![]() ![]() "This book is a good book and you should buy this book and read this book." It made me resolve to spend more time being furiously happy." It made me feel like maybe I'm not a total human trainwreck. "This Book made me laugh in a restaurant, it made me cry on an Airplane. ![]() While it's still fresh in my mind, here are some Potential Blurbs for your book." "Jenny, after a long delay, I've finally finished your book while flying. I finished reading the book on an airplane, and I was so happy and weepy and amazed that I sent Jenny the following series of text messages: I want to encourage people to read the book so that your lives will be dramatically embettered. And when I love a book this much, I want to talk about it. She's got Gaiman, Allie Brosh, and all manner of other fancy folk singing her praises.) (Not that she particularly needed one from me. The bad news is that my life is such a bloody shambles that I didn't get back to her in time for a gushy blurb to make it onto the back of her book. I loved it even more than her first book, which I enjoyed so much that I bought multiple copies to give away as Christmas presents. Earlier this year, I was one of the lucky people Jenny sent an Advance Reading Copy of her newest book to. ![]()
0 Comments
![]() something far more sinister than gryphons. ![]() ![]() Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again. Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. ![]() They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay-and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters. A debut historical fantasy that recasts Jane Austen’s beloved Pride & Prejudice in an imaginative world of wyverns, dragons, and the warriors who fight alongside them against the monsters that threaten the kingdom: gryphons, direwolves, lamias, banshees, and lindworms. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Getting lost in a book after a boisterous family gathering is my definition of introvert self-care, and it’s nice to be reminded (via fiction) that all families, no matter how loving, are complicated. ![]() With the holidays quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to pick up an engrossing story about complicated families. Setting, plot, and character come together so beautifully in these sweeping family sagas. I especially love books that follow families over multiple generations or across vast landscapes, revealing how time and place impact their relationships. For the last few years, I’ve even included a “families are complicated” category in my Summer Reading Guide because I can’t get enough of these absorbing relationship-driven novels. This isn’t just a plainly true statement-it’s also my favorite literary sub-genre. ![]() ![]() ![]() Other groundbreaking books followed: MAYADA, DAUGHTER OF IRAQ ESTER'S CHILD LOVE IN A TORN LAND GROWING UP BIN LADEN (please visit this page to read an in-depth interview with Jean Sasson about "Growing Up bin Laden". Please visit this link to read an interview with the author about her book "Princess". Later Sasson wrote two sequels (DAUGHTERS AND CIRCLE). The book was an international bestseller published in 68 different editions (also staying on the NYTIMES bestseller list for 13 weeks). Later Sasson wrote PRINCESS: A TRUE STORY OF LIFE BEHIND THE VEIL IN SAUDI ARABIA, which is the story of a princess in the royal house of al-Sa'ud. When the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington heard that soldiers sent to free Kuwait did not know why they were there, the Embassy sent 200,000 copies to the region. The book was an instant best-seller, reaching #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. Jean started her writing career in 1991 when she wrote the book, THE RAPE OF KUWAIT. She traveled extensively, visiting 66 countries over the course of 30 years. When given the chance to travel, Sasson accepted a position at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, and lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 12 years. ![]() She also began her book collection at age 15. An avid reader from an early age, she had read all the books in her school library by the time she was 15 years old. Jean Sasson was born in a small town in Alabama. ![]() ![]() ![]() He'd much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno-for his one good leg. Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. This hilarious, expertly-plotted adventure keeps you racing through the pages and leaves you desperate for the next book (and craving a steaming mug of hot chocolate)!" -Shannon Messenger, New York Times best-selling author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and the Sky Fall series "A perfect storm of inspiring heroes, surprising twists, and some seriously scary monsters. Cervantes' take on Maya mythology featuring a boy who has to stop the god of death. Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents J.C. ![]() ![]() ![]() After the match, I found out he’s gay, so that made the vast expanse between us more real.” I found him attractive from the start but assumed he was straight, so it was just a harmless flirtation. Dave asked if I would take him to the polo match to give him a chance to investigate among people we know without being too obvious. A tough cop I met while helping Dave with the kidnapping issue. ![]() “I guess that’s possible sometimes, but not in this case. Have you considered it might be a form of self-protection? Only wanting the ones you can’t have has a way of keeping you single.” How odd that you should affix your affection on one who doesn’t care about you. I’ve seen you with many men over the years since you returned from school, but none of them lasted more than a few dates, and none of them ever sparked what I would call romantic interest. “I guess you could call it unrequited romantic interest.” “So if it’s not exactly romantic troubles, what exactly is it?” His grandfather was enjoying the guessing game. ![]() Your mother’s doing, I believe.” The old man could have been talking about a date with a girl, he was so comfortable with it. “I heard you had a date with the Westerberg son. The old man had a way of diving to the truth. His grandfather sat on a love seat at one end of the room, so he took the identical seat across from him. He walked down the stairs and into the large, comfortable room. “Come talk to me.” His grandfather turned and walked into the living room.ĭid he want to talk? He’d have to be careful, but yes. ![]() ![]() Since 2011, Kelly, who has a Mormon background, has written four historical romance novels that focus on the lives of young Mormon women: Borrowed Light, Enduring Light, My Loving Vigil Keeping, and Safe Passage.īorn in 1947, Carla Sue Kelly calls herself a navy brat. She also has a strong interest in the American West, which is reflected in her earliest published works and in her non-fiction. However, her regencies only reflect a part of her writing interests. While many Regency romances feature soldiers returned from the Napoleonic Wars, several of Kelly's books include soldiers and sailors actively involved in the Peninsular campaign and in the naval blockade that prevented France from invading England, bringing this war to life in an unforgettable way. ![]() Renowned for what she calls "dukeless" regencies, her stories often revolve around ordinary people solving their own problems. books they keep in their private collections, and accordingly they can be hard to find. Her books are what romance readers call "keepers," i.e. ![]() She is the author of over forty books and short stories. ![]() Career Achievement Award – Romantic Times, 1994-95Ĭarla Sue Kelly (born 1947) is an American writer in the Regency romance genre. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Looking back on her childhood, she reflects, "It was in such a paradise that I lived." When she turns twelve, however, Annie's life changes, in ways that are often mysterious to her. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mother's benign shadow. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful presence, who is the very center of the little girl's existence. A classic coming-of-age story in the tradition of The Catcher in the Rye and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Kincaid's novel focuses on a universal, tragic, and often comic theme: the loss of childhood.Īn adored only child, Annie has until recently lived an idyllic life. Annie John is a haunting and provocative story of a young girl growing up on the island of Antigua. ![]() ![]() ![]() That people can respect me as a human being, to this day, is something that I have doubts about. He also portrays himself as a victim of racism:“I knew I was supposed to be convicted, that was just how the system worked. In my opinion, he doesn’t quit pull it off, although he did succeed in planting some doubt in my mind that he was guilty. He would have us believe that he was an innocent victim. ![]() Those were cold broads.”He goes into tremendous detail about his rape conviction involving Desiree Washington. He sums it by saying “I was traumatized by the relationship. He is honest about his juvenile delinquency and sums it up pretty good on page 36 saying, “I did a lot of bad sh**”.He goes into detail about his highly publicized relationship with Robin Givens and her mother. He tells about his early life of being in an alcoholic home without a father and being traumatized by beatings, something that no doubt lead to his later alcoholism and drug addiction. For the boxing aficionado, he goes into a lot of detail about his relationship with Cus D’Amato and the art of boxing. It is an honest book I think and he tells the kind of life he lived without sugar coating. That being said, let me tell you some of the highlights and my impressions. The language of the book is the language of the street and the reader should expect a lot of profanity. It is an easy read but takes several days because it is so long. ![]() It is 552 pages long not including the Epilogue. I am glad I read it and I do recommend it. I just finished Mike Tyson’s memoir “Undisputed Truth”. ![]() ![]() ![]() Others, however, feel differently, causing friction within the community.įred, who has been trying to navigate her own feelings of displacement, ends up befriending a few refugees. Some people in town, like Luca, think it's great and want to help. Soon after learning about the baby, Fred hears that the town will be taking in hundreds of refugees seeking safety from a war-torn Kosovo. According to Fred's teacher, maps don't always give the full picture of our history, but more and more it feels like Fred's family is redrawing the line of their story. Her birth father was never in the picture, her mom died years ago, and her stepfather, Luca, is now expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. If you asked eleven-year-old Fred to draw a map of her family, it would be a bit confusing. ![]() "Timeless and beautiful, and it deserves to be read by people of all ages." -Printz Award-winning author Melina Marchetta Wolf Hollow meets The Thing About Jellyfish in Danielle Binks's debut middle grade novel set in 1999, where a twelve-year-old girl grapples with the meaning of home and family amidst a refugee crisis that has divided her town. About the Book In 1999 Sorrento, Victoria, twelve-year-old Winifred (Fred) grapples with the meaning of home and family amidst a refugee crisis that has divided her town. ![]() |