Friday, October 11, 2024
Together Alone by Barbara Delinsky
Together Alone by Barbara Delinsky reminded me a little of the Desperate Housewives television series. Kay, Emily and Celeste are finding their way after their children leave for college. Each has their own struggles with marriage or in Celeste's case, singleness. Interwoven into the affairs is a mystery of over a decade when Emily's son had been abducted.
Friday, September 27, 2024
The House of Dudley by Joanne Paul
The Dudley family's successes and misfortunes seemed to depend on the whims of the Tudor Kings and Queen during tumultuous times. Both Queen Elizabeth and the last male member of the Dudley family died without descendants. Robert Dudley is best known for his romance with Queen Elizabeth which never resulted in the marriage he had hoped for.
Robert's younger brother, Guildford Dudley, came to a dramatic end after marrying Lady Jane Grey who became queen of England for a mere nine days following a rebellion by her father to crown his daughter. She was consequently unthroned by Henry VIII 's daughter, Mary. Both Guildford and Lady Jane were beheaded at the Tower of London.
Joanne Paul has many interesting historical videos on You Tube.
Friday, September 6, 2024
One Summer by David Baldacci
I usually like David Baldacci's novels but I found the beginning of One Summer to not be realistic regarding the medical diagnosis and miraculous recovery.
Friday, August 30, 2024
Sooley by John Grisham
Sooley is a little different from the novels John Grisham usually writes and is based on U.S. college basketball. In particular, recruiting from other countries.
At 17 Sooley, who has been playing basketball for as long as he can remember, is plucked from the dusty and uneven "basketball courts" of South Sudan and given an opportunity to play for a U.S. college team. After he leaves his home village with the civil war raging around them, he lands in North Carolina and with the help of his coaches tries to concentrate on his game. But shortly after he leaves, rebels descend on the village, killing the men, taking young women and leaving mothers and children to wander until they find a refugee camp.
Sooley has more than one reason to become an outstanding player, his quest for citizenship could be the only hope his family has to move from their destitute situation.
The report, Robin Hood in Reverse, authored by IEA Research Fellow Mark Tovey, reveals that UK foreign aid has been spent in affluent areas of China, Mexico, and Malaysia over the past five years. This includes Ordos in China, with a GDP per capita of £27,500 – on par with Swansea and richer than 69 other regions of the UK.
Friday, August 23, 2024
The Price of Inheritance by Karin Tanabe
The Price of Inheritance by Karin Tanabe is focused on the auction industry, specifically Christie's and Sotheby's. Carolyn Everett is Christie's antique furniture specialist but, despite being a rising star, she is fired from the New York office after a scandal involving stolen furniture. She returns to her home town of Newport, Rhode Island and takes a part time position at a local antique store. While out scouting for acquisitions she comes across an artifact which she is puzzled about. Her search for the provenance leads her to a Marine Captain stationed nearby and uncovers more than she bargained for.
Friday, August 16, 2024
America the Beautiful by Ben Carson
I'm still going through the stack of books I purchased at the Friends of the Library book sale a few months ago and America the Beautiful is one of them. There is no doubt that Ben Carson is a patriot. He is grateful for the opportunities afforded to him and a path he was able to follow from poverty to being one of the most renowned neurosurgeons. The book was written at the end of the first Obama term and tackles many subjects such as the pros and cons of capitalism, morality, and health care to name a few. He also talks about how the country is divided which is sadly more so twelve years after the publication of the book. With an election coming up, it is a great book to read and to remind us that voting for or against personalities rather than policies and what the candidate stands for has had grave consequences in the past.
p.194-195
Many recent polls have shown that most Americans believe that we are on the wrong path as a nation. They are discouraged about our future and the future of our children. I say, be not discouraged, for God is on our side if we really trust him, as is indicated on every coin in your pocket and every bill in your wallet. We must stop being political and start being logical. . .
It is time to set aside political correctness and replace it with the bold values and principles that founded our nation in history. It is time to stop apologizing and to start leading, because the world is desperately in need of fair and ethical leadership.
Friday, August 2, 2024
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry is set in 1940 England when children were sent, during WWII, from London and major cities to rural areas for safety. Unfortunately, the name given for this exercise was Pied Piper. The Pied Piper is a poem/fairy tale where he led the town's children to the river and they all perished.
Fourteen year old Hazel and her five year old sister Flora were evacuees, sent to a small hamlet in Oxford. When Flora vanishes it is thought she has fallen into the river and drowned. Hazel and her mother continue to look for Flora. When Hazel comes across a children's book 20 years later she realizes only her sister could have passed on to the author the mystical village of Whisperwood that Hazel had told Flora many times. In 1960 Hazel begins her search again for her missing sister.