What's the largest your personal library has ever been? What is the greatest number of books you've ever owned at one time? Is your collection now the biggest it's ever been? or have you downsized? What is the fewest number of books you've ever owned?
Since reaching retirement age my personal library is at it's largest at this time.I have now about fifty books which I own and it is growing. The fewest books I have owned is probably six a few years back, I usually went to the library.
Last nights show was exciting as the final judgment was decided on who would be the winner. Each of the four remaining finalists sang with a well known celebrity, as the last time to sing was coming to an end. It came down to the final two, with a 2% margin between them, they were Dia Frampton and Javier Colon. The winner was Javier Colon. I never thought this show would hold my interest for long , but watching it progress , captured my interest.
What I liked about this book is the description of New York during the American Revolution. It was a city abandoned by its patriots and given over to those who were bent on destroying it. War descended on Manhattan. Johnny One-Eye was thought to be the son of George Washington through his involvement with a lady of the night, Gertrude Jennings. We follow Johnny's way through the Revolution and his narrow escapes from death. His undying love for Clara, a beautiful harlot of the house of Gertrude proves to be a threaten the course of the Revolution with her sexual powers.
The description of the tortures suffered by the men who fought this war was eye-opening. Disease and death were an everyday occurrence during this time period. The British prison ship, Jersey, was infamous for the thousands of Americans who died on board.
All in all, this historical novel of the Revolution was interesting in the telling of the atmosphere and circumstances of the people who were part of it.
Jerome Charyn'sBio: Jerome Charyn (born May 13, 1937) is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him “one of the most important writers in American literature.”
New York Newsday hailed Charyn as “a contemporary American Balzac,” and the Los Angeles Times described him as “absolutely unique among American writers.”
Since the 1964 release of Charyn’s first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.
Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009.
In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn’s book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."
Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY TO WIN A HARDCOVER COPY OF JOHNNY ONE-EYE, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.
GIVEAWAY ENDS: TUESDAY, JULY 5TH AT 11:59 PM EASTERN.
Congratulations to our winner: Julie at Knitting & Sundries!
This week's pre-publication "can't- wait- to- read" selection is:
Rory's Boys (paperback) 300pgs.
Author: Alan Clark Publisher: Arcadia Books Release Date: 8-28-11
When Rory Blaine inherits his grandmother's crumbling London mansion, he is persuaded to create Britain's first retirement home for gay men. As a teenager, Rory had been exiled from the house, the only home he'd ever known, when he discovered his sexuality.Now middle-aged, he appears to be a tough, carefree hedonist but in reality is rootless, damaged and lonely. Funny and moving, Rory's Boys is about one man's struggle to accept himself and about the need most of us have to find some sort of family.
1. Polysemy- The coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase.
2. homonymy- The relation between two words that are spelled the same way but differ in meaning or two words that are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning.
On Easter Sunday, Lilly's life changes from being safe & sound to living a life of danger, as she gets involved more and more with gangsters in the crime organizations.Although it isn't the type of book I usually read, I had to see how her transformed life, living with these people(the two brothers, who say they loved her very much) ended up. Living on the dark side of life, you would hope bring her closer to self discovery. All in All- If you like this type of genre, you might enjoy reading it & discover how her journey went from safe to the darker side.
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY TO WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK,PLS LEAVE A COMMENT. THE GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY5th at 11:59 pm EASTERN.
We invite you to beastopon the blogtour for Peace at the Edge of Uncertainty by Neil Hanson with a giveaway at EVERY blog. Please find the book's description and giveaway information below.
Theblogtour will occur during September 2011.
We are able to mail to you a paperback copy of the book. (U.S. only)
This is a story about how we come to the end of life, and how we handle the decisions that we all must make when we get there. Regardless of which role we play when a life is coming to an end, there are difficult decisions to be made, and these decisions never look the same from the inside as they do from the outside. This is also a story about what might be happening as we pass to the "other side" of what we call the end of life. What might the transformation at the end of life look like? How does one's spiritual outlook impact the ability to embrace this transformation? The author offers a story through which the transformation might be viewed from both sides of the window, providing the reader a way to embrace uncertainty and mystery as a powerful lens through which spiritual strength and peace might be reached as we work through end-of-life issues with those whom we love.
GIVEAWAYS AT EVERY BLOG
PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY(U.S. only) 1 copy of the paperback version of the book to the FIRST person who leaves a comment on your blog review along with an email address.
EBOOK GIVEAWAY(International) Copy of the ebook version of the book (in choice of format) to EVERY person who leaves a comment on your blog review along with an email address during the month of September 2011.
GIVEAWAY ENTRY REQUIREMENT All entrants will automatically be subscribed to Neil Hanson's email newsletter. Contact information is NEVER shared, and subscribers can unsubscribe at any time.
Called Home by Gloria Schumann pgs.333 Published by: Savant Books
Emma Benson's view of life was crafted by the death of her brother as a child, abandonment by her father and later the man she trusted she would marry, until.... David Schlosser- back in town after years in New York writing beat-selling novels- threathens her neatly tended life. Romance blooms. Emma and David eventually persevere in the face of tragedy, refusing to leave their homes behind.
Otherworld Tales Irish The Demon Slayer by C.T. Markee Published by: Moonview Press 230 pgs.
Review and Giveaway:
This book takes you into a world filled with adventure an great imagination. The boys have the greatest action-packed summer vacation they could ever have dreamed of, filled with Celtic heroes, and demons of the otherworld. It keeps the pace and you never get bored reading it as you travel with them through the pages. I like many types of stories, this not being my genre, but it did hold my interest.Kids will enjoy this adventure through ancient Ireland.
All in All: It was thrilling and fast paced, a true adventure.
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY TO WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK,PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT,THE GIVEAWAY ENDS JULY 1st.AT 11:59 pm EASTERN.
The finale for me did not have closure tying up loose ends . You had to believe it was going in the direction of the councilman being the killer and Since it's being picked up for a second season, they probably had to change the ending. So I guess we will have to go on trying to figure out who was involved with whom in the young girl's killing and see what surprises are in store for us next season.
Last night on the voice, one contestant from each team was chosen by the votes cast by the judges vote and the peoples vote.And the top four are: Vicci Martinez, Javier Colon, Beverly McClellan, and Dia Frampton. These choices to me were right on and it will be interesting to see now that the pressure is really on , what they will bring to the stage to win.
This weeks pre-publication"can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Black As Snow by: Nick Nolan Release Date: 8-30-11 Publisher: Amazon
A modern - day deconstruction of Snow White, Black As Snow seems to be ripped from recent news headlines. The novel's main character leads a religious cult and as the plot twists and turns, he finds himself mixed-up with religious fanatics who are anticipating his demise and the end of the world.
I watched a few episodes of this series last night via Netflix. The first episode involved the struggles of the wheat harvest time.The people of Lark Rise had to bring in the wheat, so they all wouldn't starve through the winter months. Unfortunately, a measles epidemic hits and the people of Candleford lend support. A death is involved, as one of the children dies. The second episode involves the arrival of a Mr. Reppington, a stranger in town who isolates himself from people. Emma fears the romance is taken out of her marriage and Ruby decides to leave town to meet her suitor. The third episode I watched involves Daniel setting up his own newspaper in Lark Rise and starts a newspaper campaign for a war hero's war pension. I can't wait to watch more.
Dr. Raphael ushered me from the meeting room and into a corridor smelling of earth and fungus. "follow me", he said, stepping quickly down the steps and into the darkness. pg. 239
I received one book in the mail last week from Penquin Books:
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Pgs. 451 Published by Penquin Books
Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her care was entrusted to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Now, at twenty-three, she discovers a 1943 correspondence between the convent's late mother superior and the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller that plunges her into a secret history stretching back a millennium. A riveting tale of ordinary people caught up in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.
I was just showcased on Sunday's Shining Star on Cheryl Mash's blog. It was a great experience for me as I haven't been blogging for too long. If you get a chance stop by and visit the blog (CMash Loves to Read) and who knows, you might be the next Shining Star.
This is a little book about the life lessons of a former QVC host, Lisa Mason,as she came from being a small child until she reached adulthood and somewhat beyond. As a child of a pastor, who traveled from job to job , she told of their meager existence of being poor growing up.The experiences she faced in her life and how she related to them. The one thing she won in her life she says is the Emmy for the documentary Faces Of Aids. It is an interesting look into her life. She had recently left QVC after being a host since 1995, she will be missed.
I always loved reading Maeve Binchy's books and this one was no exception. It was a story of sadness, hope and joy as Noel, a single struggling young man with a drinking problem, finds out he is going to be a father. As he gets word from a former flame that she is pregnant with his child and is terminally ill with cancer, she begs him to take the child after she is gone. He does so reluctantly and finds it takes a village to help him to take care of the baby. As each one in his life friends and family helps him out, he struggles to better himself and joins AA to rid himself of his demons. A nosey social worker, tries to take the baby from him, saying he is not capable but to no avail. He loves the baby and tries his hardest to keep her. It is a very heart-warming story which I enjoyed so much.
All in all: If you love Maeve Binchy's books you are in for a treat of a good and relaxing type of a read.
This weeks pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Loose Diamonds: and other things I've lost(and found) along the way by Amy Ephron Hardcover: 176 pgs. Publisher : William Morrow
Release Date: 9-06-11
Ephron weaves together insightful, profound and just plain funny stories of her life to form a portrait of a woman's experiences from childhood through young adulthood, marriage, divorce and everything in between-and engaging, evocative and often piercing look at maiden life.
Last night on the Voice, America chose Beverly McClellan to stay and Christina chose Frenchie Davis. On team Blake's team , Dia Frampton was chosen by America, but to everyone's surprise Xenia was chosen by Blake,after mulling over his decision for awhile he thought he could do more and change more with her. I hope his decision was a right one.Stay tuned.
The Tony Awards which were presented on Sunday was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. The Book Of Mormon dominated the show by winning 9 out of the 14 awards it was nominated for, including best musical. The best actor in a musical went to Norbert Leo Butz, who played a frumpy FBI agent in "Catch Me If You Can", it was his 2nd. Tony. Sutton Foster won best actress for "Anything Goes". It is truly enjoyable to go to NYC and see a play on broadway, I wish I could go more often.
Repairing Rainbows by Lynda Fishman Pgs-303 Self published
At thirteen years old Lynda's life comes to a disastrous halt when her mother and two younger sisters are killed in a plane crash. Her father, overcome by despair, simply continues to exist, in a state devoid of hope. After burying a wife and two young children at the age of 44, the overwhelming responsibility of raising a daughter alone completely immoblizes him.
I went to see the movie X-Men, which is not a movie I would normally go to see, but heard it had a pretty high rating. It is a superhero film based on fictional Marvel Comics characters. The film starts out in a concentration camp in Germany occupied Poland in 1944. As a young boy is separated from his parents,the gates begin to close and he begins to use his powers to create a magnetic force to curl the gates towards him. When older ,he becomes one of the X-Men out for revenge. He becomes part of the team with others that have special powers to possibly avoid a nuclear attack. It is full of action and not at all boring.
I just started watching this AMC original series, The Killing. The series follows the police investigation, the grieving family , and the subjects, after the brutal homicide of a young girl.Each of the episodes shows one day of the investigation. There seems to be a lot of suspects in the murder investigation, as one is thrown out another is suspect.It really keeps you guessing on who did it. I just started watching the re-runs by recomendation and I am finding it really good.
I watched the new show Haunted Collector last night. John Zaffis who is involved in the paranormal field, claims that ghosts and spirits can inhabit more than just homes and buildings, they can inhabit objects as well. They found the cause of a haunting in a woman's house, it was due to her deceased mother's music box, which said paranormally "purple flowers". Her daughter said she had loved them.John has a museum of haunted objects, and was given the music box to put in the museum. The daughter claims the haunting has stopped. Interesting!
I watched the voice last night, and saw some amazing new singers competing for the title of The Voice.Their are four judges on the show including a most famous and well known, Christina Aguilera.It is held in various countries. The contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. In the end the winner will receive $100,000 and a record deal.It is similar to American Idol in content, but enjoyable to watch.
Thank you Notes is filled with undying "gratitude" as he addresses 200 subjects. Each page has one note and a photograph of its recepient. It makes you laugh as you turn the pages and go on to the next. It's the little book that could, that was taken from a segment of his late night talk show called thank you notes. He sold it for 1 hr and asked people to by it from 3 to 4 pm. on May 26th, and it shot to #1 on Amazon. Currently ,according to the N.Y. Times best seller list it is #2.
I received in my mailbox : Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith pgs. 478
Publisher : Simon & Schuster Uk
An ambitious secret police officer, Leo Demidov has spent his career arresting anyone who steps out of line. Suddenly his world is turned upside down when he discovers evidence of a killer at large. Now, with only his wife at his side, Leo must risk both their lives to save the lives of others.
I saw Pirates of the Caribbean #4 on Saturday and although it was filled with a lot of action, I didn't quite enjoy it like I did in the first movie. Jack crosses paths with Penelope Cruz,a beautiful girl from his past. They go on a quest for the fountain of youth and Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.Maybe there are just too many of them and as always the original always wins out.
" Share your favorite post from last month and tell us why it's close to your heart."
My favorite post was the one I did on "Glee", when Sue's sister died of pneumonia, she was a downs syndrome older woman who was a remarkable friend to Sue. It just touched your heart if you watched the show and how the cast payed homage to her.
BOOK GIVEAWAY AND REVIEW: ANASTASIA'S SECRET by Susanne Dunlap Published by: Bloomsbury Books pgs 333.
I just finished reading Anastasia's Secret which was based on the Romanov family, the last imperial Russian family.Although the fictional parts of the story showed the romantic involvement of the youngest daughter, Anastasia with the guard Sasha, it was the wish of the author to give this girl a little happiness in her short lived life of 17 yrs.The struggles and humiliations this family had to endure during their captivity would sadden anyone's heart. They became prisoners in their dwellings where they were kept with little conveniences. The real tragic ending of the family was a well known story.
All in all: It was a love story, a tragic story and a very real story of that time in history. I enjoyed reading this book very much.
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY TO WIN A HARD COPY OF THE BOOK , PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. GIVEAWAY ENDS JUNE 10 th. at 11:59 pm Eastern
Last night on Taps, the team started the investigation of Pearl Harbor. As they explored the hangers,seeing lights and different sounds, made it very interesting. Josh Gates from Destination Truth joined them in their search for the paranormal. Josh did witness something , which will probably come out when they have the reveal show in August. I can't wait to see what other evidence is revealed.
The Redemption of George Baxter Henry (hardcover) 144pgs.
By:Conor Bowman
Publisher: Permanent Press Release Date: 8-1-11
George Baxter Henry is having an affair and has been found out by his mother-in -law, Muriel; a 91 year old former silent screen star, who now can't keep her mouth shut. With a son (Billy)who is being wooed by a record company, and a daughter (Iska) who is writing a book about apples, the Henry family decamp to a village in France to sort themselves out.
The other day, I saw the really interesting historical drama,The Conspirator. It is the historical drama about Mary Surratt, the only female co- conspirator charged in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. She was also the first woman to be executed by hanging by the US federal govt. A young war-hero was her lawyer, who tried relentlessly to prove her innocence. The movie was directed by Robert Redford and is worth the price of admission.
Jerome Charyn's Bio:
Lark Rise to Candleford
Sunday's Shining Star
