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Beautiful poetry, some of it is very hard to interpret, even though the translation is good. It's just so hard for me to believe Rumi's love for Shams wasn't physical instead of religious. But that aside, the poems work either way. I always have to take my time when reading Rumi. His poems are to be savored. This new collection for his 800th anniversary is a jewel.

This was a good read, I especially enjoyed the first half of the book. A little emotional, and the twist became predictable to me in the end.

Sweet Dreams Oh my, Valentine knocked it out of the park with this read. This is a story of a serial killer. Valentine takes you through the mind of a serial killer like no one else can. The lead character is described in great detail and handsome he is. All the women are after him for his good looks and sex. Leo loves his scotch and his women. But this killer has gotten under his skin and he cannot let it go after seeing Gina his first known victim and a woman of his past. Will he be able to nail the killer or will he just get away.

I don't actually know what I just read. Some of the writing was really nice, especially at the beginning and with Wink's family. But I finished this book and the only thought in my mind is: I don't understand what happened. That's never a good thing.

The Third Twin was at most times unputdownable. It had the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep me turning the pages. It held my attention. The characters were fairly intriguing, and the mystery of the possible third twin was enough to keep me going. BUT, Revenge meets Pretty Little Liars it is not. I think there must be someone unwritten rule that if it's in the YA Thriller/Mystery Genre, you automatically have to compare it to Pretty Little Liars. Kudos to Sara Shepard, bad for all of the authors whose books have to live up to that same panting enduring, mysterious intrigue. This one does an okay job of it, but by the end I'd already guessed the ending and was not impressed. The author drops the hint of what's going on far too early and it kind of tells you what's going on before you can really start guessing. Hey, I like to play Sherlock, just like the rest of them. I would've liked to play whodunit, who is it, for a little longer. In some strange way it didn't make me not enjoy the book, I just had that whole, "I already know what's going on," feeling. That feeling is great when you felt like you've solved a great murder but not when you're reading like a three hundred page book, and you're only on page fifty. The characters themselves were interesting, not moving, but interesting. It gave me the whole, "The Lying Game" feel, which was fun, but already done. I know it sounds like I didn't like the book but I did. I enjoyed it, but I'm not crazy about it one way or the other. There's romance but it's tame. Although by the end, that part of it, I was happy with. I could go on and on about what's good and what's bad but it is what it is--an interesting story, with an intriguing mystery, and a so-so conclusion. I'd love to read a YA mystery that can hold a card to something Gillian Flynn could write, that would move me.

I was pleasantly surprised by this series! Once I started reading, I found it impossible to put it down.

Ugh. Talk about a family in denial...SoCal blonde teenager gets hooked on crystal meth, and it all goes to hell from there. Except that somehow she is some genius chemistry student who ends up working as a toxicologist in the medical examiner's office where she can easily steal drugs. San Diego governmental agencies have never had the best reputation, and this sort of clinches that for anyone who has doubt... the book was somewhat poorly edited and yet the story is so compelling I have started looking for another book about this weird story. And did I mention that the boyfriend apparently got away with murder? Because I have a strong feeling based on this story that he was as guilty as she. But the blonde makes a better made-for-TV movie and all that :(

so sad... to think how life use to be.

I read this book for the Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge. When I learned about this challenge, I immediately thought of this book. It was the first book I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. I stood in the children's section of our local library today and read it, chuckling to myself as I read the text and enjoyed the pictures, especially of Little Bear and his "space helmet" made from a box and his mother surprising him and his friends with birthday cake!

Argeneau #7- Totally cute!

I just finished this book and I all I can manage are a bunch of inhuman squeaking noises interspersed with high pitched whining as I once again realize this book is over. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure why I enjoyed Crimson Bound (and for that matter, her other book, Cruel Beauty), so much. Is it perfect? No. Did I have questions? Yes. Did I absolutely enjoy every second of this book and getting lost in it? You betcha. You know how some books just aren't your thing? You can't put your finger on it, you're not sure why, but it wasn't your cup of tea. Well, this book was the complete opposite for me. A million other people will probably read this book and find it completely mediocre and I just loved it. Period.

Just read it. Wether if you are grumpy old 80 year old lady who has cats and one dog or 5 year old boy who put his neighbors dog into his pond, this book will shore give you a laugh for many days.

Synopsis (unspoiled): Ashley, a high school senior has just lost her father, the bulk of her senior year, and her faith. Not only is she starving emotionally--as her mother works overtime and her brother disappears back to college--she starves physically, ravaged by grief and the pain of losing her closest confidant. She decides that God doesn't listen, and now she doesn't want to listen in church, either. This mean giving up on the 'good-girl' rules of her quiet rural town. Bad Ash, as newcomer Colt discovers, seems ready to do just about anything to hold her grief at bay. As the rush of rebelling ebbs, Ashley learns that grief is better shared and finds a safe space with a pure love. Review: This story is an accurate representation of the emotional trauma a deep loss brings. Confusion reigns for Ashley, and her risky behavior is an organic manifestation of frustration, anger and guilt experienced by many teens. There is some heat, as Ashley attempts to use sex to mute her pain, but it's rawness is not revealing. There's not a lot of whitewashing, here. Ashley's pain feels real and her introspection is honest. Ashley questioning her faith following her father's death risked being preachy, but Moore handled these dark waters with finesse. There are many lessons to learn from Ashley, but they don't amount to: "how not to live." In truth, Ashley's 'letting go' is more about releasing her negative emotional baggage and living her life, as her father had wished she would. I would recommend this story to anyone, and look forward to more excellent work by Leigh Talbert Moore.

It all starts with a lightning strike, sea cursed they say. Every fifty years two witches are marked by Othala then sent out to sea to perform the Reutterance. Never to be seen or heard from again. The goal, save the sector from succumbing to ravagers. A dystopian world divided into 16 Sectors to save both the human and witch races. Magical barriers protecting each sector from the ravagers. Well written the story maintains a steady pace with the characters developing and growing into themselves throughout. Demetria and Logan are sea cursed, falling in love and tasked with saving the sector, despite the overall anti-witch sentiment. Will they overcome the unforeseen struggles and prejudices to save Galveteen? Like all of the other Othala Witch Collection, Sea Cursed can be read as a stand alone. A great read for those who love happily ever after. 4.25/5 stars

Sometimes, you just need a hug and poor Goose is having a hard time getting his friends to understand that. But, it all works out in the end and hugs are had. :)

I am feeling quartered over Two Generals. In one quarter, I dig Scott Chantler's art with reservations; in another, I am impressed by his portrayal of the Nazis, when he happens to portray them at all; in another, I am simultaneously disappointed with his propaganda of Canadian excellence and pleased that he shows Juno beach, the least talked about beach in the Normandy invasion; in another, I am disappointed that the two parts of the Two Generals are all there is. His art: Chantler's illustrations are beautiful. There is a delicacy at odds with their perfect linear geometry that makes the illustrations surprisingly emotive. I didn't expect such emotion to be conveyed by a graphic illustrator whose style is simplicity, but I was wrong. Moreover, Chantler's use of close ups and repetition, mostly used in quiet moments, added a gravity that I appreciated. There was a problem for me, however, and that was that everything was too clean. Chantler shows limbs blown off and a foxhole full of Canadian dead, but even those moments are clean. I am not sure that Chantler's style can ever be anything but clean, which makes it a poor style, ultimately, for the portrayal of war. See, I am torn. His view of the Nazis: The Hollywood view of Nazis as buffoons or Nazis as pure evil is both inaccurate and, I believe, dangerously reductive. Not recognizing that they were regular people, living regular lives, who engaged in terrible things (or tacitly agreed to letting terrible thigns happen) makes it much easier for us to believe we could never do such things, which makes it much easier for such things to happen. Chantler doesn't go the Hollywood route. His Nazis are, indeed, regular folks. Fervent believers, but regular folks. Until, that is, he comes to Rommel and Hitler. The former is the accepted stereotype of the good and honourable German soldier trapped by circumstance, and the latter is the magnetic cult leader of our nightmares (a little more Manson that Hitler, actually). These portrayals, though, are as they are because these historical figures only appear on a couple of pages. I'd like to see Chantler write another of these historical graphic novels about Rommel. I wonder what that would be like? His propaganda: Living in Canada, having been raised by a Canadian Mum in amongst Canadians, having been educated by Canadians, I know how unappreciated Canadians feel for their contributions to victory in WWI and WWII. They feel very unappreciated. It makes sense then that Chantler, whose grandfather, Law Chantler (the protagonist of Two Generals) fought in the Normandy invasion, would write and draw about Canada's D-Day beachhead, Juno Beach. Furthermore, it makes sense that he would be writing to inform us all of Canada's WWII military excellence. But it bothers me just a little bit. I agree that Britain and the U.S. underappreciate the contribution of Canada (and England's other colonies for that matter), but I have a hard time with the desire seek appreciation for contributions to war. And when my reservations are coupled with Chantler's none-to-subtle suggestions that Canadians were the most poorly supplied, the biggest underdogs, and still made the most important contributions at every step of the D-Day invasion -- the crucial contributions that made victory possible -- I can't stop myself from squirming in my chair. My disappointment: Yet I find myself, despite how I am torn by this book, wishing that it was much, much longer. I didn't want this to end. I wanted to see more of Law Chantler's time in Europe, and I wanted to see much more of the Canadian contribution (minus the bias) to the entirety of the war. I hope Chantler continues to write personal histories of people and events. He has a gift.

Over the years, I have gone through periods of fascination (obsession?) with WW I, reading fiction and nonfiction. It's always been something I never could quite get my hands around in terms of understanding - we learned in school about Archduke Franz Ferdinand, trench warfare, etc. but that was just skimming the surface. With the recent disaster surrounding U.S. involvement in the Middle East making me struggle to learn more about the history and reasons for the seemingly random carving up of the Middle East, I welcomed the opportunity to receive a copy of David Stevenson's 1917 from Oxford University Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Stevenson, a renowned WW I scholar and historian at the London School of Economics and Political Science, has several previous books including Armaments and the Coming of War: Europe, 1904-1914 (1996), 1914-1918: The History of the First World War (2004), and With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat in 1918 (2011). Clearly he is up to the task of presenting his readers with the facts about the events of this pivotal year. But this is more than just facts. The full title of the book is 1917: War, Peace, and Revolution, and while it focuses on how events in one year can transform history, it also examines what made the war escalate in subsequent years. Stevenson focuses on two areas in particular: the Russian Revolution and American intervention. He looks at key decisions that were made along the way, including the German campaign of "unrestricted" submarine warfare, he official declaration of war by the U.S. in response, the abdication of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, and Britain's actions in the ill-fated Third Battle of Ypres. In addition to his close look at 1917, Stevenson points out the consequences involving other countries (including, India, Brazil, China the promise of a Jewish national home in Palestine). Both military history and political history are included and, as noted above, Russia and the U.S get the prime focus. TBH, this book is awesome but may have been even more than I needed to know about 1917! For anyone with a particular interest in this time period, or wanting to delve into the root causes and trace the horrible branches of turmoil that continue to this day in the Middle East, this book will be treasured. Superb history! Five stars.

I enjoyed the book...in many ways...first, it was a simple read...second, I like the character Cora a lot...she is strong willed knowing that she wants to live, and do everything possible to survive the illness she has...cancer...third, I loved the concept of the plot...and wondered if I would be soooo willing to say yes to a man, whose bond with me both confuses me...and causes a fire within my soul...hmmmm BUT, and yes there is always a but...I wanted more...I wanted to know more about Cora...more about Mr. Thorne...and maybe that will come out in the second part of the book, which I am now reading, because I want to know what happens...especially after she said "yes" to the treatment... So this is a good book, but I really wanted a bit more being the first part of the series...

The Thousand isn't typically a book I would have picked up to read. I don't tend to read thrillers and try to avoid anything involving math. But I happened to win a copy of the book in a contest on twitter (which I didn't know I entered). And because the book is set partially in Chicago and Guilfoile is a Chicago author I felt compelled to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did because I found the story to be completely captivating. It's one of those books that as soon as you think you have figured something out... guess again. The Thousand is a group of people who for generations have followed the teachings of Pythagoras. His teachings have to do with the relationship between numbers and the order of the universe. Set in Chicago and Las Vegas, the book centers around a woman named Canada Gold. When Canada, or Nada as she is known to friends, was a child she received a neurostimulator implant in her brain as a last attempt to control her severe attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The neurostimulator or spider (as Nada called it) gave her special abilities. She notices things that people didn't see. She hears things that people didn't hear. She uses these abilities to her benefit in Las Vegas first counting cards and then as a private investigator. Because she is so skilled she is hired by a businessman to return to Chicago and help him acquire art from an eclectic artist named Burning Patrick. Nada grew up in Chicago the daughter of a famed musician who was murdered shortly after he was acquitted for the murder of a young student. As the story progresses the reader finds that everything believed to be truth is really part of an elaborate scheme. And everything is connected. Both factions of The Thousand are looking for Nada and she doesn't know who she can trust. As a life-long Chicagoan, I found Guilfoile's descriptions of the city to be gripping. He nails the descriptions of the people and the places. I found the scene involving the riot in the park to be particularly haunting. I also fell in love with some of the characters. I felt for Wayne Jennings, the head of security who loves Nada. I was sad for Nada's best friend, the prosecutor. Kloska, the veteran Chicago Police Officer, seemed like someone you want to hate but underneath it all there's something oddly appealing about him. He's looking for the truth even if it costs him everything. The one problem I had with the book was that I had a hard time keeping track of the two waring groups, Acusmatici and the Mathematici. I had to keep thinking back to try and remember which group was which. But it didn't keep me from enjoying this story. In fact it probably helped enhanced the story since I couldn't quite remember which group was responsible for which activities. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller. You won't regret it.

*sigh* Where to begin with this book? I suppose I'll start with the positives (since there aren't that many for me). The writing was beautiful and whimsical and I immediately fell head over heels for this book from the moment I began reading it. The plot sounded promising; there was love on the horizon and a bit of a paranormal aspect to it and I was here for it. And then things got WEIRD. I was SO CONFUSED because literally everyone was named Jack. Jack the first, Jack II, Jack the 5 millionth. I didn't know what was going on half the time because there were TOO MANY JACKS. A better name for this book would be A Million WTFs because I ended that book with more questions than I started with. The story centres around Jack "June" O'Donnell IV and Saul Angert and their families generations-long rivalry. Of course, like any good story, the rivals turn into ~true love~ and then somehow that leads to one "seeing morning" in the other and they all lived happily ever after. Or not. I'm not entirely sure because this book confused the living daylights out of me. There's a curse on the family too, because why not, and while I thought that was interesting in the beginning, I did not ever get the satisfaction of understanding of why the curse was there. I mean, there was a whole thing that "explained" it, but did it make any sense at all? NOPE. And to think I was ready to give Saul Angert a coveted spot on my book boyfriend's list! NOT HAPPENING NOW! The ending of this book was filled with so much cheese, my lactose intolerance started acting up. The things Saul and June said to each other *gags*. No one talks like they do! It was terribly unrealistic and just plain irritating. When I'd first started reading the book, I recommended it to my friend because I thought she'd love it because I was loving it and then, sadly, I had to retract my recommendation because this book was just *insert face palm here* It was a struggle getting through the last half of the book and that actually saddens because I wanted SO BADLY to love this book. Unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me. I suppose I can see why people might like it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

When I first heard the Jim Butcher's wife was writing a novel, I was rather sceptical. I had read a few of the Dresden File books and loved them, and figured Shannon was just jumping onto his coattails. (Can you blame me? Stephen and Tabitha strike a bell with anyone?) When I read No Regrets however, I was immediately hooked, and had to eat a small serving of crow. Damn that woman can write- and Burning Alive, her first paranormal romance is no exception. Right away the chemistry between Drake and Helen sizzled on the page- I couldn't get enough of these fantastic characters and the intriguing world that Shannon had created. My only criticism is that I have to wait NINE months for the next installment!

Read it as a child and just couldn't get into the animal connection. Love horses, never had a relationship with one.

This comic gets off to a shockingly shaky start with a "0" issue which is a positively dull walk through a score different artists. The volume picks up from there, but it never actually becomes good. Instead, we got plotless issue after plotless issue, most of them descending into mindless, gratuitous, and graphic violence. I like the characters, and I like the occasional funny, but toward the end of issue #6 -- as a totally pointless series of murders, strung out over three issues, was coming to its end -- I decided that I was wasting my time. So, consider this a review off issue #0 through half of #6. If the comic suddenly started being worth reading in #7 and #8, I couldn't tell you. I'd expected a ton more from the great acclaim this book had gotten. Though it's certainly not in the dull style of the original New 52, I don't think the empress was actually wearing any new clothing.

It fasinated me about the life and time of Cleopatra. What this woman went through to gain the respect of her people. She fought to be treated as an equal to men and succeeded. I admire her.

There was really no point to this other than an attempt to be scandalously controversial. It didn't work.

What an excellent war novel by Tim O'Brien. I appreciate war novels but don't always enjoy them when they become too prechy or seems to want to say "I had the worst story, mine was the most tragic". You don't get any of that from O'Brien just a straight story. He doesn't add frills or expect you to believe a certain thing. It's a very moving account of a terrifying war. I'm going to recopy a few of my favorite lines to give you a sense of the book; definitely worth a read! "They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent aw for the terrible power of the things they carried" "They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory..." "Though its odd, you're never more alive than when you're almost dead" "Courage was not always a matter of yes or no. Sometimes it came in degrees, like the cold; sometimes you were very brave up to a point and then beyond that point you were not so brave" "It's safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true."

Catalina next?? Also- Linus Duncan you sly old fool.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and it wasn't like other books I've read like this. I'm happy to say that I found this book to be very tasteful, original,and all around a great read.

Crosspost: TheReadingBelle.com I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me an ARC of Blood Rose Rebellion. All opinions are my own. Let's talk about Blood Rose Rebellion. What a book. I literally don't have any words to describe this one. My first warning sign should have been for fans of Red Queen, but I did not want to immediately judge the book. I was in the mood for historical fiction. I saw Blood Rose Rebellion on NetGalley and it had a unique synopsis. Now, I've never read a YA fantasy/historical fiction book set during the Hungarian Revolution. It was something new. Something exciting. Something fresh. Blood Rose Rebellion was not. Well, once again I have no words to describe how I about this book. What I appreciate is that the author took a lot of time educating herself with Hungarian history. Kudos to her. But though her hard work was put into her book, I cannot say this book was terrific. It was very underwhelming. Anna Arden is manipulated easily. People tell her what to do and she does it! She does not think for herself! Throughout the whole story, she was manipulated by her peers and friends. It was frustrating reading about a character who could not make up her own mind. She was foolish when to came to deciding on who was right or wrong. She did not take time to analyze the situations presented to her. I really had a difficult time warming up to Anna because she was so reckless and destructive to everyone around her. Folks: EVERY DECISION ANNA MADE RESULTED IN HORRIBLE EVENTS TAKING PLACE! A lot of tragedy could have been avoided if the girl had used her reason. Besides having a puppet mentality, she was driven to do certain things because of boys. Not saying that being boy crazy is a bad thing, but she put any guy she liked on a pedestal over her family. In the beginning she is head over heels for a man named Freddy. Though Freddy is a jerk and an irrelevant love interest, Anna would do anything for Freddy. She even sabotaged her sister's magical debut. I found myself not liking the relationship Anna had with her sister. No sisterly love whatsoever. Instead, both sisters competed for a guy who did not chose either of them. As I mentioned Freddy is irrelevant compared to the other love interests. Talk about boring love interests. By the way, one of Anna's love interests is her second cousin. So yeah, there's incest in this book. I was not a fan of both love interests. The love interests were not fleshed out. It seemed like all the boys were attracted to Anna, and I was shaking my head. No, no, no, no. Another case of a special snowflake that everyone loves, but I just hated. The romance was pointless because the guy characters were as bland as toast. Neither guy was great for Anna. And she was not great for them. Many characters are introduced throughout the book. Luckily there was a glossary at the end of the book that served as a reference guide when I felt lost. The only likable characters from Blood Rose Rebellion were her cousin Noemi and her grandmother who were the voices of reason. Those two characters wanted to keep Anna in check from committing dumb decisions. Yeah, they tried in keeping her safe, but did not succeed. Unfortunately. By the way, this book starts off really slowly. Nothing was happening and then everything became extremely dark near the end. The book had great concepts such as introducing demonic monsters and incorporating true historical events into the story. The mythology was cool as well just because it was new to me. But even though all those story elements were great, it did not work with Blood Rose Rebellion. Too much information and explanations that dragged on and on. Oh my goodness, I had to put this book down several times. I felt that I was mostly skimming through some of the chapters. The most entertaining sections were the overly dark chapters that were added too late into the game. After reading Blood Rose Rebellion, I am not picking up the other books in the series. I can see potential of more books, but after reading this book with no plot and flat characters, and a pointless romance, I would just stop and move on with my life. I did not like it, but maybe anyone else will. Final Rating:[?][?]

This picture book depicts life under a military dictatorship, where people are dragged away at gunpoint for disagreeing/resisting. Although the nine-year-old boy in the story doesn't understand everything that is going on around him, he figures out that it is wrong to imprison people for having a contrary opinion. When asked, bribed even, to report his own parents' activities, he must make a difficult moral decision. Unfortunately, this is real life for many children throughout the world. This book presents a balance between realism and relating the material in a child-friendly fashion. Nothing is dumbed down here, but there is no graphic violence either. Both the text and the illustrations convey the gravity and hardships of life under a dictator, but without directly telling readers what to think or feel. Readers are allowed to draw their own conclusions, and encouraged to think about their own decisions in similar circumstances. Because of the complexity of concepts and the amount of text, this book is best used with upper elementary students. Great discussion starter for a classroom or group. Perfect for a writing activity - ask students to draft their own compositions.

wooooooooooooooo good thriller!! actually when tulip set the shed on fire, I felt the fire burning around me....i think we all have the "tulip" kings of friends :-)

Not a bad book. I think I like his Women's murder club books more.

Given the extraordinary length of what I've just finished reading, I'll try to keep this mercifully short. I suppose I'll continue to have my reservations over the ending of "The Stand" for the rest of my life. However, that should not take away much from this good ol' tale of good versus evil. For this is a book with a five-star plot, a five-star narrative (courtesy of King's superpowers when it comes to storytelling) & a motley bunch of characters I genuinely cared for throughout the course of this big, fat book - if only the ending had not been such a three-star one. Okay okay, three & a half at best. So my rating is more of a 4.5 than an outright 5, but this tale of dark Christianity is undeniably Stephen King's masterpiece & a modern-day epic in its own right. Highly recommended. P.S. This is a somewhat unpleasant habit of mine - bragging about bargain deals when it comes to books. But this one here - I paid only 50 bucks for a copy (INR 50<$1) that was good as new. God is great.

This what Henry Grady Weaver had to say about the Decalogue: The Ten Commandments Finally, as a last resort, Moses reduced the teachings of Abraham to a written code of moral law. Known as the "Ten Commandments," it stands today as the first and greatest document of individual freedom in the recorded history of man. Each of the Ten Commandments is addressed to the individual as a self-controlling person responsible for his own thoughts, words, and acts. And each of them recognizes liberty and freedom as inherent in the nature of man. The first commandment tells the individual to reject pagan gods and recognize his own worth as a human being, subject to no power but that of the Creator and Judge. The second tells the individual to form no image of abstract rightness, but to direct his reverence toward the divine in truth. The third tells the individual not to speak frivolously of the Creator and Judge. Knowledge of fundamental truth - cause and effect - is of first importance and should be taken very seriously. The fourth tells the individual to devote some time (one day out of seven) to reflection on the eternal verities. The fifth recognizes the family as the primary human relationship and establishes the parent's authority over the child as the only authority which a child should accept for his own profit. The sixth stresses the sanctity of human life -the individual's right to live, which is a right that must not be violated by any other person. The seventh establishes the principle of contract - the inviolability of promises given by persons to each other - and the double sanctity of the marriage contract, which is the basis of the family. The eighth recognizes the individual's right to own property. The ninth recognizes free speech - the individual's control over his own utterances and his responsibility for their truth. The tenth emphasizes again the right of ownership. Not even in thought should a person violate the property rights of another. The Decalogue of Moses is one of the most amazing statements of truth ever written, but it was too revolutionary to find acceptance in the pagan world of his time; the ancient Israelites wanted a king rather than a code of personal conduct. He also included a charming footnote about the origin of the first name of Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband, which was Almonzo: *One of the returning Crusaders -an Englishman named Wilder, whose life had been chivalrously saved by an Arab foe -decreed that the name of his rescuer should be carried down through each succeeding generation of the Wilder family. Thus it is that Rose Wilder Lane's father bore the name Almanzo - the original was probably El Manzoor. I got this story, not from Mrs. Lane, but from one of the delightful children's books written by her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder; and I suspect that the daughter's deep interest in the Saracens stems from the family tradition.

Sort of film noir style. I didn't really like it. It was too "hard bitten" for me, or something like that. Maybe I would have liked it better if I had listened to it on the radio - done in a sort of Guy Noir style like on Prairie Home Companion.

well! muito cliche, muito previsivel sem acrescentar nada de mais. mas apesar disso foi uma historia leve e engracada que deu para umas horas de entretenimento.

Decue par ce bouquin, ca se laisse lire, mais c'est trop superficiel :( j'ai lu beaucoup mieux par l'auteure !

Trust No One is the latest stand alone out by Ms. Krentz. Like River Road, her stand alone that came out last year, it really brought me back to her pre-parnormal book days. I really enjoyed this one. Grace finds her boss murdered in his bed. It brings back memories of the dead body she found when she was 16 years old. Seeing the vodka bottle next to the bed makes it seem more sinister. It's the same type of bottle that she found years before next to the other dead body. She shrugs it off as a coincidence until it seems that someone is stalking her. She meets millionaire, Julius on a bad blind date, but he ends up being the one who can protect her form harm. For a mystery, this one was a hard one to work out on my own. There are a couple of twists that made it pretty intriguing. It was hard to piece together how the murders, missing money and a dead rat in the fridge (Personally, I was with Grace on her decision about that one!) all fit together. But, I really liked it and thought the solution made a lot of sense. The romance was fun as well. Even though they were set up on an awkward blind date, Juluis and Grace end up realizing that there is an intense attraction. Grace is reluctant to get involved since she has never had a great track record with men. She always ends up fixing them. I thought Julius was good for her. The only thing that got old was the constant "Witherspoon" affirmations. It kind of made the book have too much of a goody-goody feel to it. I could have done with less of that. I hope this is a new trend for this author. I am enjoying her straight Romantic Suspense books. I look forward to the next one!

Now that the long Johns dynasty is finally over, can we step away from galaxy-shaking stories that crossover all the Green Lantern titles? Nope. Instead we dive right back in with Light's Out, another big crossover. At least it moves beyond the woes of the Guardians and the emotional spectrum! Sort of. The premise is actually quite troublesome because it suggests that the emotional spectrum rings have destroyed the universe before by depowering it, and will do so again. Decades ago, Star Trek: The Next Generation did a similar story about warp speed destroying the universe, and it was so problematic that it's been ignored ever since. This take looks equally troubled. Not only do our heroes become villains (because they're destroying the universe), but there's simultaneously great and constant angst over using the rings. Worst of all, the Lanterns become the fascist ring police, arresting people for "unauthorized use of the emotional spectrum". I kid you not. Even now, it sounds like satire to me, but it's offered with a straight face. The crossover is also a mess because (like so many Nu52 books) the storyline is spoiled by poor trade paperback alignment. This volume contains only a fragment of the Light's Out narrative, and so it's mangled and hard to understand. For perhaps the first time ever in the Nu52, the editors tried to include a text page to bridge the many missing issues ... but it's mostly impenetrable. Beyond that, that stories that we do get are just way too full of dull fighting. The first two issues are the worst, because they contain an entirely nonsensical attack on Oa by the Orange Lanterns that feels like it was just the comic spinning its wheels until it got to Light's Out. I really wanted to like the volume, because I'm a huge fan of Robert Venditti's Valiant work, and at times his writing skill shines through. I liked his bits about rebuilding the Corps and bringing in new members (even if they're admittedly repetitive, since the Corps had been rebuilt about 73 times since the Green Lantern comic started). But that goodness was mostly crushed beneath the mandates of the crossover, which really soured this volume. So, take some decently good writing, but weigh it down with a massively incomplete crossover with some very troublesome philosophies underlying it, and you get ... not good. I was disappointed and skimming more and more as I got to the end of the volume.

This entire run of Moon Knight has been disappointing because of its focus on shallow stories that don't go anywhere, but unfortunately Bunn's attempt at the format is the worst of the set. This book contains five sort of outre mysteries of the sort we saw in the previous two books, but they're just not that interesting. I mean: ghosts, dogs, bogeymen, glider people, and cult. I had to look back to even remember any of them. Then we have a total lack of characterization and a total lack of continuity. I thought this book had very beautiful artwork, and some of the action is depicted well, but that's not enough to produce a good, or even average, book. Overall, it feels like this entire run of Moon Knight can be ignored. I hope the post-Secret Wars title is a pretty major revamp, else I'm done.

I've seen a lot of mixed opinions about The Heir and The Crown, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed reading this one! Much like the first three books, The Heir was a simple and fluffy read, but one that was still very entertaining. I know a lot of people dislike this book because of the main character but I honestly really liked her. I found her flawed but still very relatable. She definitely has her problems but I think in YA we get a lot of these seemingly perfect female protagonists and I think it was really nice and refreshing to see a protagonist who is flawed but still has the potential to go through a lot of character growth. I also think that a lot of aspects of her personality make complete sense considering her background. I liked getting a different perspective of the selection in this book as well. Getting to know all of the boys made this a really fun read for me. At this point, I have no idea who she will choose to be with in the end (if anyone) and I like that about this book as well. Reading the selection you can pretty much tell who America will end up with from the beginning and I like that with this book it will be more of a surprise.

Positively wonderful!!!!

The title alone wins it a good rating.

I bet if I read this now, I'd hate it, but I loved it when I was a little girl. Poor Heidi! Poor grandpa! Poor crippled cousin!

The poor Pout-Pout Fish has a permanently pouty mouth. He thinks all he can do is spread the dreary wearies all over the place until he gets a surprise from a fish no one had seen before. Lots of repetition and very sing-songy. Good for preschool or toddler storytimes.

J'ai hesite entre 4 et 5 etoiles mais comme c'etait vraiment super fun... va pour 5 etoiles ! Une tres tres belle decouverte, ce manga est vraiment super drole, dans la droite ligne du meilleur de Ken Akamatsu mais sans le ecchi qui me plaisait moins... vraiment super sympa !

what the fuck

Easy enough read, my complaint is the "what happened to us" which of course all comes out,, it just seemed like it took forever. By that time I had it mostly figured out. Despised Ford and her sister, my goodness they were mean people!

It's Sonia Sanchez.

Didn't like it as much. Still a fun read but just didn't have the impact of Ex-Heroes.

It was no time to play. It was no time for fun. Wages were stagnant and the good jobs were gone. We sat by the window, we sat there we two. And we wondered and wondered for something to do. Then Sally and I, we heard a loud bump-- a bump and a thump and a painful-like grunt. We turned in our chairs and there in the landing Was a Cat with a laptop, who was rather tall standing. "Greetings, my friends, how sad you all look!" said the Cat in the Hat as he sat on a book. "Allow me to help; I can see you need care, and when you get older some money to spare." "Well yes," said I, "that would surely be nice. If you know some good tricks we might take your advice." "All right," said the Cat, "There're some things that I know that surely will pay a nice pension to go!" There are risks to these tricks," said the Cat in the Hat. "But they can't be avoided, I'm sure you know that." "Get out!" yelled our fish, "You should not be about. You should not do these tricks when our gov'ment's out!" "Oh phsaw!" Said the Cat, "There is no need to frown. Market forces will make sure I don't let you down!" "How?" Said the fish, "How does that work?" "It's simple," said the Cat in the Hat with a jerk. "If I did anything bad, I would not be let in." "So you see," said the Cat, "it works out in the end." "You came in on your own," our old fish pointed out. "Facts," said the Cat, "are things which cause doubt." And doubt is not good, when you want to have fun! So follow me now and let us have some." And the next thing we knew he was up on the desk. He was bending and grinning. He looked Reaganesque. [the remainder of this piece is on my writing page]

I absolutely adored this book, lol! The colors are inviting. The story is hilarious. I can think of a few yuck mouth adults I wish I could get to read this book. I think this book will make kids laugh and brush their teeth. No one, especially children want to be talked about and excluded about something they have control over like brushing their teeth. Good job Shelley!

The plot would have been interesting IF it had been developed more (like an actual novel instead of a novella) or if the focus had been more on Emily and the man she ends up marrying. As it is, the narrative jumps from person to person so fast you don't ever really get to know Emily. In fact, it took half the book before I finally got that Ben wasn't the hero of the story but a lot of the story is about him. I am not inclined to continue with the series or even go back to read the first one.

Closes the series and ties the stories in a nice touching way. A definite must-read graphic novel.

3-3.5 stars While I liked it, I didn't love it. I found the mystery aspect of the Ghost of St. Giles more intriguing than the plot of finding the killer. The romance between Caire and Temperance while steamy, didn't hold that much of a connection for me. The secret Temperance held was taboo back then but I thought there would've been more to it. Also, the reason why Caire felt pain when being touched by others was kind of explained but I didn't really buy it. On the other hand, I liked the secondary characters and the events that took place within their lives so will continue on with the series.

I knew when I picked up this book that its a teenage novel. I also knew that it was set in a different time. I primarily picked it up for the laughs. It is a book about giving up pretentions. It explicitly states that it was meant for teenagers. I think people that age should rather read this than Twilight or something. the story was pretty straightforward, there were some turns but they were not hard to predict. The narration could have been better, its rather confusing and thin at times. A one time read.

Marc is the 4th book in the Bowens Boys Series - Jonny is on the run from Roy and ends up working for Marc - she thinks she is the only "one" like her - a freak of nature. Marc believes that when his "mate" died that was the end for him until they meet. Jonny doesn't trust anyone and Marc won't let her go. Once you start reading you won't want to stop - you will want to know what happens between these two. A definite must read - Kathi S. Barton has done it again. Would definitely recommend this book to others.

Raptors is, without a doubt, the best poetry book that I have read so far this year - Tellegen is an exciting and playful writer, but big credit should also be given to Judith Wilkinson who did such a marvellous and job of translating it. Raptors is a kind of story in poems focusing on a fictional father figure - each poem starts with the words "My Father..." The poems hover between magical realism, myth, and straight metaphor, but that makes them sound a little dry. These poems are anything but dry. They are seriously playful - they dance, sing, shout and wring their hands, all at the same time. If I was asked to copare them to anything I would say maybe Vasko Popa and Charles Simic, with a bit of Selima Hill an Moniza Alvi thrown in.

Edelleenkin ihan hyva Tiina-kirja.

This nook tries to be many things for many audiences, but winds up failing across the board, sadly. Astute readers will realize there's trouble afoot when the cover blurb says "Where the socialites are witches" as opposed to "Where the socialites are REAL witches." Subtle, but big, difference. The book itself wants to be Sex & The City meets Anne Rice. Sadly, it's neither sexy nor scary enough to succeed on either level.

4.5 Stars for this M/M shifter mystery romance. Avery and Dylan are both shifters living in Portland, Oregon. They have known each other for two years and should be happily mated except: 1. Dylan thinks true mates are miserable, case in point--his parents. 2. Avery is a hedgehog shifter, and was deeply offended when Dylan made fun of the idea of mating with such a lowly creature (Dylan is a respected wolf shifter). 3. Avery insulted Dylan after Dylan's insult and now they mostly hate each other. Avery is a bit of a spoiled brat. His parents give him a hefty monthly allowance which he blows on expensive clothes, personal yoga training and gourmet food. And still, he wagers on an illegal shifter race and finds himself $15K in the hole to a crime lord. Dylan hears of Avery's predicament, and bails him out. He doesn't have to, but he chooses to save his mate, even if they aren't officially mated. In the course of his money trouble, Avery's parent's cut off his allowance and Avery is begging for a job. The Portland Pack Alpha is Avery's BFF Jaden's father, and Avery is able to secure a pack job, bringing meals to shut-in shifters and driving them to appointments. It's lowly, but Avery appreciates that he has more purpose than ever in his life. In the meantime, Dylan and Avery recognize that their bond is becoming stronger of its own accord, and they should probably get to know one another to see if completing the mating ritual will be the biggest mistake evah. It's quietly endearing, the way they date and barely touch. Dylan fears being forever glued to a mate he cannot stand, and seeks some advice from his mother. He decides to "go slow" and this is good and bad. We get a lot of tension, but Avery isn't sure if Dylan's really interested. Hedgehogs don't have the same fated mates dynamic as wolves, so he figures Dylan is only invested from a wolf standpoint--and Avery doesn't want to fall hard for sexy Dylan if it's all one-sided. I really did enjoy prickly Avery. He's so tender on the inside and armored on the outside! Even his designer clothes are a form of protection, keeping others at bay. He gets over himself, and really starts thinking of others first as the plot unfolds. Yay! The final 2/3 of the book involve a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young female shifter, only daughter to one of Avery's shut-ins. Avery vows to find the lost girl and gets dragged into an investigation of a human trafficking operation. Expect a lot of action and drama on this front. Dylan is a great guy, the kind of mate anyone, even Avery, would desire. And Avery's desire is so attractive to Dylan that he's drawn in, against his reticence. There are some yummy sexytimes, though they happen in the second half of the book. I did like the slow burn, and the cautious moves into what Avery and Dylan understand will be a forever relationship. They treat each other with respect, though there is a bit of secret-keeping that drives that action in the climax. Definitely rooting for these guy in the sequel. And the secondary characters are all super yum. Expecting to see them in their own books!

lot of Chicago references but just an okay detective mystery.

Perfect. This book was realistic enough that I imagined I was friends with these kids (back in the day, of course...) and that I was right along with them on the bus, on the sailboat, in the library. It was also just spooky enough that I was glad to really just be reading about it and not actually on the quest, too. I loved how Holly Black explored the boundaries of friendships and growing up and being sure and certain about things at the same time. Doll Bones was a perfect blend of real and make believe. Often, the lines between them merging and grey. This is the perfect kind of book. One you relish in and so badly want to be real, but are grateful for the nightlight next to your bed!

4.5 Stars Riley is a marketing exec working with her four best friends at their jointly-owned cabaret bar/restaurant Seduction. She's just convinced all the partners that a food television special would help boost Seduction into the upper echelon of restaurants, and feels really good about their prospects. In fact, her professional success is far more assured than her personal success as Riley's suffered many a bad date. She's pretty much given up on finding a decent man. While lamenting it one night at the bar, a stranger offers some sage advice-and Riley's mortified to learn that this gentleman of wisdom is the producer of the network special, Trevor Cooper. Trevor is a 37 year-old divorced man whose had his share of difficult relationships. His ex-wife was a two-timer and he's still reeling from that betrayal. He finds Riley to be attractive, but he wants to keep things professional. However, he sees how disappointed she is by the schlumps she dates and decides to offer her one "perfect" date so she can experience a fun night out with a decent man. And, then Trevor's caught: he wants more. Only, Trevor is only supposed to be in Portland for a few weeks while he films the Seduction special. It's not long enough to build anything real, is it? Riley and Trevor make the most of their short time together, soon deciding that they might need to take this relationship into long-distance mode, but that's not really where their hearts lay. And, it's complicated by some (over-the-top) dramatics by two women in Trevor's past. For me, that was a bit messy-and unrealistic-and those interactions are the capstone of Riley's issues with separation. She needs direct communication, on the regular, and Trevor's inability to provide it leads Riley to stand up for herself and make a painful choice. I liked how she stood on her own, rather than caved for a poor substitute of her needs. Riley's a strong gal, and she knows her worth. Meanwhile, Trevor made an abrupt shift into "Clueless" the second he boarded his plane for LA. Not that he didn't get a clue when his pals stepped into the picture and pried his eyes wide. And, his grand gesture was pretty sweet. There's lost of love and sexytimes packed into this shorter novel, and fans of the series will love this return to Seduction and the sexy gals who run it. It's the fourth book in the series, but reads well on its own. And, the end sets up the final book-romance for snarly chef Mia-with a dramatic flair. I'm really looking forward to reading it!

Gianna is a great story and I really loved how Kate Messner handled the aging grandmother who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. Like FIRE AND ICE, it took me awhile to really fall in love with the MC, but once I did, this story was golden. Beautiful images of leaves are now in my head, I just wish there was autumn in Singapore...

This was a quick, fast, dystopian YA novel that sets you up for more books. There is a blood fever that came through the land and killed all of the adults who contracted it, but to each of the kids that contracted it, it left them with markings and special abilities. Society has attached these people with a stigma that is only getting worse, very similar to what the Jews experienced in Germany before the war. They are being blamed for all the poverty or struggle, they are being limited in social interactions, they are being threatened to be banned from the city, etc. Our main character is a girl with one eye who had the blood fever as a child. Nobody knows her skill though since she has been unable to produce it while running away to prevent being illegally bought underage to be some gross guy's mistress (and who wouldn't run away from that lovely scenario). Now that she's produced these special powers, the government wants to get rid of her but she's saved by a band of other people with special abilities and becomes a part of this group trying to bring the government down and put the rightful prince on the thrown. That's the basic premise of the novel in a nutshell. It didn't wow me but it did take me on an adventure that I want to see where it leads, so there's that. It is definitely in the same vein as An Ember in the Ashes, so if you enjoyed that book, you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

This review was originally written for Joyfully Jay Reviews and can be found here: http://joyfullyjay.com/2016/10/review... 4.5 Stars for this contemporary YA coming out romance. Connor Fitzpatrick is the oldest child of five in his family. He's got straight A's and is the starting catcher on his all-state baseball team. It's his junior season and he's really angling for a scholarship--if he doesn't mess up, as his father continually reminds him. Messing up is something Connor's dad did seventeen years ago, when he got Connor's mother pregnant--with Connor--and gave up his college scholarship to start a family. He runs an auto repair shop, where Connor works on weekends for pocket money. They have just enough to make ends meet, but no more. Connor's entire focus is to escape Green Valley, the small Indiana town he's known his entire life. He doesn't want to find the new kid, an obviously gay boy they call "Guyliner," attractive. He really, really doesn't. Connor's got a girlfriend after all, even if they've been dating for months and never even kissed. Graham is starting his life over again. He was the victim of a horrific hate crime at the hands of his ex-boyfriend's family and barely survived. (I thought this would tie back to Nobody's Hero the first book I'd read from this author because the locale and hate crime were similar, but the circumstances and names were slightly altered.) Now, Graham's not going to hide anything anymore, and he's willing to take the abuse if it means being his true self. His armor is artfully applied eyeliner and snarky t-shirts with gay quips. Oh, and he's a phenomenal soccer goalie. The kind scouts come out to watch and recruit. Connor and Graham get wrangled into a project together--after a locker room run-in with some bullies set on making Graham's life miserable. Each Saturday they spend a few hours sorting old sports equipment. They develop a friendship--and mutual hidden crushes--but Connor resists anything else, first because he's not sure he's actually gay, and secondly, Graham's family is obviously wealthy--and it unsettles Connor. A weekend trip with Graham and his family to Chicago for a Cubs game and a night in Boystown cements the answer to Connor's doubts: he's all-the-way gay. And he really likes Graham, a lot. But he's not able to come out. What college program would recruit an out gay catcher? What if his parents disown him? Connor thinks Graham couldn't understand, because he's rich and talented, and he'll be out of Green Valley as soon as his diploma is granted, right? Except, Connor learns about the deep scars, both physical and emotional, that Graham will always carry for his previously hidden relationship. Powerful moments in Chi-Town. Connor's life changes for the worse in the next few weeks, however, and that brings a whole lot of trouble for both Connor and Graham. From bullies, to rumors, to certain problems with Connor's baseball prospects, they go through a very tumultuous month. Graham won't date Connor on the down-low, no matter how much he wants to have a boyfriend, but he will be a friend and a rock through these trying moments. He's been there after all, and he survived it. Guyliner is a sweet and tumultuous contemporary YA coming out romance. The pace of the book is excellent. There are real emotional moments, from Connor's insecurity about his family's status and his place within that family--it's tough to always believe you were the mistake that ruined your dad's life, and it's shaped Connor into a "people pleaser." It was really awesome to see Connor grow past that. Graham is such a great guy, and he's great for Connor. He's not anxious to move forward quickly, and only on these terms: open and out. It's for his protection, and, like anyone, he deserves that level of respect. He's been a "dirty secret" and he'll never sign up for that again. The honest conversations Connor has with his family are just the right amount of tender and tough, and help to resolve a lot of his personal insecurity, in addition to coming out. Connor's best friend and girlfriend are really good supports--and strong allies for Connor when he really needs them. The romance between Connor and Graham is not the main focus of the book, and there's no steam. A little kissing on the page--that's it. It's a mainstream-type coming out book, and the "passion" felt in line with other books I've read. There's a grand gesture here that's a little shocking and totally sweet, and moves these two from rumor to confirmation in a way that was respectful. These two wonderfully rich and layered characters find an unexpectedly happy ending, and a boyfriend, when they least expected to, and that was enchanting to experience.

When We Were Very Young (Pooh Original Edition) - A. A. Milne I'm not sure what it says about me that I don't really like any poetry written in the last fifty years. But it is no doubt some kind of meaningful that I have always loved Milne. *** Now I read it and think about a soldier coming back from WWI and choosing to immerse himself in domestic life, writing about and for children, and I feel tremendous pity for all those poor bastards, both the ones who made it back and the ones who didn't. I'm totally down with writing poetry and imagining the real lives of stuffed animals, and really looking very closely at a child too young to go to school. Everyone always says to parents "those years fly by so fast" which is true, but not helpful. It doesn't actually clear your life of any of the other things you have to do so that you can really soak in it. It doesn't give you a minute more of sleep in those years when you are chronically deprived. It certainly doesn't buy you an hour out of work to do something pleasant with a child. You go, Milne. I'm sorry that your use of his name and likeness wrecked Christopher Robin's life, but what are you going to do? Everyone's life sucks somehow. At least something good came of it. That's enough.

5 stars What a thrill of a ride! From the shooting standoff at the beginning of the book dating back 1976 to the last page, this is a gripping story of deception, lies, and events that are all interconnected. Dawson Scott is a journalist who just returned home from Afghanistan. Just as he was sent out to do a story on blind balloonists (that's right), his godfather (Gary Headly) called and asked him to cover another story, one that he believed had some connection to his case back in 1976. What unfolds is full of twists that I never expected. I had to read those paragraphs a few times to wrap my head around it. My first book by Sandra Brown, Mean Streak, I reallyyyyy disliked Jeff. In this one, Carl Wingert made him look like a saint! Carl's selfish, egotistical, gutless, heartless, and very manipulative to the point of brainwashing. You can say he's good at gaining people's loyalty, but I call it brainwash! I really felt bad for Flora and even Jeremy towards the end. The romance that developed between Dawson and Amelia was great. I loved his interaction with her boys, in fact, they provide the lighter laughing moments in the book. My mind is still blown from what Dawson disclosed. There's lots of depths to these characters, and the storytelling is top-notch. Miss Brown is fast becoming a favorite romantic-suspense writer for me.

** SIN SPOILERS ** Esta vez se queda en un 3,5 sobre 5. Y sin duda tengo mucha mas culpa yo de esta bajada de expectativas que la pluma de Pierre Lemaitre. Este libro es el primero de la serie sobre Camille Verhoeven y yo, por error, empece a leer el segundo libro, el de Alex, pensando que era el primero. Total,que en el segundo capitulo ya me habian reventado este libro. A partir de este punto, y aunque me he empenado en abandonar el otro libro y seguir con este, ha sido un largo suplicio esperando el final que ya sabia. A pesar de los pesares, el libro me ha gustado y lo recomiendo a los amantes de los buenos thrillers pues la rapida y por momentos frenetica pluma de Pierre no deja indiferente a nadie.

A very powerful read that I recommend to anyone interested in the Holocaust. Primo Levi gives a thorough account of his experience that just jumps off the page. His languge gives you the ability to actually picture the events he describes. He really takes you right into the heart of what he went through. I also liked how he was able to describe and relate other prisoners in the camp as well as the Germans and his relationships with them. A truly horrifying read but well worth the effort. It's a story that should be read because the Holocaust should never be forgotten. RIP Primo Levi.

The Good Doctor presents the history of Egypt, the Land of the Nile, from 8,000 B.C. to the Six-Day War with the modern state of Israel; delivering it with his usual inimitably lucid and witty style. This is another one of the Good Doctor's many enjoyable and informative narratives covering the history of civilization.

Nao e mau, mas tambem nao e o livro-sensacao do ano. Nao gostei das personagens porque qual delas a pior....

I have always had an interest in Japan and in particular some of their earlier histories with samurai. I initially started reading this story about five years ago or so and then life got in the way. Finally picked it back up and wanted to finish it. This book transported me back to a time period in Japan where there are still ronin, samurai, ninjas, and other interesting characters. It centers on a foreigner from England that was an English pilot on a Dutch warship that lands in Japan. He gets pulled into a major series of events between the varying powers of the day in Japan, including other foreigners from the Catholic church who control much trade. It was my first foray into historical fiction and because of it, I am exploring other books in the genre now. There were many interesting situations that happened and the author painted vivid pictures, even for things that may not be so appetizing: "Here, drink this. Make better. Settle hara." The doctor had a benign smile, Blackthorne drank and gagged on the brew that smelled like ancient bird droppings and mildewed kelp mixed with fermenting leaves on a hot summer's day. The taste was worse. This is a fairly adult book, with adult scenes and lots of violence and killing, which makes sense due to the plot and the characters within the story. I hope to eventually find a copy of the mini series they did of this book for a made for tv movie but have not been able to run across it yet. I ran across an article talking about the historical accuracy of the book, but have not had a chance to give it a read: http://www.columbia.edu/~hds2/learnin...

taattua Tuija Lehtista. Vaikka olen ylivanha lukemaan naita kirjoja, jotenkin ne aina tarttuvat mukaan. Hyvia novelleja, vaikka muutama on varmasti julkaistu aiemmin lyhennettyna MeKahdessa tai SinaMinassa. Lehtisella on oma tyylinsa, mika paistaa lapi jokaisesta hanen kirjoittamastaan kirjasta.

I don't even remember when I first gave this a try... just that the first 60 pages or so were so slow I gave up. Then I started manning the school library and came across it again, nothing much had happened so far besides the main character dying so I just picked up around chapter 20 and kept going. Turns out I had stopped just before the juicy flashbacks start, so I was hooked, and half embarrassed to be reading it in a school library because the romance was sweet and tender and... kinda more explicit than I expected from a YA book, I've gotta say. The tension throughout the book is out of this world, but that isn't all; the characters are fantastic as well. Sad Seth and smartarse Tomasz and baddass Regine and the world building... I don't want to spoil you but it's an odd combo of not so original and remixing well known ideas very well. It isn't a perfect book, getting a bit speechy towards the end but it's a GREAT reading experience. Will definitely check out more Patrick Ness.

...ooooh my...this book holds soooo many emotions for me....I loved every minute of this book...and really hope that some publisher publishes the sequel...I have to read Sweet Hope!!!... ...more of a review to come...

MOSQUITOLAND and ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS had a genius, country/folk child.

This book was spectacular. I can't believe how much King was able to accomplish here. This is riveting, disturbing, thought provoking, insightful, brilliant writing. I was impressed by how sophisticated this book was. It works not only as a harrowing chronicle of the physical and mental degradation of the teen boys undergoing the Long Walk but also as a fantastic anti-war (specifically anti-Vietnam) parable. It is also a prescient critique of reality TV culture. The characters are so rich as individuals and King does a great job sketching their complicated relationships with each other over the course of their ordeal. I thought King did a great job exploring how extreme adversity can bring out so many different aspects of a man's personality: bravado, anger, self destructiveness, pity, empathy, humor as coping mechanism, altruism, selfishness, the will to die and the will to live, numbness and extreme emotional volatility. There is nothing I didn't love about this book. It was an incredibly skillful, gutting piece of writing from beginning to end. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Well, hmmmm. Although lots of readers raved about this story, it just didn't work for me on many levels. I can live with instalove and instalust, but the main characters got together way too early in the story for me to feel any connection between them whatsoever. The storyline is clever and could have made a good book, but there was just too much thrown in to create any real depth to the characters or to the situations. There is a major plot twist at the end that is just completely and utterly unbelievable. I give the author credit for some interesting ideas, but this book is in need of a good editor. Also there is a wrong word that is used during a crucial scene that hopefully was fixed in the final version. I'll give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume that is was because if not, it completely changed the tone of the scene. ( Usually I purchase the finished book but I didn't in this case.) So take a look at all the positive reviews, and give is one a try if you think it's for you!

Re-read in anticipation of the film.

The intrigue here was spectacular. Claire and Jamie struggle to keep their piece of NorthCarolina war free, but internal battle lands in their doorway.

A masterful synthesis of both researched scholarship and a reflection of past scholars themselves. But all with the focus on the original folklorists themselves. Due to my lack of knowledge in various Haida nuances (some of which could have been more elaborated upon) my enjoyment of the stories was uneven, but still it is a great collection.

Will you find me with the bloodied snow--where some frail thing was raptured? There are some truly talented poets in this anthology, and some truly fascinating experiments with form, though I myself preferred the more traditional offerings. At times, I found the poems pretentious--too self-aware, perhaps, like poetry for own sake, failing to contribute greater thought--or alternately completely incoherent and rambling. On the whole, it's not a collection for the casual reader of poetry, but should appeal to the prosody obsessed. Some of my favorite poems in the collection include: "Cedars of Lebanon" by Derrick Austin, "A Retrograde" by Desiree Bailey, "Swallowed" by Mark Bibbins, and "On the Sadness of Wedding Dresses" by James Galvin. I received this ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Ava is a great character, I like that this is a series because I didn't feel like I got to know her until towards the end of the book. I'll look forward to learning more about her and the other characters, Uncle especially. The storyline kept my interest, I felt sorry for some of the antagonists in the books because they honestly didn't know what was coming. Even when forewarned. I loved the international flavour of the settings and enjoyed hearing some familiar places described, Toronto, and others less familiar. Will definitely be checking out book #2.

Gail Simone's Red Sonja takes a while to distinguish itself. The first half of the volume feels somewhat mundane, and it only really starts to shine in the second half, which has some moments of Sonja-esque greatness and some neat twists. The characters also start to gain more flesh by that time. I have faith that the second volume will be better, but this first volume wobbled on the edge between mediocrity and goodness.

I really wasn't sure about this book when I started reading it, but a few chapters in an I was hooked. Completely not what I was expecting but an excellent political mystery.

Remember when the Flaming Lips went through their period of nonsensical lyrics such as: "Snakes eating frogs, toads eating gnats When the space ship beams you up boy, get drunk fast Rubber bullet barn, titty suckin calf- Goats and roosters Bees and bugs Amoebas!!" Reading these stories was pretty much just as fun as listening to the album Clouds Taste Metallic. Take the story of Davit for example. After his sister goes out an an incredible adventures that wears out a pair of stone shoes, she talks talks to some sheep, climbs up a stags horns who reach to the sun, she finally has an interesting conversation with the sun's mother. Finally, we come to the moral: "In this world, next to a good mother, what can a man have better than a good sister?"

Operation Mincemeat tells the story of an elaborate hoax to fool German forces of an impending invasion of Italy, at the tail end of World War 2. It involved floating a body, carrying false documents, off the coast of Spain to be picked up by local Spanish fishermen. The body and documents were then hoped to be passed through to German authorities - fooling them into preparing for an Allied 'invasion' in a completely false landing area. Many might recall the movie and book, The Spy Who Never Was, on which this is based. Using historical facts (fortuitously given to the author), it tells the great lengths the project's masterminds , Montagu and Cholomondley went through to create a believable ruse. From finding an age-appropriate body, to falsifying documents, writing 'love' letters, planting used ticket stubs - they created a detailed back story that would make their subterfuge believable. Much attention and care was given to the clinical and technical aspects of storage, transportation and delivery of the corpse - again showing the levels of detail and planning undertaken. The book also gives historical accounts of people (major and minor) on both sides that contributed to the Operation's design and it's deceit. To the author's credit - Allied and Axis characters are written objectively - their story is larger than the moral ambiguity of the war in which they were in. One writing style, I didn't enjoy was the amount of detail that the author uses to seemingly justify the amount of research conducted. Minor players - whom you easily forget - have many pages written on their past - family, school life and loves - it did feel labored at times. I suppose when one is writing a historical piece, one is at pains to fact-check and properly reference - but there needs to be some balance, I felt. On the whole, however - an engaging read. It provides amazing insight into the world of espionage and deception. It also celebrates heroes and villains - that due to their different callings made extreme sacrifices for which the reader is asked to judge the morality. I would recommend it for anyone liking World War 2, history and the espionage genre.

Our youngest granddaughter Piper loves this delightful series. I borrowed her first book in the series so I could read it and learn why she likes this series so much and so I could talk to her about the book(s). The book is great! Now I know why our Piper reads this series over and over. Follow the Reader. Follow Piper.

Forgotten and unnoticed, Caleb Reed thinks he's losing his mind. After the accident and his sister never came back, life totally changed for Caleb. Never getting over her death and never really grieving things just got worse for him. Agoraphobic and panic attacks at the slightest change were his usual day. Noticing changes at the old mansion over the road were a whole new ball game. Then discovering a letter on the steps, could he really go outside and get it? This book is all about overcoming fears and pushing boundaries, that were thought impossible. With a little help from a certain someone, leaving notes for him. A really great book, I would definitely recommend it. I received this book in exchange for an honest review( LOP)

A page-turner! A captivating story that kept you guess.

I liked: This is a story about space, science and sexy astronauts. The writing is great, especially how the author captured the deep connection between the MCs. I got swept up and carried away with the story. The MCs. Curt is the confident brash mission commander. Patrick is the brilliant but insecure engineer who is forced to take on the very public role of chief CAPCOM. How the author used portions of an old interview to tell Curt's backstory.

This volume is strongest in its first "issue", which includes a chilling plot by the Joker and a very believable reason for Superman to go out of control. It remains interesting from there, offering up an intriguing DC Universe that's ripping itself apart, but it never quite reaches the height of its beginning. With that said, it has some flaws too. Some characters like Aquaman and Damian act pretty far out of character solely to advance the plot and perhaps half of the art in this volume is substandard, which is probably a result of its digital origins. It's not quite Kingdom Come, but it's still well worth reading.

I am on a roll! This book was great as well. The ending may have been a bit rushed, but I was ok with that. Loved both the H and h in this, it was a good love story.

More than 100 poems written in various poetic forms including riddles, limericks, story poems, haiku, this title showcases the considerable talents and versatility of J. Patrick Lewis. As is often the case in his writing, many of the poems abound in word play and clever puns. Since most of them are short, young readers are likely to enjoy learning them for themselves. The pen and ink illustrations add quite a deal to the pleasures of sinking into these poetic lines. Over and over, readers will realize that poetry does not have to be about serious issues, but can simply be FUN!

Overall, this is the best Black Panther volume since the first, thanks in large part to its new focus on new characters and a new, more down-to-earth locale. Black & White (50-56). Priest's Black Panther often ended up a little too muddled in its later days. This return to New York and introduction of a new Black Panther was what it needed to reduce the complexity and offer a more readable story. And, it's a pretty great story: a noir story of dirty cops, bad choices, worse results, and (ultimately) revenge. And, there's still just enough complexity, thanks to nice flashbacks throughout. The grayed artwork nicely complements all of this. Though the story is far from Panther's Africa, and though it doesn't have the humor of some of Priest's earliest Panther, the change in direction and tone nonetheless creates one of Priest's best Panther stories to date [8/10]. Ascension (59-62). The idea that Cole could become a true Black Panther by repeating the Rite of Ascension is quite a nice one, a good extension of his story. Unfortunately, it also moves away from the noir of his previous outing, returning to the more standard tropes of Priest's Black Panther, which just aren't as interesting as the story that was being told about Cole. Still, this is a good conclusion (or turning point at least) to Cole's story -- other than a rather surprising revelation about a death, which was actually quite unwelcome. It's obvious that the ending came a bit quickly, as we don't wrap up what's going on with the gangs that Cole is targeting, but so it goes. [7/10]. The Crew (1-7). A brand-new comic featuring a team-up of White Tiger (the new Black Panther), Jim Rhodes, Josiah X, and Junta. The first five issues are entirely great. They're strong character pieces defining our new team and they play fun games with chronology, as they jump back and forth between the past and the present. The last two issues are notably weaker, probably because the comic was cancelled and everything had to be suddenly wrapped up in two violent issues [7/10].

A classic poem complemented by vibrant and fitting artwork.

** spoiler alert ** Iniziato per rispondere ad una provocazione e capitolo dopo capitolo, mordi e fuggi, lite e attimo di dolcezza fugace,mi sento stregata dalla loro storia travagliata e travolgente. Filo conduttore la tenacia cocciuta e ingenua di Giulia che contro ogni pronostico fa sperimentare questo sentimento nuovo e sconosciuto al saccente Max che si trova davanti un mondo che non ha mai sperimentato quello dei sentimenti umani! Finale che mi spiazza ma sicuramente non banale ;) lettura intensa e scorrevole consigliato di nota personale,,,leggete questo libro ascoltando " londra brucia"dei negroamaro perche sembra scritta per questo libro ;)

Unbonded, both Leonna and Nicholai are required to attend the Betram ritual. As anticipation and excitement rolls through Leonna, Betram offers her one night of freedom from who she has become. Hidden behind a mask, she embarks on a journey that will cost her more than she was willing to bargain for... Reluctant and not willing to bond, donning a mask Prince Nicholai remains in control of his beast. That is until the enticing scent of honey captures his attention. As dawn approaches, with a night of passion he will not soon forget, Nicholai is forced to let the unknown woman go. A quick, fun read with some interesting twists and turns. Unforgettable Lover was provided by the author for an honest review