fan who knows the stories by heart. She certainly took creative liberties in telling her own version of the stories. I can say I was pleasantly surprised by the spin Carter took on Greek mythology. What did you think of Aimee Carter’s spin on Greek mythology? Did she give the genre a breath of fresh air or stray too far from the traditional tales?īridgette – I was not sure what to expect based on the description of this book. If she succeeds, she will become Henry’s bride and a goddess. He strikes a bargain with Kate he will keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Enter Henry, a dark, tortured, and mesmerizing guy who claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld. Kate is now starting at a new school with no friends, no other family, and the insurmountable fear her mother won’t live past the fall. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. It’s always been just Kate and her mom but now her mother is dying. Please see above for more details on the book. Today we will be reviewing The Goddess Test by author Aimee Carter. Other Books in the Series: Goddess Interrupted, The Goddess Legacy, and The Goddess Inheritanceĭisclaimer: There may be some “spoilers” in our detailed banter below: My four year old enjoys listening to the story although I’m not sure how much she really understands about paintings. Katie’s mini adventures within each painting add a fun element to the book and James Mayhew’s illustrations are beautiful and in keeping with the artistic theme. I originally bought Katie’s Picture Show for an art topic when I was teaching Grade Two and the entertaining story (with a non fiction element included) was a great way to introduce children to different paintings. She eats apple pie and cream cakes, plays with a hoop, visits the jungle and has to be rescued from the final painting by the museum guard! So begins an amazing adventure in which Katie climbs into five very different paintings. At the first painting Katie ignores the Please Do Not Touch sign and discovers that she can climb into the painting. The Story: At the art gallery Katie’s grandma tells her to go and look at some pictures while she has a rest. We’ve read many more since and also been to one of James’ storytelling sessions at The National Gallery in London. Katie’s Picture Show was the very first of James Mayhew’s Katie books that I bought. 5/9/2023 0 Comments The library book susan orleansTelevision adaptation Īs of 2019, Orlean is slated to collaborate with James Ponsoldt to write and executive-produce an adaption for television. The Library Book became a New York Times Best Seller. You really never know how seriously interesting a subject might be until such a person takes a serious interest in it." In The Washington Post, Ron Charles called The Library Book "a wide-ranging, deeply personal and terrifically engaging investigation of humanity's bulwark against oblivion: the library." Reviewing the book for The New York Times, Michael Lewis wrote, "Susan Orlean has once again found rich material where no one else has bothered to look for it…Once again, she's demonstrated that the feelings of a writer, if that writer is sufficiently talented and her feelings sufficiently strong, can supply her own drama. The Library Book received strongly favorable reviews and was selected as a "PW Pick" by Publishers Weekly. So begins Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa’s fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep. But it is also exciting as Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. Pioneer life is sometimes hard for the family, since they must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack. Told from four-year-old Laura’s point of view, this story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. This edition features Garth Williams’ interior art in vibrant full color. Little House in the Big Woods is the first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s treasured Little House series, which was based on her life growing up as an American pioneer. Publisher: HarperCollins Reprint edition () Illustrators: Helen Sewell and Garth Williams Here is a brief overview of Little House in the Big Woods. Our Recommended Reading for Children & Young Adults and Recommended Reading for Adults articles have been popular resources for readers interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie. 5/9/2023 0 Comments Stone cold touch bookI just can't stop reading!"-New York Times bestselling author Gena ShowalterĬan't get enough of Zayne? His story continues in the New York Times bestselling Harbinger series: "Armentrout works her magic with swoon-worthy guys and a twist you never see coming."-#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines She's offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden, finally getting what she has always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count piling up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing or able to pay. Rock bottom is only the beginning once Layla's powers finally start to evolve. And she can barely think about Roth, the forbidden demon prince who understood her in ways no one else ever could. Suddenly, the Warden clan that has always protected her is keeping dangerous secrets. Her best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to her mysterious power of a soul-stealing kiss. Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. From the author of From Blood and Ash, one touch can heal in book two of the Dark Elements series. |