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After spending years as a corporate lawyer in a big law firm in NYC, I'm looking into starting my own practice. I have time to explore NYC, learn to cook and eat healthier, exercise, garden (on my Brooklyn balcony), and read more. My interests are very broad from cooking and gardening to real estate, estate planning, tax law, investing and law to escapist fiction of all types to nonfiction and memoirs.
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By: Gaby317,
on 5/22/2013
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I'm excited to share this interview with Ben Kane, the author of the Spartacus series. I'd previously read and reviewed the first three books in the series. The latest book, Spartacus Rebellion, has just come out.
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
St. Martin's Press
Hardcover; 464p
ISBN-10: 1250012775
Spartacus has already done the impossible—not only has he escaped from slavery, he and his seconds have created a mighty slave army that has challenged Rome and defeated the armies of three praetors, two consuls, and one proconsul. On the plain of the River Po, in modern Northern Italy, Spartacus has defeated Gaius Cassius Longinus, proconsul and general of an army of two legions. Now the road home lies before them—to Thrace for Spartacus, and to Gaul for his seconds-in-command, Castus and Gannicus.
But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. One of Spartacus's most powerful generals has defected, taking his men with him. Back in Rome, the immensely rich Marcus Licinius Crassus is gathering an unheard-of Army. The Senate has given Crassus an army made up of ten legions and the authority to do whatever it takes to end the slave rebellion once and for all.
Meanwhile, Spartacus wants to lead his men over the Alps and home, but his two seconds have a different plan. They want to march on Rome itself and bring the Republic to its knees. Rebellion has become war. War to the death.
I thought that it would be a great time to touch base with the author. He's been kind enough to spend time to talk about his writing. Please welcome Ben Kane!
(1) Your first Spartacus novel developed into a whole second book. Was this something that you'd planned when you wrote the first book? (Please can the question be rephrased as above or similar? Otherwise it implies that there are more than two books. Thank you.) Initially, I sold the idea of one Spartacus novel to my UK publishers. Once I had begun it, I found that the story itself was bigger than I had imagined. I realised at about 100,000 words of the first book that there was no way on this earth that I could finish Spartacus’ story within 30-40,000 (the amount that was left if my novel was to come in at normal length) – without having to cut loads of wonderful detail about what he’d done. I rang my editor and asked her if I could write a second book, to finish the story. I’m happy to say that she gave me the green light, which freed me up to pen the second volume. I wrote both books in a frenzied twelve month period. (2) How have you adjusted to expand the adventures and keep the main characters and relationships throughout? It was easy, I am glad to say. Spartacus did so many amazing things in the two years of his rebellion that I had no trouble keeping him and his fellow characters very busy indeed. Having two novels to write also meant that I had more time to develop the character of Ariadne, his wife, which I really enjoyed doing. It’s unusual for ancient texts even to tell that he had a wife, let alone that she was a priestess of Dionysus, the god of wine and ritual mania. he moment that I read those details, I knew that Ariadne also had a great story to tell. (3) What are you currently working on? Would you like to tell us a bit about projects that you have brewing? Currently, I am writing Clouds of War, the third in my Hannibal series. Enemy of Rome, the first book in this series will be published in the USA next year. It’s a series that opened a year before the outbreak of the Second Punic War (218-201 BC), which details the stories of characters from both sides of the conflict. Originally, I just planned to write a trilogy, but the sheer scale of the war and my publishers’ backing means that I’ll write at least five if not more books about it. Before I write the fourth one, however, I plan to start a new series, set during the Hundred Years’ War, which took place between England and France from 1337 – 1453. After that, I have plans to return to Spartacus’ boyhood, as well as to write about other time periods that I won’t mention just yet.
About the Author
Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin, and worked in Ireland and the UK for several years. After that he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for seeing the world and learning more about ancient history. Seven continents and more than 65 countries later, he decided to settle down, for a while at least.
While working in Northumberland in 2001/2, his love of ancient history was fuelled by visits to Hadrian's Wall. He naïvely decided to write bestselling Roman novels, a plan which came to fruition after several years of working full time at two jobs - being a vet and writing. Retrospectively, this was an unsurprising development, because since his childhood, Ben has been fascinated by Rome, and particularly, its armies. He now lives in North Somerset with his wife and family, where he has sensibly given up veterinary medicine to write full time.
To find out more about Ben and his books visit www.benkane.net.
To celebrate Spartacus Rebellion's release, the publisher and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours have sponsored this giveaway of 1 copy of Spartacus Rebellion. Enter the giveaway below - the giveaway ends on June 15, 2013.
GIVEAWAY:To enter the giveaway, please comment below and share what book you're looking forward to reading this summer. For an extra entry, tell us about a book that you loved recently and why. Contest ends on June 15, 2013.
(1) You must be a follower of the blog to enter.
(2) Limited to U.S. residents only. (3) Maximum of two entries per household.
Want to learn more about Ben Kane, Spartacus and the latest book in the series? Want more chances to win your personal copy of Spartacus Rebellion? Check out the tour schedule and/or follow #SpartacusRebellionTour
Link to Tour Schedule: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/spartacusrebellionvirtualtour/Twitter Hashtag: #SpartacusRebellionTour
By: Gaby317,
on 5/22/2013
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The blurb:
Kweku Sai is dead. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban Accra. The news of Kweku’s death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana Must Go is their story. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, Ghana Must Go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent.
Moving with great elegance through time and place, Ghana Must Go charts the Sais’ circuitous journey to one another. In the wake of Kweku’s death, his children gather in Ghana at their enigmatic mother’s new home. The eldest son and his wife; the mysterious, beautiful twins; the baby sister, now a young woman: each carries secrets of his own. What is revealed in their coming together is the story of how they came apart: the hearts broken, the lies told, the crimes committed in the name of love. Splintered, alone, each navigates his pain, believing that what has been lost can never be recovered—until, in Ghana, a new way forward, a new family, begins to emerge.
Ghana Must Go is at once a portrait of a modern family, and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from Accra to Lagos to London to New York, Ghana Must Go teaches that the truths we speak can heal the wounds we hide.
Review:Ghana Must Go is an unusual read. Taiye Selasi tells the complicated story of a family from the perspective of each of the members. Beginning with the father, Kweku Sai, a brilliant surgeon who left Ghana to train in Johns Hopkins and Harvard. We learn about Kweku's life as an impoverished student in Africa, as a displaced, brilliant, and hardworking student and doctor, as a devoted husband and adoring father, and as a gifted doctor in one of the top hospitals in the world. When Kweku's brilliant career is somehow implodes through no fault of his own, he is devastated devastated by the change and the damage impacts his family deeply. As Taiye Selasi introduces Fola, the wife and mother, and the children (Olu, the eldest and surgeon, the gifted and beautiful twins Taiwo and Kehinde, and Sadie, the baby of the family) we discover more about the family, about each person's struggle for acceptance and love, and about the worlds that they inhabit in Brookline, in New York, in New Haven, and in Africa.
There is Fola, a legendary beauty whose mother died in childbirth and whose father was tragically murdered during a violent attack when she was still a young girl. Fola escapes to Ghana and then to the West to study. When she meets Kweku in the US, she has locked her story deep inside. Her eldest child, Olu, has followed in his father's footsteps and has established himself as a brilliant surgeon. Olu has not remained unscathed by the troubles in his life despite the fact that he appears to lead a "charmed life" and learning more about Olu makes him complicated and deeply sympathetic. Olu's twin siblings have inherited the strikingly gorgeous looks of his mother's family. For as long as anyone can remember, the twins have drawn people to them with their unusual looks and their independence - they seem to live in a world of their own. Kehinde doesn't have the tension, the drive, that characterizes Olu's life but Kehinde has become a world renowned artist. Taiwo is brilliant and gorgeous, but her gifts and successes haven't brought her the contentment that we'd expect but Taiwo carries a dark secret that explains her isolation.
Ghana Must Go is an amazing read. It's a story about Africa, about immigration, about building a life and the sacrifices and joys that this entails.
ISBN-10: 1594204497 - Hardcover $25.95Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The (March 5, 2013), 336 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher and the Amazon Vine Reviewers program.
About the Author:TAIYE SELASI was born in London and raised in Massachusetts. She holds a B.A. in American studies from Yale and an M.Phil. in international relations from Oxford. “The Sex Lives of African Girls” (Granta, 2011), Selasi’s fiction debut, will appear in Best American Short Stories 2012. She lives in Rome.
By: Gaby317,
on 5/20/2013
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His first two novels established Mohsin Hamid as a radically inventive storyteller with his finger on the world's pulse. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia meets that reputation - and exceeds it. The astonishing and riveting tale of a man's journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon, it steals its shape from the business self-help books devoured all over "rising Asia." The novel follows its nameless hero to the sprawling metropolis where he begins to amass an empire built on the most fluid, and increasingly scarce, of goods: water. Yet his heart remains set on something else, on the pretty girl whose star rises along with his, their paths crossing and recrossing, a lifelong affair sparked and snuffed and sparked again by the forces that careen their fates along.
An astonishing slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious. It brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts, and creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.
Review:Mohsin Hamid's How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is an unexpected treat. I was drawn to the title and had somehow expected it to be set in China or Korea. My fault - I should have realized that it would be in South Asia.
The book is unusual in that it's written in the second person with such skill. We follow the story of a young rural boy whose luck and skill enable him to make fortunate choices. It starts from his gender and birth order. His less fortunate elder brother is pulled out of school to work as a house painter and his older sister is married instead of able to return to school. The boy makes full use of his education. He studies full time, works part time, learns how to sell, and with each new phase, he advances. Written as a self help book of sorts, the book captures a detached and humorous tone - keeps
The boy falls in love with a beautiful, spirited and ambitious young girl. The young girl leads an equally charmed life where her beauty, sacrifices, and skills bring her unexpected rewards.
While I enjoyed reading about the rise in their respective fortunes, what I most enjoyed about How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia was seeing how the lives of the young girl and boy would intertwine.
ISBN 1594487294 Hardcover $26Riverhead Hardcover, 1st edition.
Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Reviewers Program and the publisher.
About the Author:
Moshin Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, won the Betty Trask Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His second, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a bestseller in the United States and abroad, was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Hamid, who contributes to Time, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others, lives in Lahore, Pakistan.
By: Gaby317,
on 5/18/2013
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The blurb:
London, 1933. Two months after the body of an Indian woman named Usha Pramal is found in the brackish water of a South London canal, her brother, newly arrived in England, turns to Maisie Dobbs to find out the truth about her death. Not only has Scotland Yard made no arrests, evidence indicates that they failed to conduct a full and thorough investigation.
Before her death, Usha was staying at an ayah's hostel alongside Indian women whose British employers turned them out into the street—penniless and far from their homeland—when their services were no longer needed. As Maisie soon learns, Usha was different from the hostel's other lodgers. But with this discovery comes new danger: another Indian woman who had information about Usha is found murdered before she can talk to Maisie.
As Maisie is pulled deeper into an unfamiliar yet captivating subculture, her investigation becomes clouded by the unfinished business of a previous case as well as a growing desire to see more of the world, following in the footsteps of her former mentor, Maurice Blanche. And there is her lover, James Compton, who gives her an ultimatum she cannot ignore.
Bringing a crucial chapter in the life and times of Maisie Dobbs to a close, Leaving Everything Most Loved marks a pivotal moment in this remarkable series.
Review:
This particular book is one of my favorites for these reasons:
-more time spent on the romance between Maisie Dobbs and James Compton. The relationship seems quite modern insofar as Maisie puts a premium on her independence and puts off James's repeated proposals of marriage. Now that Maisie is financially independent, she is slow to exchange her life for the obligations and luxuries that come with marriage to one of the wealthiest men in Great Britain. Maisie plans to travel in the hope that this will help her "come home to herself" and allow her to be ready to build a life with James.
-the novel addresses issues of race, cultural difference, and colonial ties - as Maisie investigates the death of the beautiful young Indian woman, her interviews and interactions with Londoners gives us a better sense of the level of prejudice and isolation that existed at that time.
Jacqueline Winspear delivers another beautifully written mystery with strong characters. I'm looking forward to the next Maisie Dobbs adventure.
ISBN-10: 0062049607 - Hardcover $26Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (March 26, 2013), 352 pages.Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Program.
About the Author:Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Among the Mad and An Incomplete Revenge, as well as four other Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.
By: Gaby317,
on 5/17/2013
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Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. 
But that dude? He was nothing but bad news.
The blurb:
Be on the lookout for the unconscious beliefs. They are blinders that prevent you from understanding what is actually happening.That's the second rule of ten. Ex-Buddhist monk and ex-LAPD officer turned private eye Tenzing Norbu is back with a new case, a new love, and a whole new set of problems in this fresh installment in the Tenzing Norbu Mystery series.
In
The Second Rule of Ten, Norbu investigates the unexplained death of his former client Hollywood mogul Marv Rudolph and searches for the sister, lost during World War II, of wizened Los Angeles philanthropist Julius Rosen. With two cases and an unforeseen family crisis that sends him back to Tibet, Ten finds himself on the outs with his best buddy and former partner, Bill, who is heading the official police investigation into Marv's death. Cases and crises start to collide. When Ten mistakenly ignores his second rule, he becomes entangled in an unfortunate association with a Los Angeles drug cartel. As he fights to save those he loves, and himself, from the deadly gang, he also comes face to face with his own personal demons. Working through his anger at Bill, doubts about his lady love, and a challenging relationship with his father, Ten learns to see the world in a new light -- and realizes that in every situation the truth is sometimes buried beneath illusion.
About the Authors:
Gay Hendricks is a best-selling author with more than 30 books to his credit. The Tenzing Norbu Mystery series, which began with The First Rule of Ten, is Hendrick's first foray into fiction.
Tinker Lindsay is an accomplished screenwriter and author who has written and produced a wide variety of books and films.
By: Gaby317,
on 5/16/2013
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The blurb:
Unexpectedly widowed Gwen-Laura Consadine is still mourning her husband Edwin when her older sister Margot invites her to join forces as roommates in Margot's luxurious Village apartment. For Margot, divorced amid scandal (hint: her husband was a fertility doctor), and then made Ponzi-poor, it's a chance to shake Gwen out of her grief and help make ends meet. To further the effort she enlists a third boarder, the handsome, cupcake-baking Anthony.
As the three swap money-making schemes and a timid Gwen ventures back out into the dating world, the arrival of Margot's paroled ex in the efficiency apartment downstairs creates not just complications but the chance for all sorts of unexpected forgiveness. A sister story about love, lonelness, and a new life in middle age, this is a cracklingly witty, deeply sweet novel from one of our finest comedic writers.
Review:
I received The View from Penthouse B through the Amazon Vine Reviewers program. I hadn't read any of Elinor Lipman's earlier books and hadn't realized just how funny her writing can be. I started the book a few days ago, read it while traveling to Boston for a work emergency, and throughout the night once I got to Boston. I mention this just to emphasize that it drew me in and provided a wonderful escape!
I loved the voice of the main character, the middle sister, Gwen-Laura Comadine. She's the newly widowed sister who had married a high school teacher and is unable/unwilling to move on. Her entrepreneurial idea is a platonic dating service.
Her older sister Margot is another lovable character. The divorced wife of the disgraced fertility doctor invested her divorce settlement with Madoff. Margot's project is a website dedicated to Madoff victims that serves as a place to vent about the abuses of white collar thieves. Margot is defined by her strong emotions, sense of humor and charm. She opens up her home and heart - not just to her sister but to Anthony, a helpful and witty young gay man.
The book is memorable because of the characters. The View from Penthouse B is witty, lighthearted, and fun. It's a wonderful way to escape!
ISBN-10: 0547576218- Hardcover $26
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (April 16, 2013), 272 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Reviewers Program.
About the Author:
Elinor Lipman is the author of ten novels, including The Inn at Lake Devine, and two works of nonfiction, I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays and Tweet Land of Liberty: Irreverent Rhymes from the Political Circus. She lives in New York City.
By: Gaby317,
on 5/15/2013
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In Lydia Cooper's absorbing debut novel, we are introduced to Mickey Brandis, a brilliant twenty-eight -year-old doctoral candidate in medieval literature who is part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter. She lives in her parents' garage and swears too often, but she never complains about the rain or cold, she rarely eats dead animals, and she hasn't killed a man since she was ten.
Her life is dull and predictable but legal, and she intends to keep it that way. But the careful existence Mickey has created in adulthood is upended when she is mysteriously led to a condemned house where she discovers an exquisitely mutilated corpse. The same surreal afternoon she is asked by a timid, wide-eyed art student to solve a murder that occurred twenty years earlier. While she gets deeper and deeper into the investigation, she begins to lose hold on her tenuous connection to reality.
Review:The heroine of My Second Death had been described as part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter. As a huge fan of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, I was eager to read My Second Death. I admit that I didn't immediately take to the book and it was only on my third attempt that I slowly adjusted to Mickey Brandeis. We learn early on that Mickey killed a man when she was ten. But in a matter of fact voice we also hear that she mutilated the man's body. This was enough to get me to stop reading the first two times.
But on the third attempt, I kept reading and slowly grew accustomed to her unusual and honest point of view. Mickey is removed from the world and has a problem empathizing. She doesn't understand the emotions that drive the people around her. Instead, she operates on logic and tries to keep herself from spiraling into destructive behavior. She keeps in motion, running, working, avoiding personal contact with those around her - all to keep from misbehaving.
When she is tricked into finding a corpse, Mickey's world starts to unravel. Her attempts to fight her compulsions make her a sympathetic character. As she tries help an art student uncover the truth behind a suspicious death 20 years ago, Mickey shows her humanity. it's at this point that her strange compulsions and history stop being a distraction and My Second Death becomes difficult to put down.
ISBN-10: 1440561265 - Hardcover $26Publisher: Tyrus Books (January 18, 2013), 336 pages.Copy courtesy of the Amazon Prime Reviewers program.About the Author:Lydia Cooper is an associate professor of American literature and has taught at universities and in community workshops. She has numerous academic publications, including peer-reviewed journals, a chapter in a book, and a book on Cormac McCarthy that was recently published as part of Louisiana State University Press's Souther Writers series.
By: Gaby317,
on 5/10/2013
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Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. 
But he walked with a slight limp from shrapnel still lodged in his hip from one bomb blast and had lost a good measure of his hearing to another, which had felled a dozen men while leaving him the sole survivor.
The blurb:
Mexico, 1910: The Mexican drug trade begins with opium being smuggled across the US border, igniting an all-out battle with American law enforcement.
The Present: Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, Cort Wesley Masters, and his teenage boys survive a terrifying gun battle. Caitlin and Cort Wesley pursue the perpetrators only to discover that the targets were actually the boys!
That sets the two off on a trail winding through the past and the present. Along the way they confront terrible truths dating all the way back to the opium smuggling that helped finance the Mexican Revolution. That is until the Texas Rangers, led by Caitlin's grandfather and great-grandfather, struck back with the aid of Emiliano Zapata, wiping out the early drug lords responsible.
Now the remnants of that powerful criminal lineage are out for vengeance against Zapata's remaining relatives, including the late mother of Cort Wesley's two sons - and thus, the boys are targets too.
About the Author:
Jon Land is the critically acclaimed author of thirty novels, including the bestselling series featuring female Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong: Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break and Strong Vengeance. In addition, he is the author of the nonfiction bestseller Betrayal. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island and can be found on the web at jonlandbooks.com
By: Gaby317,
on 5/2/2013
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The blurb:
Bennosuke is a high-born but lonely youth living in his ancestral village. His mother died when he was a young boy, and his powerful warrior father Munisai has abandoned him for a life of service to his lord. When Munisai returns, gravely injured, Bennosuke is forced to confront truths about his family's history and his own place in it. These revelations soon guide him down the samurai's path - awash with blood, bravery, and vengeance. His journey will culminate in the epochal battle of Sekigahara, in which Bennosuke will first proclaim his name as Musashi Miyamoto. This rich and absorbing epic explores the complexities of one young man's quest while capturing a crucial turning point in Japanese history with visceral mastery, sharp psychological insight, and tremendous narrative momentum.
Review:I love adventure stories, quests, coming of age stories. Those set in an unusual place or period are a particular favorite of mine. When given the chance to review Child of Vengeance, a coming of age story set in Tokagawa Japan, I jumped at the chance.
Child of Vengeance comes across as a samurai tale but when you read it with the knowledge that David Kirk is relating the story of young Musashi Miyamoto, you can't help but read more into each incident. The young samurai boy leads a lonely life as he awaits his father's return. Each day he spends hours polishing his father's armor and when making any major decision, he abides by his father's parting words - be samurai. The peasants in the village are frightened of the boy and his position and they deeply resent him as well. Bennosuke learns to balance his fears, his hopes, and the indifference and resentment of the people around him.
When Munisai returns to the village, Bennosuke is forced to grow up quickly. His quickness of mind and natural ability lead Bennosuke to unexpected successes and adventures. All of which makes for an engrossing read.
ISBN-10 0385536631 - Hardcover $26.95
Publisher: Doubleday (March 12, 2013), 336 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher and the Amazon Vine Reviewers Program.
About the Author:David Kirk, twenty-six years old, grew up in Stamford, Lincolnshire. He studied media arts at Royal Halloway, University of London, with a major in screenwriting. Currently he lives and works in Sendai, Japan.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/25/2013
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The blurb:
Once upon a time...there was an old woman who lived in the Bronx. Ninety-one-year-old Mina Yetner lives in the Bronx neighborhood of Higgs Point where small shotgun houses perch on waterfront with a view of marsh grass, birds, and in the distance, the Manhattan skyline.
Mina doesn't like to get into her neighbor's business but when Sandra Ferrante, a troubled woman with a drinking problem, is pulled from her home and taken by ambulance to the local hospital, Mina tries to find Sandra's daughter to convey her mother's message: "Don't let him in until I'm gone."
Review:Arguably, There Was an Old Woman is a New York sort of mystery. There's very little violence or gore. Instead, we are drawn in by Ephron's descriptions of Higgs Point as a neighborhood, the period finishings in Mina Yetner's home, the description of the young curator's job and her upcoming exhibit of the history of the Empire State Building.
Through the story of Mina Yetner, Ephron takes us to the Depression and what it was like for a young woman working her first job in New York City and in the iconic Empire State Building. Mina's choice to work came at a time of freedom and employment for women and as we read Mina's story, we're drawn in, imagining this unique time.
It struck me that in There Was an Old Woman, the main, pivotal characters, those that carry the action forward are women from the young art historian and curator to Mina, who in her youth moved to New York City to build a life and worked at the Empire State Building.
Not that the book lacks mystery. There is psychological suspense as we wonder whether the events that Mina describes are actually happening or if she's slowly deteriorating. There is drama as well - families divided by alcoholism, greed, and disappointment. There's romance with the dashing lawyer who has stopped practicing law and has opted to run his family business, the corner store.
Ephron's writing is clear, I focused completely on the characters and story, drawn into the build up and development without noticing anything else. I kept wondering what would happen next. If you're looking for a fun read set in New York City, check out There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron.
ISBN-10: 0062117602 - Hardcover $26Publisher: William Morrow (April 2, 2013), 304 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
About the Author:Hallie Ephron made a splash writing suspense with Never Tell a Lie published by HarperCollins in 2009. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it “stunning” and a “deliciously creepy tale of obsession.” USA Today: “You can imagine Hitchcock curling up with this one.” It was nominated for multiple awards, including the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was adapted for film as And Baby Will Fallfor the Lifetime Movie Network.
Hallie’s new book is There Was an Old Woman (4/2013 from Wm Morrow). Set in the Bronx, it’s a story of trust and betrayal, deception and madness. In it, a young woman and a very old woman connect across generations in spite of, or perhaps because, they are not related.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/25/2013
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Today, April 25 is ANZAC Day. Having just spent over two weeks in Australia, I do want to take a moment to recognize the sacrifices and heroism of the soldiers and citizens of Australia and New Zealand. While ANZAC Day marks the landing at Gallipoli in 1915, it's the Australian and New Zealand version of Memorial Day and recognizes the sacrifices, bravery and achievements of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
My knowledge of Gallipoli is limited and strongly influenced by the movie starring Mel Gibson. If you'd like to find out more about ANZAC day and the courage of Australian and New Zealand soldiers, head to any of these sites:
New Zealand History Online - http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/anzac-day/introduction
Australian War Memorial - http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp
A Guide to ANZAC Day for New Zealanders - http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp
By: Gaby317,
on 4/24/2013
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The blurb:
The Secretary is the first book of its kind: a foreign correspondent and author with both an insider and a global perspective. Ghattas had unparalleled access to Hillary Clinton and her entourage for four years. She draws on extensive interviews with Clinton, administration officials, and other players around Washington and overseas to paint an intimate portrait of one of the most powerful global politicians in the world.
Populated by a cast of real-life characters, The Secretary tells the story of Hillary Clinton as America's envoy to the world in compelling detail: from the first days of the Obama administration to the drama of WikiLeaks and the "Arab Spring" uprisings. Through Ghatta's eyes, we see Clinton under the intense professional spotlight of high-stakes diplomacy but also in the softer lighting of the more personal nuances of foreign relations -- cheerfully boarding her plane at 3 am after no sleep, or cajoling foreign ministers to keep the coalition together during the war in Libya, all the while trying to restore American leadership.
Viewed through Ghattas's vantage point as a half-Dutch, half-Lebanese citizen who grew up in the crossfire of the Lebanese civil war, the book offers a close-up of diplomacy at the highest level while seeking to answer pivotal questions about the United States. Is America still the global superpower? If not, who or what will replace it, and what will it mean for America and the rest of the world?
Review:
I admit that I deeply admire Hillary Clinton, so I was eager to read about her especially from the point of view of international journalist, Kim Ghattas. The author, Kim Ghattas, grew up in Lebanon and her own experience with the US allows for what seems to be a more worldly, impartial, perspective towards the US and US foreign policy. I should say that while some American readers might not find her to be fully impartial, having grown up overseas with a complicated view of the US, I could fully understand the perspective that she presented.
I found the author's insights to be particularly enlightening and well grounded. Further, I found the subject of the book - Hillary Clinton and US foreign policy, statesmanship, deeply fascinating as well. Ghattas discusses US foreign policy in a general way and throws in small details of what it is like to travel with the Secretary of State. She also gives us a chance to learn what was going on behind the scenes as various foreign policy crises were occurring. While the book might not be a deeply serious thesis on foreign policy, it certainly proves to be a fascinating and informative read. I didn't think it was possible, but having read the book, I have even more respect and admiration for Hillary Clinton. The Secretary gives us a unique perspective on both Hillary Clinton as a person and Hillary Clinton as a diplomat/politician/stateswoman.
ISBN-10: 080509511 - Hardcover $27.00
Publisher: Times Books; First Edition edition (March 5, 2013), 368 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Reviewers program and the publisher.
About the Author:
Kim Ghattas has been the BBC's State Department Radio and TV correspondent since 2008 and travels regularly with the secretary of state. She was previously a Middle East correspondent for the BBC and the Financial Times, based in Beirut. Ghattas was part of an Emmy Award-winning BBC team covering the Lebanon-Israel conflict of 2006. Her work has also appeared in Time magazine, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and on NPR radio. She lives in Washington, D.C.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/24/2013
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We celebrated the second World Book Night USA yesterday, April 23. It was my second time to participate as a book giver. The first year I gave away 20 copies of The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and this year it was City of Thieves by David Benioff.
Both books are amazing and I recommend them highly. Since I've written about The Book Thief in previous posts, I'd like to focus entirely on World Book Night. I'll write a separate post for City of Thieves.
First, if you haven't heard of World Book Night, it's always celebrated on April 23. April 23 is Shakespeare's birthday as well as Cervantes's birthday. It's a chance to celebrate reading and all the pleasures that it brings as well as a chance to promote literacy. On World Book Night, volunteers give out 1 million copies of books to "light" or non-readers to encourage a love of reading. With all the different types of entertainment available nowadays, folks are less and less likely to grab a book to occupy themselves. It's such a pity because it's almost impossible to express the calm and escape that a wonderful book can bring. I think that there's nothing like it.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/22/2013
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By: Gaby317,
on 4/19/2013
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Welcome to this week's Friday 56 - this Friday 56 comes from The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume, a book that I purchased in Sydney, Australia last week. I went into several bookstores looking for an author that might be less widely available in the US. I was excited to find out about Fergus Hume and his 1886 detective novel that predated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. It turns out that these books are available on Amazon (Surprise! Surprise!) and that there are free kindle versions of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.
Curious? Learn more about Fergus Hume and his writings on Inside Story - http://inside.org.au/fergus-hume-startling-story/
Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. 
Here's my Friday 56 from The Mystery of a Hansom Cab - but the sentences are so long, page 56 only held 3 sentences. This comes from page 57:
If he goes into speculation, it turns out well; if he marries a wife, she is sure to be everything that can be desired; if he aspires to a position, social or political, he attains it with ease -- worldly wealth, domestic happiness, and good position, all these belong to the men who have luck.
The blurb:
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is the original blockbuster crime novel. Set in marvelous Melbourne of the late 19th century, it tells a devilishly tricky tale.
ISBN-10: 1921922222 - Paperback $14.99Publisher: Text Classics (June 18, 2013), pages 432.
About the Author:
Fergus Hume was born in England in 1859. His family soon emigrated to New Zealand, where Hume qualified as a lawyer. He was admitted to the bar in 1885 and moved to Melbourne the same year.
Desperate to become a playwright but having no success, Hume decided to write a murder novel instead. When he couldn't find a publisher for The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, he published it himself. It was a sensation and sold over twenty thousand copies in Melbourne.
With a hit on his hands, Hume sold his copyright to Hansom Cab Publishing Company in London for fifty pounds. The book was a phenomenal success but Hume never saw another penny from his bestseller. It may have influenced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes adventure.
Hume moved back to England in 1888 after the publication of his second novel, Madame Midas. He embarked on a career that produced over 130 novels. He never became a famous playwright but he did co-write the theatrical adaptation of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which played in London for 500 nights. THe story was also filmed three times in the silent era.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/12/2013
Blog:
Starting Fresh
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Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. Here's my Friday 56 from The Secretary:
Hezbollah strived to liberate the swath of occupied land until Israel withdrew in 2000. An ally of Iran and Syria, the Party of God was also working tis way into Lebanese national politics while holding on to its arsenal.
The blurb:The Secretary is the first book of its kind: a foreign correspondent and author with both an insider and a global perspective. Ghattas had unparalleled access to Hillary Clinton and her entourage for four years. She draws on extensive interviews with Clinton, administrative officials, and other players around Washington and overseas to paint an intimate portrait of one of the most powerful global politicians in the world.
Populated by a cast of real-life characters, The Secretary tells the story of Hillary Clinton as America's envoy to the world in compelling details: from the first days of the Obama administration to the drama of WikiLeaks and the "Arab Spring" uprisings. Through Ghatta's eyes, we see Clinton under the intense professional spotlight of high stakes diplomacy but also in the softer lighting of the more personal nuances of foreign relations - cheerfully boarding her plane at 3 am after no sleep, or cajoling foreign ministers to keep the coalition together during the war in Libya, all the while trying to restore American leadership.
Viewed through Ghatta's vantage point as a half-Dutch, half-Lebanese citizen who grew up in the crossfire of the Lebanese civil war, the book offers a close-up of diplomacy at the highest level while seeking to answer pivotal questions about the United States. Is America still the global superpower? If not, who or what will replace it, and what will it mean for America and the world?
About the Author:Kim Ghattas has been BBC's State Department Radio and TV correspondent since 2008 and travels regularly with the secretary of state. She was previously a Middle East correspondent for the BBC and the Financial Times, based in Beirut. Ghattas was part of an Emmy Award-winning BBC team covering the Lebanon-Israel conflict of 2006. Her work has also appeared in Time magazine, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and on NPR radio. She lives in Washington, D.C.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/5/2013
Blog:
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Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. Here's my Friday 56 from The Guilty One:
The blurb:An eight-year-old boy is found dead on a playground. . . and his eleven-year-old neighbor is accused of the crime. Leading the defense is London solicitor Daniel Hunter, a champion of lost causes. A damaged boy from a troubled home, Daniel's young client, Sebastian, reminds Daniel of his own turbulent childhood - and of Minnie, the devoted woman whose love saved him. But one terrible act of betrayal irrevocably shattered their bond.
As past and present collide, Daniel is faced with disturbing questions. Will his sympathy for Sebastian and his own memories blind him to the truth? What happened in the park - and who, ultimately, is to blame for a little boy's death? Rethinking everything he's ever believed, Daniel begins to understand what it means to be wrong. . . and to be the guilty one.
About the Author:
Lisa Ballantyne lives in Glasgow, Scotland. This is her first novel.
By: Gaby317,
on 4/1/2013
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The blurb:
1662: Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of a village in the Alps, receives a letter from his sister calling him to the imperial city of Regensburg, where a gruesome sight awaits him: her throat has been slit. Arrested and framed for the murder, Kuisl will face firsthand the torture he's administered himself for years unless he can prevail on a fellow executioner for mercy.
When his steely daughter, Magdelena, and a young doctor, Simon, follow him to Regensburg, they enlist an underground network of beggars, a beer-brewing monk, and an Italian playboy - navigating the labyrinthine city to learn there is much more behind the false accusation than a personal vendetta: there is a plan that will endanger the entire German Empire.
Review:Oliver Potzsch's The Beggar King takes us to Germany in 1662, a period that I wasn't very familiar with. The 1600s are a time of upheaval in the German Empire and in Europe. With the Thirty Years Wars, mercenaries had overrun many of the villages and we encounter the effects of this war throughout the novel. It becomes clear early on that the class system is deeply entrenched and that the Kuisls, as a family of hangmen, are very low on the social ladder. This means that it is nearly impossible for the hangman's daughter Magdelena to marry the young doctor Simon, her sweetheart, in their hometown. It also means that our hero, Jakob Kuisl, is careful not to disclose his identity when he travels to Regensburg to visit his ailing sister.
Magdalena and Simon leave their town with the hope of starting anew in Regensburg. When they discover that Jakob has been arrested and is accused of murder, the young couple decide to look for who might have been behind the killings in order to free Jakob. Their sleuthing is limited to their social network in the imperial city. As Magdalena and Simon travel with the beggars, the boat masters, and a Venetian ambassador, the novel takes us to unpredictable plot twists and unusual places. Oliver Potzsch delivers an engrossing mystery set in a unique setting. I found the historical and cultural details particularly fascinating - they added another level of complexity to The Beggar King.
ISBN-10: 054799219X - Paperback $18.00Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (January 8, 2013), 512 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher and the Amazon Prime Reviewers program.
About the Author:Oliver Potzsch, born in 1970, was for years a radio personality for Bavarian radio and a screenwriter for Bavarian public television. He is himself a descendant of the Kuisls, a well-known line of Bavarian executioners that inspired the novel.
By: Gaby317,
on 3/11/2013
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The blurb:
He calls himself Columbus. His real name never meant much to him anyway. He never knew his father, an earnest young congressman and rising star in the Democratic Party named Abe Mann, or his mother, a prostitute whose involvement with Mann would prove dangerous.
All Columbus cares about is his next target. A hit man who quickly made a name for himself as one of the best in his profession, you can be sure he'll fulfill whatever contract's been given him. Even if those who put out the hit have other plans in mind.
Review:
While The Assassin Trilogy is composed of The Silver Bear, Columbus, and Dark Men, it's best to think of them as just one book. You'll want to read all three parts continuously. I ended up reading them over a day and a night.
Columbus, our hero, has a distinctive voice and an interesting point of view. As far as assassins go, he's sympathetic and likable. Reading his back story, it's easy to understand how he ended up in his profession. His status as a "Silver Bear" becomes admirable in its own way. A Silver Bear is an assassin that accepts all assignments, delivers on all assignments, and never gives up. They're rare and highly prized commodities. I'm not sure what this says about me, aside from the fact that I overindulge in escapist fiction, but I've been reading quite a few novels with assassins as sympathetic heroes.
In The Assassin Trilogy, Derek Haas gives us action, unexpected plot twists, unusual characters, and strong writing. It's escapist fiction at its most fun - light, witty and exciting!
ASIN: B005PRBB2Y - Kindle book $2.99
Publisher: Mulholland Books (June 12, 2012), 249 pages.
Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher.
About the Author:
In THE COLUMBUS TRILOGY, the first three novels by Barry Award-nominated author Derek Haas, Columbus squares off against the shadow of his father, Czech crime lords, drug dealers, a prostitution ring, and more, in three acclaimed suspense novels by a rising master of the genre.
In addition to his novels THE SILVER BEAR, COLUMBUS, and DARK MEN, Derek Haas also co-wrote the screenplays for 3:10 TO YUMA, starring Russel Crowe and Christian Bale, and WANTED, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie. His newest film, The Double, stars Richard Gere and Topher Grace, and is directed by his screenwriting partner Michael Brandt. Derek lives in Los Angeles.
By: Gaby317,
on 3/12/2013
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Last March, we'd celebrated Maisie Dobbs month and it's that same time of the year again. While I'd reviewed The Mapping of Love and Death - this time I'd like to spend time on A Lesson in Secrets.
Set in 1932, A Lesson in Secrets opens with Maisie Dobbs having undergone some significant changes in her life. She's much better situated as her mentor Maurice Blanche passed away and named her as his the main beneficiary of his estate. She is now a woman of means. Her financial independence has brought her greater confidence, freedom and a deeper sense of guilt/responsibility to Blanche's memory. I couldn't help notice that Maisie's guilt in her good fortune led her to intervene in the lives of the people around her with generous and large, sometimes life changing gestures.
In this adventure, Maisie is asked to aid Scotland Yard's Special Branch and the Secret Service in an undercover operation in Cambridge. Maisie takes the post of lecturer at a small private college to monitor behavior that is "against the interests of His Majesty's Government and the Crown." The college's founder, Greville Liddicotte, is committed to the development of international peace and to pacifism. Liddicotte is famous for writing a children's book that encouraged children to bring their fathers home from the war. The book was restricted, pulled off the shelves. Maisie later learns that the book was so effective that there are whispers of its having led men to mutiny, to refuse to fight during World War I.
When Liddicotte is found murdered in his office, Maisie finds herself trying to find the killer while continuing to track dangerous behavior at the college. This is the time of the rise of National Socialism in Germany and Adolf Hitler's message seems to resonate with some of Maisie's students. Maisie sorts through clues about Liddicotte's death and the mysterious behavior of her fellow professors while balancing the ups and downs of her love affair with Viscount James Compton.
I particularly enjoyed A Lesson in Secrets - it's now my favorite Maisie Dobbs novel because Maisie's more comfortable with herself and her place in society. While there is some uncertainty regarding her future with James Compton, she is willing to trust in the relationship, to take things a day at a time. This time her job involves more than the usual mystery. By having Maisie Dobbs work for the Secret Service In Lesson in Secrets, Jacqueline Winspear and Maisie Dobbs tackled the treatment of conscientious objectors during World War I, and of returning veterans as well as the lack of awareness of the dangers of Adolf Hitler and the growing power of Germany's National Socialist movement.
ISBN-10: 0061727717 - Paperback $14.99Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (March 6, 2012), 352 pages.Review copy courtesy of the publisher and TLC Book Tours.
About the Author:
Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Among the Mad and An Incomplete Revenge, as well as four other Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California. Learn more at Jacqueline Winspear's website at http://jacquelinewinspear.com/
If you'd like to read about the other Maisie Dobbs novels covered in the TLC Book Tour, head over to these participating sites:
Monday, March 4th: The House of the Seven Tails – Maisie Dobbs
Monday, March 4th: BookNAround – Birds of a Feather
Wednesday, March 6th: Peppermint PhD – Pardonable Lies
Thursday, March 7th: Melody & Words – Birds of a Feather
Thursday, March 7th: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader – Messenger of Truth
Thursday, March 7th: Anglers Rest – Messenger of Truth
Thursday, March 7th: Lavish Bookshelf – An Incomplete Revenge
Friday, March 8th: Olduvai Reads – Maisie Dobbs
Friday, March 8th: 5 Minutes For Books – Pardonable Lies
Friday, March 8th: In the Next Room – An Incomplete Revenge
Friday, March 8th: Anglers Rest – Among the Mad
Friday, March 8th: The Road to Here – Among the Mad
Friday, March 8th: A Bookish Way of Life – The Mapping of Love and Death
Friday, March 8th: The Book Garden – The Mapping of Love and Death
Monday, March 11th: The House of the Seven Tails – A Lesson in Secrets
Tuesday, March 12th: Starting Fresh – A Lesson in Secrets
Wednesday, March 13th: A Book Geek – A Lesson in Secrets
Thursday, March 14th: Lit and Life – A Lesson in Secrets
Friday, March 15th: Nonsuch Book – A Lesson in Secrets
Monday, March 18th: Short and Sweet Reviews – Elegy for Eddie
Tuesday, March 19th: Veronica M.D. – Elegy for Eddie
Tuesday, March 19th: Helen’s Book Blog – Elegy for Eddie
Wednesday, March 20th: guiltless reading – Elegy for Eddie
Thursday, March 21st: Booktalk & More – Elegy for Eddie
Friday, March 22nd: Library Queue – Elegy for Eddie
Monday, March 25th: A Bookworm’s World – Leaving Everything Most Loved
Monday, March 25th: cakes, tea and dreams – Leaving Everything Most Loved
Tuesday, March 26th: Oh! Paper Pages – Leaving Everything Most Loved
Wednesday, March 27th: The Written World – Leaving Everything Most Loved
Thursday, March 28th: Quirky Bookworm – Leaving Everything Most Loved
Friday, March 29th: nomadreader – Leaving Everything Most Loved
By: Gaby317,
on 3/15/2013
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Welcome to this week's Friday 56 - this Friday 56 comes from Georgette Heyer's Black Sheep, a book I found on my mother's shelf!
Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
Here's my Friday 56 from one of my mother's favorite historical romance writers, Georgette Heyer. From Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer:
"Do enlighten me! Who are these people?"
She blinked. 'Who - ? Oh, I beg your pardon! I have been running on in the stupidest way! - talking to myself! Selima is my eldest sister: we live together, in Sydney Place; Mary is my next sister: next in age, I mean; and George Brede is her husband. Never mind that! When did you run off with Celia?'
The blurb:
Abigail Wendover, on the shelf at 28...is determined to prevent Fanny, her pretty and high-spirited niece, from becoming attached to Stacy Calverleigh, a good-looking town-beau and an acknowledged fortune-hunter of shocking reputation.
Miles Calverleigh, the black sheep of his family...is enormously rich from a long sojourn in India, has a scandalous past, and is not at all inclined towards good manners. Could he be Abby's most important ally in keeping her niece from a most unfortunate match? But Miles turns out to be the most provoking creature Abigail has ever met - with a disconcerting ability to throw her into giggles at quite the wrong moment...
About the Author:
Georgette Heyer wrote over 50 novels, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, and her extraordinary plots and characterizations.
By: Gaby317,
on 3/18/2013
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John Flanagan begins The Invaders soon after Hal, Thorn, Stig, and the rest of the Heron Brotherband have left their home in search of the Raven and the pirates that made off with Skandia’s most valuable treasure of amber, the Aubermal. Hal, Stig and the Heron Brotherband had won been the Brotherband champions for the year but they failed Skandia in allowing the treasure to be stolen while they were standing guard. Not only was the Heron Brotherband stripped of its championship title, it was struck from the rolls and all the honors, weapons, and signs of their triumph were taken back. The boys knew that in their town, they would always be looked down upon and despised for their failure - there was no life left for them in their old home - so they undertook to make things right and to find the pirates and return the treasure.
But seven boys and the older one handed Thorn had the odds stacked against them, even if Thorn had been the Magtik, the greatest warrior of Skandia, a record three times and Hal is a sailor, inventor, and leader of heroic proportions.
This time, Hal, Thorn, Stig and the Brotherband rescue a beautiful young girl Lydia. Not your usual love interest, Lydia is an impressive tracker and warrior in her own right and she can take the Heron Brotherband to the pirates that they seek.
Fortunately, Erak has sent his right hand man and a crew find the Heron Brotherband, not to bring them back in disgrace as Hal fears but to aid them in their quest to return the Aubermal to Skandia.
While our heroes face overwhelming odds and crafty pirates, they bring their own unique strengths of innovation, hard work, creative thinking, and unswerving loyalty. In this next book in the series, The Invaders, John Flanagan delivers an engrossing and unforgettable read. The Brotherband Chronicles are sure to be as beloved and popular as the worldwide phenomenon The Ranger’s Apprentice series.
ISBN-10: 0399256202 - Hardcover $18.00 (Paperback release April 9. 2013)Publisher: Philomel; First Edition edition (May 1, 2012), 432 pages.Ages 12 and up.
About the Author:
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. John began writing Ranger’s Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series and its spinoff, Brotherband Chronicles. He currently lives in the suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
By: Gaby317,
on 3/20/2013
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The blurb:
In the dark days of war, a mother makes the ultimate sacrifice
Lucy Takeda is just fourteen years old, living in Los Angeles, when the bombs rain down on Pearl Harbor. Within weeks, she and her mother, Miyako, are ripped from their home, rounded up—along with thousands of other innocent Japanese-Americans—and taken to the Manzanar prison camp.
Buffeted by blistering heat and choking dust, Lucy and Miyako must endure the harsh living conditions of the camp. Corruption and abuse creep into every corner of Manzanar, eventually ensnaring beautiful, vulnerable Miyako. Ruined and unwilling to surrender her daughter to the same fate, Miyako soon breaks. Her final act of desperation will stay with Lucy forever…and spur her to sins of her own.
Review:
I hadn't expected to be so engrossed in Garden of Stones but Sophie Littlefield masterfully combines mystery with historical details and takes us back to California, Washington State and the Manzanar prison camp during the time of Japanese American interment. We get to know Lucy as a young girl and her learn of her mysterious and glamorous mother, and are soon caught up in the tragedies that seem to follow Miyako. Carefully plotted, well crafted, and told with sympathy, the story of Lucy, Miyako and their fellow Japanese Americans will move you deeply.
ISBN-10: 0778313522 - Paperback $14.95
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA; Original edition (February 26, 2013), 320 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.
About the Author:
Sophie Littlefield grew up in rural Missouri and attended college in Indiana. She worked in technology before having children, and was lucky enough to stay home with them while they were growing up. She writes novels for kids and adults, and lives in Northern California. Visit her online at www.SophieLittlefield.com.
By: Gaby317,
on 3/22/2013
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Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. Here's my Friday 56 from The Last Telegram:"Name's a bit ironic on a day like today, don't you think? I'm Leo Samuels. They call me duty manager, though that's just a posh title for chief muggins." The blurb:Decades ago, as Nazi planes dominated the sky, the eighteen-year-old Lily Verner made a terrible mistake. She's tried for years to forget, but now an unexpected event pulls her back to the 1940s British countryside. She finds herself remembering the brilliant colors of the silk she helped weave at her family's mill, the relentless pressure of the worsening war, and the kind of heartbreaking loss that stops time.
In this evocative novel of love and consequences, Lily finally confronts the disastrous decision that has haunted her for all these years. The Last Telegram uncovers the surprising truth about how the stories we weave about our lives are threaded with truth, guilt, and forgiveness. About the Author:Liz Trenow's family have been silk weavers for nearly 300 years and she grew up next to the mill in Sudbury, Suffolk, which is the oldest family-owned silk company in Britain and one of a handful still operating today. Liz worked in the mill for a few months but decided instead to become a journalist and spent fifteen years with regional and national newspapers and on BBC radio and television news. The Last Telegram is her first novel. Visit her online at www.liztrenow.com
By: Gaby317,
on 3/30/2013
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The blurb:
Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.
Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.
In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.
Review:
Two sisters, two years apart in age with vastly different skills. The elder sister, Annie, is a seer at a time when the world is unaware that seers exist. Annie can predict the future and the first event that she successfully predicted was the death of their parents in a car crash when they were children. Although in recent years, her "handlers" have been focusing her attention on predicting what her sister will do. Annie has been blind since birth and while she thinks that she's taking care of younger Fia, for years, Fia's life has been focused on taking care of Annie.
Fia is the beautiful younger sister whose skill was not immediately apparent and far more rare than that of seer Annie. Fia will invariably make the best decision resulting in the optimum outcome every single time. Her gift when put in the hands of a greedy, unscrupulous, power hungry person, can result in all sorts of bad - stock market manipulation, assassinations, blackmail, anything and everything. Unfortunately, that's what has happened and Fia is unable to say no to these assignments that leave her feeling desperate and horrible. When Annie's life is threatened, Fia will fulfill any assignment. Until she doesn't.
It happens in the most unexpected way. Fia's sent to kill nineteen year old Adam and is undone by Adam's kindness to a puppy. She's unable to see how he could be a threat and puts her life on the line to save him. With this act of rebellion, her world quickly begins to unravel.
I loved Mind Games. It's fast paced with complex characters set in an unusual world facing impossible choices. Fia is particularly sympathetic - so beautiful, so skilled, so wild and still so protective of her sister. The book is a great read on its own but I'm looking forward to the next 2 in the trilogy.
ISBN-10: 0062135317 - Hardcover $17.99
Publisher: HarperTeen (February 19, 2013), 259 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and the Amazon Prime Reviewers Program.
About the Author:
Kiersten White is the author of NYT bestsellers PARANORMALCY and SUPERNATURALLY. She has one tall husband and two small children and lives near the ocean, where her days are perfectly normal. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.
Curious? If you can't wait to read Mind Games, head over to Harper Teen's site for a sneak peek into the first chapters.
http://browseinside.harperteen.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780062135315
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I think I'd enjoy the Tenzing Norbu series because he sounds like a quirky character. I imagine the Hollywood setting adds to the story too.
Reading the description, it sounds like a very intriguing read!
sounds really interesting.. should try it myself - starting with the first rule of course.