Well, it’s RIP Reading time again, and I find myself in a bit of a bind. I definitely want to do Peril the First (any four books in the challenge categories in the challenge timeframe), but I have the small matter of a three week European vacation in September, with limited luggage space (seriously – […]
RIP Reading Challenge VIII 9/1/13 – 10/31/13 Read More »
I really enjoyed this book – it’s a look at Jesus of Nazareth the man, not Jesus the Son of God. The author gives a great deal of background of what was going on with the Jews being part of the Roman Empire at the time Jesus lived, which informs a great deal of why
Zealot – Reza Aslan Read More »
It’s a measure of how fascinating a character Queen Elizabeth I was that I managed to finish this book. Strike 1: When I bought it (several aeons ago, admittedly), I thought it was a scholarly book. When I picked it up to read it, and found that it was a fictionalized memoir, I was somewhat
Queen of This Realm – Jean Plaidy Read More »
Lavan Firestorm is a Herald mentioned in passing in the main Valdemar books, having been the last person before the present day of that world to have the Firestarting gift. This book is the story of how he discovered his gift, and became a Herald. It’s not a pleasant story, because Lavan was severely bullied,
Burning Brightly – Mercedes Lackey Read More »
This is a book of essays about songs that have particularly interested Hornby at various points of his life. The essays may not concern the song directly, but are sometimes about what that song may remind him of, or of feelings or events that that song is forever linked to in his mind. It’s an
Songbook – Nick Hornby Read More »
Karen Cushman writes really excellent young adult historical fiction, where she really gets inside the head of a young person from some past historical period, and does it in such a way that they don’t feel too modern, but still firmly belong in their own time period. Up until now, what I’d read of hers
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple – Karen Cushman Read More »
So, as I’ve probably mentioned any other time I’ve written up a McKillip book, is how she will throw you into the middle of a fully built up world, and you’ll just be along for the ride, picking up clues to what the heck’s going on as you go along. What makes this book different
Fool’s Run – Patricia A. McKillip Read More »
Anna Gravinsky was born before the Russian Revolution, the only daughter of a Count from St. Petersburg, and though she could have grown up spoiled, she grew into a charming girl beloved by everyone who met her. When the Revolution comes, Anna’s father is killed, and she, her mother and her younger brother flee to
A Countess Below Stairs – Eva Ibbotson Read More »
Any American gardener should read this book – it’s the story of Pollan’s evolution as a gardener at his New England farmhouse, but within this evolution, he explores quite a bit of what makes gardening here in America both the same as other places, and also very unique. One of the things he brings up,
Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education – Michael Pollan Read More »
The is the final book in the series that began with The Cold Minds, in a universe where humanity has had to flee Earth after it was taken over in an alien invasion. They found refuge in the Hidden Worlds, but in the last book, the Cold Minds have found them there. Also in the
The Dark Reaches – Kristin Landon Read More »
