Readers who first became aware of Emma Donoghue via her blockbuster 2010 novel Room might imagine that her current offering, Frog Music, is a break from form. In fact, it's Room that's more of an anomaly in the author's canon. Donoghue has often crafted her novels by fictionalizing and elaborating on scant historical records to create richly detailed historical novels.
The Kettle triplets Lyn, Cat and Gemma are celebrating their 33rd birthday as they traditionally do, with three cakes and champagne and just the three of them. The triplets create a stir everywhere they go and this night is no different. However, what they don't realize is that this birthday is bringing to a head many years of secrets, misunderstandings, and misguided intentions.
I read How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read with my book club and, full disclosure, I was the only one who liked it. Which made for a rousing discussion!
My original reaction to this series was acerbic (see below). But now that I have watched all 4 seasons of The Tudors, I believe it’s worth sticking it out. It grows on you. The characters grow deeper and more complex. I actually learned a lot about the period, especially what turns out to be the very significant religious clashes of the time. The series does well in showing how each queen made her mark in history. So despite my original review, I’ve decided it’s worth some eye rolling to see the history of King Henry VII’s reign come alive.
Book Two of the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy finds the cousins and their friends planning their next move against the evil Cabahn. This time the story focuses on Connor and his sister's best friend, Meara. Following a surprise kiss which awakens unacknowledged feelings the two have for each other, things get interesting as each tries to deny the feelings they have and Cabahn uses their emerging romance to try to come between them. Will love triumph over evil? Don't miss this installment of Shadow Spell. Also check out Book
This is the story of Paul Rosenberg, one of pre-World War II France’s most influential and knowledgeable art dealers, as told by his granddaughter, Anne Sinclair. Rosenberg was hailed as a pioneer in the world of modern art, exhibiting artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Braque and Leger at his Paris gallery. With the German occupation of France in 1942, Rosenberg, as a Jew, was forced to flee France, leaving his artwork behind to be confiscated by the Nazis.
I have read every book in Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. Every time I read one, I wonder about the events that led to Gabriel being recruited by the Israeli intelligence service—the murder of 11 Israeli athletes by a PLO faction called Black September at the 1972 Munich Olympics. My curiosity led me to the book One Day in September, the facts behind the fiction.
Confession #2: I checked this out because the audiobook was readily available...
Confession #3: And maybe because there was a lot of buzz about the movie.
And you know what? I liked it. A lot. So much that I immediately started listening to another book in the series because I couldn't compel myself to finish my weekend housework unless my mind was in the universe of Ender Wiggin.
Enchanting language, lush scenery, a romping, completely factual story and a rascally, joyful raccoon are the fixings for this adorable and happy memoir by Sterling North.
Second in The Walter Day series, The Black Country finds Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad called to a small mining town to investigate the disappearance of a child and his parents. Secrets, superstition, and massive amounts of snow are only a few of the challenges Day and his colleagues face once they arrive in The British Midlands. The town is in the grips of a plague, calling on Dr. Kingsley to not only treat the ill but also re-educate the town doctor as well.
