tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68896319524207006852024-02-21T19:18:44.683-08:00Senior Moments With Liz KAuthor, travel writer, book reviewer and family historianLiz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-72234603713536370272016-02-13T22:02:00.001-08:002016-02-13T22:04:23.178-08:00<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28236861-a-vintage-to-die-for" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Vintage To Die For (Violet Vineyard Murder Mysteries Book 2)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1450418537m/28236861.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28236861-a-vintage-to-die-for">A Vintage To Die For</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14776288.JM_Harvey">JM Harvey</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1547777553">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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A charming little cozy set in the wonderful Napa Valley of California, you just can't go wrong with this 2nd installment of JM Harvey's Violet Vineyard Mysteries. The author even manages to come up with a totally surprise ending just when you thought you had everything figured out. <br />
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I liked this a lot and will definitely be looking for Book 1 and any future books she writes in the series.<br />
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<br />Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-16598048437321048112015-11-26T12:49:00.001-08:002015-11-26T12:50:08.221-08:00Some links to Info for Seniorshttps://seniorsworldnewsletter.wordpress.com/Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-51577392468792746822015-06-04T14:32:00.004-07:002015-06-04T14:38:55.881-07:00Home At Last<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello friends and readers (if you are
still out there). I’m sorry that it has taken me this long to get back into the
writing mode but moving to a smaller living quarters was a real struggle;
perhaps the hardest thing that I have done for years. It isn’t so much the move
itself, but it is the disposing of 50 years of accumulated “stuff” that is
difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It is now six months since we left our 2,000
sq. ft. townhouse in Brookstone and moved to a very nice 1230 sq. ft. condominium
in a small town in the Fraser Valley. It’s a beautiful modern apartment and is
convenient to all types of shopping, as well as an abundance of restaurants. Everything
that a senior citizen needs to continue to live outside of a retirement home. And
I’m happy to announce that we are very contented here even though, at this late
date, there are still a few boxes to unpack. I’m not ashamed to say that they
may just stay that way for the unforeseeable future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In February, we treated ourselves to a
good rest in the form of a fifteen-day cruise out of Los Angeles to the
Hawaiian Islands and back. So between resting at home and resting on board a
Princess Cruise ship, I’ve had the opportunity to catch up on a lot of reading
and consequently heaps of good books to tell you about in the next few weeks. Here’s a sample of one I especially liked while
enjoying my days at sea. Looking at the
title of the book, perhaps it’s very fitting to review it here. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-One-Home-Debbie-Macomber/dp/0553391887/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433453495&sr=1-1&keywords=last+one+home">Last One Home by Debbie Macomber</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Cassie Carter is trying to make a home for herself and her
daughter in Seattle after fleeing from an abusive marriage in Florida. Even
though she was pregnant at the time, her sisters have never really forgiven her
for running off to marry this man that none of the family approved of. Both her
parents are now deceased and she doesn’t feel she can approach either of her
sisters for help.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">She’s
working hard to turn her life around on her own merits when a new man enters
her life. Since he is in charge of the project Cassie is working on to get a
new home in the Habitat for Humanity program, it is important that she get
along with him. However, he has had his own bitter experience in love and for
some reason seems to resent her. Everything seems pretty hopeless until one of
her sisters contacts her and the healing process begins.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">As usual,
Macomber’s characters are complex and sympathetic. The story will appeal to
anyone who enjoys a warm love story with no gratuitous sex. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-38993057949394874942014-11-18T14:56:00.001-08:002014-11-18T15:10:18.902-08:00Farewell to Brookstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">There comes a moment in the life of a senior when the writing is
on the wall. No matter how much you love your home, you realize that you must
downsize. The choices are limited. You can try to continue to go it on your own
in a smaller apartment or make an even more drastic choice and move to an
assisted living facility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">My husband and I have opted for a
self-owned condo in a new apartment complex directly across the street from a
shopping mall. The mall has everything we could possibly need: from a Wal-Mart
and a giant drug store; to a Best Buy; a Home Depot; a branch of the bank we
use; and even a British Columbia Government Liquor Store. We can walk to it
all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A block away is the City Hall, the police station and a public
library. Oh, and did I mention the ten different restaurants and fast
food outlets also within walking distance. We do feel we have hit the jackpot
in retirement living. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Of course, it means leaving the lovely
townhouse in its jeweled setting of forested green space and babbling brooks where
we have resided the last twelve years. A place of respite as we both recovered
from life threatening illnesses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Still even at this age, life is good and
we look forward to a few more years of reading and travelling. Not quite
ready for the old rocking chair yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">For the next few weeks, I’m afraid my blogs will be rather
spasmodic as we cope with ridding ourselves of years of accumulated “stuff,”
the move itself, and a nice cruise we have promised ourselves to recoup from
all this trauma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Wishing you all the best until 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-83878720730272257422014-11-03T12:07:00.001-08:002014-11-03T12:08:17.799-08:00An Excellent Mystery Series Where the Novels 'Stand Alone.' <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">If you know anything about
me, you realize that I am very much interested in researching my family
history. It’s an exciting and rewarding hobby and one that often provides an
author with some great ideas for historical fiction novels. My own books are
based on the few facts I have discovered about my Huguenot ancestors and their
lives after fleeing France and settling in England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Steve Robinson is an author
who is also using genealogy as the basis for his books. He has come up with a
great protagonist by the name of Jefferson Tayte who does genealogical research
for a living. In each book, there is a mystery attached to his historical
findings and he goes in search of the answers. Usually it’s where no man has
dared to tread before and some of what he digs up puts the genealogist in grave
danger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Empress-Jefferson-Tayte-Genealogical-Mystery/dp/1477825835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415045044&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lost+empress">“The Lost Empress”</a> is the
fourth genealogical mystery I've read by Steve Robinson. I love the technique
he uses in writing these books. There is usually Jefferson‘s own story as he
tries to unravel mysteries of the past; and then there are the actual stories
of those who came before. The author manages to do an excellent job of
interspersing the two.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Although this book
is part of a series, it stands alone just fine. One of Tayte's clients thinks
that her recently deceased grandmother may have actually been a woman who
supposedly drowned when "The Empress of Ireland" floundered and sank
in the St. Lawrence River in 1914. Taking what pictures the granddaughter has
given him and what info he can dig up on the internet, Jefferson is off to
England once more to speak to the descendants of the lady who drowned. When he
is met by definite hostility, he is convinced that the family has a shameful
secret they do not want unearthed.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">You can't help
loving the somewhat overweight and uncoordinated Jefferson with his love of
chocolate bars and his timidity of aggressive women. Enjoyed this read and look
forward to the next Tayte book. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-45032699649719795022014-10-22T15:59:00.000-07:002014-10-22T16:02:36.099-07:00A Good Book that Doesn't "Stand Alone." <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I often mention how happy I am when I see that a book I have really enjoyed belongs to a series even though it stands alone. When I'm finished reading, I can choose whether or not to go back and devour all the books that came ahead of the current one I'm reading. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes, though, the books is so dependent on everything that came before that it is not so enjoyable. My review today is of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harbor-Island-Point-Sharpe-Donovan/dp/077831653X/ref=cm_cr-mr-title">"Harbor Island: A Sharpe and Donovan Mystery.</a>" Although it is well written, it doesn't fall into that category.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Emma Sharpe, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, gets a call from a woman she has never met to meet her alone on one of Boston Bay's harbour islands, she was very hesitant. But Rachel Bristol was adamant that she had some information on an art thief that Emma has been tracking. So she decided to risk the meeting. After texting her boyfriend, fellow FBI agent, Colin Donovan, she follows her informant's instructions only to find the woman shot dead in a pool of blood.<br /><br />This sounds like it should be an excellent and suspenseful read and it would have been had I known anything about what came before. "Harbor Island" is the fourth novel in the "Sharpe and Donovan" series written by Carla Neggers. I felt that I would have enjoyed the book much better if I had read the earlier novels. Some sequels can easily stand-alone and still be an enjoyable read but I didn't feel this was one of them. There are too many references to people I haven't met, and incidents that occurred in the other stories without enough explanation. Other than that, the writing is excellent. The characters, once you have them figured out, well drawn, and the descriptions of a variety of settings superb.<br /><br />I'm sure if I had read some of the earlier books, I would have found this a 5-star read. Unfortunately I didn't. I suggest that you go back and read the others before you try this one. I'm going to give this series another chance by reading "Declan's Cross," the first in the series.<br /><br />Just a hint in case you haven't read her other books: in the copy of "Harbor Island" that I have, there is a novella at the end of the book entitled "Rock Point." I think it may be helpful to read that first. It will give you a better understanding of one of the most important characters.</span><br />
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Boston Harbor islands from the airLiz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-4795784364461589662014-10-14T16:28:00.002-07:002014-10-14T16:37:49.512-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Did you ever read the novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Earth-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0743272935/ref=la_B000AQ0HUM_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413329589&sr=1-1">"The Good Earth"</a> by Pearl Buck? I did many years ago, but it is so long ago that I have
pretty much forgotten what it was about, except that the setting was 19<sup>th</sup>
century China. Now an unpublished novel written by Pearl S. Buck and titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Eternal-Wonder-A-Novel/dp/1480439703/ref=cm_aya_orig_subj">“The Eternal Wonder”</a> has recently come to light. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;">The hand-written manuscript was discovered
in January of 2013, forty years after the 1938 Nobel Prize for Literature
winner's death. It was revealed among the contents of a Fort Worth, Texas
public storage unit sold for unpaid rent. When the buyer discovered both a
handwritten and typewritten document written by Pearl Buck, she alerted the
writer's family and after some negotiations, sold it to them. They have
authenticated it as her work.</span> Her son, Edgar Walsh, decided to have the
novel edited and published even though his mother died before she was able to
revise it. <span style="background: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is
probably a first or second unedited draft, but in spite of the fact that it is
far from perfect and not up to Mrs. Buck's usual standard, still the family
feels it is important to bring this last novel to the public. This therefore is
something a reviewer must take into consideration.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">It is
a strange tale with rather an oversimplified plot. In fact, it seemed more of a
fable than a novel. The hero, Rann Colfax is remarkably and improbably clever.
A genius from birth, it would seem. Learning comes so easy to him that he has
mastered several languages by the time he is in secondary school. He is much
too intelligent for his classmates and teachers, which leads him to wonder
about the meaning of life and the part he will play in it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When
his father dies while he is still young, he decides to get his education
through books and travel rather than attend a university. In the process of his
adventures, he becomes fabulously wealthy through two inheritances. One of them
quite improbable.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Throughout
the novel, there is a fairy-tale quality. Rather like an Aesop's fable with a
lesson that Pearl Buck wanted us to discover and take to heart. The final pages
make it clear what this lesson is.</span><br />
<br />
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As I
read the opening, I wasn't sure that I would like the book at all. But as I
continued, it became quite enthralling and in the end, I was left with a great
deal to think about. While it isn't in any way up to par with her other works,
I find it still gripping enough to deserve four stars</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APearl_Buck_Birthplace_2.jpg" title="By Beeflower (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Pearl Buck Birthplace 2" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Pearl_Buck_Birthplace_2.jpg/512px-Pearl_Buck_Birthplace_2.jpg" width="512" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Pearl Buck's Birthplace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By Beeflower (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</span>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-75870892799406288232014-10-07T11:04:00.001-07:002014-10-07T11:04:16.785-07:00A Little More About My Huguenot Series<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Silk-Weavers-Daughter-loyalty/dp/1453802576/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1RBKHGP02HMDQDZMRGYF">The Silk Weaver's Daughter</a> has been available since 2011 but I just received a lovely review this week. I'd like to share it with you as it explain very nicely what the book is about.<br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2GN8CU3PFCJGF/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp" style="color: #004b91;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amazon Customer "JHT"</span></a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2GN8CU3PFCJGF/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview" style="color: #004b91;">See all my reviews</a></div>
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<span class="crVerifiedStripe"><b class="h3color tiny" style="color: #e47911; margin-right: 0.5em;">Verified Purchase</b><span class="tiny verifyWhatsThis">(<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/amazon-verified-purchase" style="color: #004b91;" target="AmazonHelp">What's this?</a>)</span></span></div>
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<b><span class="h3color tiny" style="color: #e47911;">This review is from: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Weavers-Daughter-Elizabeth-Kales-ebook/dp/B0071NP3LU/ref=cm_cr_pr_orig_subj" style="color: #004b91;">The Silk Weaver's Daughter (Kindle Edition)</a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What an intriguing and enlightening read! Religious persecution and survival; romance, consequences and redemption add to Ms. Kale's paintbrush of colorful characters and their life changing adventures. I was very surprised and delighted to be caught up in the painted scenes of France and England, and the poignant and captivating story of the Garneau Family and their steadfast or wavering faith as Huguenots. A story that will leave its readers much to think about if their lives were effected to make such life-altering decisions for the sake of belief, love and family devotion. Eager to read more of Ms. Kale's work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">So very nice of JHT and I appreciate it very much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Now here is the Back Cover pitch for the new book, "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Night-Gypsies-Elizabeth-Kales/dp/1500601306/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FRB1FJJ5GMHPPJM81GK" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Night of the Gypsies</a><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> " which is the sequel to "The Silk Weaver's Daughter."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Travel in the 18th century is notoriously dangerous, but when a London tea merchant takes his wife and family to Europe it becomes especially challenging. Marc Garneau, a Huguenot refugee, faces bankruptcy and debtor’s prison unless he can retrieve his inheritance from war-torn France. His brother, Philippe, a secret worshiper still living in their small French village, agrees to help him spirit the money into a Dutch bank account. In spite of the dangers to both of them from the French dragoons, they agree to meet in Holland. A European journey in the early part of the 1700s entails perils enough without having an attractive, young daughter of marriageable age in tow. Nevertheless, when an unscrupulous London moneylender threatens his wife and children, Marc decides to take them along on his quest. Arriving in Amsterdam, they discover that, due to a difference in European calendars, his brother has been and gone. Now they must rendezvous at a Hessian castle near the Rhine River. As the tea merchant’s family set off across Europe, both Marc and his daughter, Alice face challenges that will change their lives forever. Part historical adventure and part coming-of-age, "Night of the Gypsies" brings to life the next generation in this French Huguenot family saga.”</span></span></div>
Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-58738156969221288192014-10-01T12:15:00.001-07:002014-10-01T12:15:26.192-07:00Senior Moments With Liz K: Announcing Give Away of "The Silk Weaver's Daughter."<a href="http://albetkales.blogspot.ca/2014/10/announcing-give-away-of-silk-weavers.html">Senior Moments With Liz K: Announcing Give Away of "The Silk Weaver's Daughter."</a>Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-20932302001928780852014-10-01T12:11:00.001-07:002014-10-01T12:14:25.130-07:00Announcing Give Away of "The Silk Weaver's Daughter." <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">To celebrate the release of the new novel in my Huguenot Family Saga series, "Night of the Gypsies," the original book, "The Silk Weaver's Daughter" will be free on Kindle for the next five days (October 1st - 5th) Here is the link: </span><a href="http://goo.gl/uSp5sq" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/uSp5sq</a><br />
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or: http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Weavers-Daughter-novel-loyalty/dp/1453802576/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412190806&sr=1-1&keywords=the+silk+weaver%27s+daug<br />
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Thank you.Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-27803289048392694962014-09-29T12:42:00.001-07:002014-09-29T15:01:58.250-07:00The Hundred-Foot Journey - A Great Book I Never ReadThis week I'm going to talk about a book that I didn't read and wish I had. However, I did see the movie and I loved it. The story is about an Indian family who, after suffering heartbreaking loss in Mumbai, move to the west to make a new life for themselves.<br />
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As Indian culture dictates, Papa is the head of the family and his decisions go. After the mother was killed in a terrible fire at their restaurant in India, they head west, first to England and then to France. After some glitches, Papa discovers the exact spot in a small French village, that he feels is perfect for his Indian style restaurant.<br />
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The catch is that it is right across the street from an ultra deluxe Michelin four-star restaurant. Enter the villain, Helen Miron as the owner of this high class establishment.<br />
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Since the advent of large, flat home screens, I don't often go out to see a movie. But there is the odd one that absolutely must be seen on the gigantic screen of a theater. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Foot-Journey-Richard-C-Morais/dp/1439165653/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412017574&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hundred+foot+journey">The Hundred-Foot Journey </a> is one of them. The scenery, both in India and in France is superb and deserves to be seen on the really big screen. Helen is perfect as the hoity toity restaurant owner and Om Puri is the strong willed Indian father. The gorgeous elder son, Hassan, is played by Mannish Davel, an actor who is highly attractive in any culture. I'm sure we will be seeing more of him in the near future.<br />
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I don't know how closely the movie follows the original novel, but I intend to give it a read to see for myself. In the meantime, if you see that it's still playing at a theater near you, or even fairly soon on netflix, I highly recommend it.<br />
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http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/films/the-hundred-foot-journey<br />
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<br />Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-16762303896071095702014-09-22T00:19:00.005-07:002014-09-26T18:08:43.526-07:00The Hungarian Gold Train <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been noticing a definite trend in historical fiction
lately for authors to write about the two world wars. Notably, first there are the
two series by the writing team of Charles Todd: one staring Inspector Rutledge
as a Scotland Yard detective recently returned from World War 1 and their
newest series about Bess Crawford who serves as a nursing sister in France as
well as sometimes in the Mediterranean war zone. There are other series as well
and they will be discussed in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today’s choice, however, is a new novel entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385533543/ref=pdp_new_dp_review">“Love andTreasure”</a> by Ayelet Waldman. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white;">In the aftermath of WWII, Lieutenant Jack Wiseman is
stationed in Salzburg, Austria. His assignment is to guard and catalogue the
"gold train"--a trainload of treasure stolen by the Nazis from the
Budapest Jews during the Holocaust.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">He
falls in love with a young Jewish woman from Budapest and asks her to marry
him, but she is determined to live in Israel and refuses his advances.
Suffering a broken heart, he feels compelled to take a small pendant he finds
among the jewellery on the train to remind him of her.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The
story now skips ahead seventy years to when Jack is dying of cancer. He asks
his beloved granddaughter to discover who the owner of the pendant was and to
try to trace her descendants. This takes her to Europe where she falls in love
with with an unscrupulous art dealer.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The
final part of the novel goes back in time and tells the story of how the
pendant came into existence. Told from the point of view of a doctor of
psychiatry, this section seems to be completely out of place at this point.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The
subject of the gold train has been well researched by the author and since it
was new to me, I found it fascinating to read about. Both the characters and
settings are well developed. However, the plot while intriguing jumps back and
forth in time, which tends to stop the flow and makes it feel disjointed. I was
never sure what the actual conflict was and, in the end, there didn't seem to
be a resolution. It leaves the reader somewhat unsatisfied.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">With
regard to the language, if this were a movie, I expect it would be rated
"R" for very strong language. So if this upsets you, be warned,
readers. Personally, I find too much swearing quite irritating. Three stars for
this book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APhoto_History_WWI_Hungary_-_A_Hungarian_soldier_on_the_Italian_front_(colored).jpg" title="By Madboy74 (Own work) [Public domain, GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Photo History WWI Hungary - A Hungarian soldier on the Italian front (colored)" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Photo_History_WWI_Hungary_-_A_Hungarian_soldier_on_the_Italian_front_%28colored%29.jpg/256px-Photo_History_WWI_Hungary_-_A_Hungarian_soldier_on_the_Italian_front_%28colored%29.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A Hungarian Soldier in WWII</span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By Madboy74 (Own work) [Public domain, GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons</span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-54776841327390480032014-09-15T23:22:00.001-07:002014-09-15T23:23:34.303-07:00Billy the Kid's Last Ride<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Really good westerns seem to be few and far between these days. But I have a good Facebook friend--a lawyer who lives in New Mexico who knows pretty much everything there is to know about Billy the Kid. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Billy's life was not a happy one and rather short lived. Here is my review of my friend, John Aragon's book: "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Billy-Kids-Last-Ride-Aragon/dp/0865348472/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410848512&sr=8-1&keywords=Billy+the+Kid%27s+last+ride">Billy the Kid's Last Ride</a> ." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This really is so much more than just about Billy the
Kid, although he makes a wonderfully sympathetic, albeit flawed main character.
It’s a true saga of the west and is wonderful in its scope.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In spite of the violence, I enjoyed reading John
Aragon’s fascinating version of Billy’s life, which provides the reader with a
different perspective on what made the young man the bad dude he was. Mr.
Aragon, a trial lawyer, is able to take this flawed young man and make him a likeable
character who stuck by his friends. He also shows how the circumstances of his
life forced Billy off the narrow path and into a life of crime. One has to feel
empathy for the lad. As I read, there were so many places where I wished his
life had taken a different turn—that he
could have pursued his dream to ride south to Mexico, with the woman he loved,
and live peacefully ever after. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was 15 years old when I first saw the movie “The Outlaw.”
starring Jane Russell who was quite famous at the time. The man who played
Billy the Kid was a virtual unknown, but he was extremely good looking, and I
had a crush on him for a long time. Consequently, although history has often told
us that Billy was a bad dude, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mr. Aragon’s wonderfully descriptive narrative transports
us into the sun-filled, blue-sky country of southwestern United States. His
settings carried me back to the four trips that my husband and I made through Arizona
and New Mexico. I remembered how much I loved the terrain of that dry,
pinion-studded and mesa filled land. There’s even a special smell to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I also liked how the author interweaves the story of
the milquetoast, New York reporter, Percival and his search to know Billy as
well as his obsession with Rosa. It adds comedy and breaks up the tension of
the constant violence in Billy’s life. Without giving too much away, I can tell
you that the episodes with the steer outside the outhouse, and the encounter
with the rattlesnake while Percival goes about his “business” were hilarious. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mr. Aragon is a gifted writer and I think we will be
seeing more of his work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-32502808736850361962014-09-07T13:24:00.001-07:002014-10-14T17:43:42.622-07:00Egypt in the Age of Colonialism <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUshabti_of_Tutankhamun_(KV62).jpg" title="By ddenisen (D. Denisenkov) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddenisen/7364440146/) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Ushabti of Tutankhamun (KV62)" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Ushabti_of_Tutankhamun_%28KV62%29.jpg/256px-Ushabti_of_Tutankhamun_%28KV62%29.jpg" width="256" /></a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you have had the opportunity to see the King Tut
Treasures exhibit you will really appreciate this story of the discovery and
opening of the tomb titled "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Visitors-Novel-Sally-Beauman/dp/006230268X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413333771&sr=1-1&keywords=the+visitors">The Visitors."</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lucy Payne is convalescing from the terrible typhoid
that took the life of her mother. In order to regain her health in a favorable
climate, a friend of the family takes her to Egypt in the decadent era of the
1920s. She becomes fast friends with Frances Winlock, the young daughter of an
American archaeologist. The two are inseparable, which allows Lucy entrance
into the exciting world of the colonial society of Luxor during this mesmerizing age
of discovery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the first part of the book, and it is
fascinating and compelling. For the most part the characterizations are totally
engaging and believable. The author has certainly done her research well and
both Howard Carter, the archaeologist who discovers the tomb, and his partner,
the 5<sup>th</sup> Earl of Carnarvon are larger than life in this captivating
tale. The author holds back none of the scandal surrounding the find and we get
an honest look at both these men who have been dead for over 80 years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">An interesting sidelight is that Highclere Castle currently
featured in the popular series, “Downton Abbey” is the actual estate of the
Earl of Carnarvon and it is said there are many of the Earl's Egyptian treasures stored there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The character of Francis Winlock was exceptionally
likeable and interesting but I didn’t feel realistic for a girl as young as she
would have been at that time. Lucy is eleven and Frances is supposedly three years younger
but the way the author portrays her, one gets the impression that she is the
eldest and more sophisitcated. In any event, the friends Lucy makes on this trip are her friends for
life and that is what the last part of the book deals with; a reminiscence of
her life, both during and after the excitement of the discovery of King Tut’s
tomb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I really thought that after Lucy stops talking about
her two visits to Egypt, the author could have cut back on much of the rest of
her life. While the writing continues to be vivid and beautifully descriptive,
there is not much of a plot line from that point on. The novel could have
probably ended with the deaths of the Earl and Carter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-59532467117693040562014-08-26T14:07:00.000-07:002014-08-26T14:08:07.160-07:00Coming In SeptemberHi folks:<br />
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Sorry that I have to keep this to a commercial this week. Have been suffering from back spasms since a bad fall last week, which tends to keep me off the computer. However, I am enjoying a good, brand new book that I'll tell you about in a week or two. In the meantime, don't forget that the second book in my Huguenot Family Saga series will be available on Amazon in September. Here's the pitch:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQExNG1aX47br4zjFok9np_d8M8HMernW9CyBOKdDQKWo1Nhhht6OaizCAIbqEhLWq-yq5gxBLhCL5GbdorRmMYXOyR0mOaTg0bbDtkyddwd6RWAZnsVW1ssVX3VBXv5puqkpBXRL56HVW/s1600/SnipImage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQExNG1aX47br4zjFok9np_d8M8HMernW9CyBOKdDQKWo1Nhhht6OaizCAIbqEhLWq-yq5gxBLhCL5GbdorRmMYXOyR0mOaTg0bbDtkyddwd6RWAZnsVW1ssVX3VBXv5puqkpBXRL56HVW/s1600/SnipImage.JPG" height="320" width="274" /></a></div>
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I'll let you know for sure when it's available on Amazon.Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-61674508388445745282014-08-17T12:07:00.002-07:002014-09-07T14:23:08.826-07:00Let's Read About Egypt<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">By Ian Sherlock from Puriton, UK (Sphinx and pyramid, Cairo) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the country
of Egypt, but it has always fascinated me. However, with so much intrigue going
on in the Middle East, it’s not a place I’d want to travel around right now. The next
best thing is to read about it. Here are two books I’ve read in the last year
with Egypt as the setting:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Jo-Chumas-ebook/dp/B00CRQSK5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408302565&sr=1-1&">The Hidden</a> by</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-weight: normal;"> Jo Chumas <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As winner of the Mystery and Thriller segment of the
2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, I expected this to be an excellent
read. And in many aspects, it was. The writing is well done and the research
into Egypt’s history is impeccable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Azi Ibrahim, a university professor has been
mysteriously murdered in the desert outside of Cairo and his young wife, Aimee
is determined to find out why. Among his possessions, she finds a diary written
by the mother who died shortly after she was born, as well as a picture of a
beautiful, exotic dancer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During her investigations to find out why her
husband had the diary and who the woman is, she enlists the help of a
mysterious middle-aged journalist. A man who also seems to have information
regarding her husband’s death. However, joining forces with this man
incriminates her as a pawn in the middle of a revolutionary war against Egypt’s
king and places her into an extremely dangerous position. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There were times when the situations seemed somewhat
contrived and you had to wonder, why anyone would be so stupid as to knowingly
walk into such danger. As well, I figured out the surprise ending a little over
half way through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, I didn’t really mind that too much and it
was an easy and fun read with exotic locales and two beautiful heroines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_browse-b_mrr_3?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Athe+cairo+affair+by+olen+steinhauer%2Cp_n_feature_br">The Cairo Affair</a> </b>by Olen Steinhauer </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sophie Kohl, the wife of an American diplomat in
Hungary is traumatized when her husband is killed sitting across from her in a
Budapest restaurant. Especially since, he had just told her that he knew about
her illicit affair with a fellow diplomat while stationed in Cairo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the sake of her own conscience, she is
determined to discover her husband’s killer and the reason behind his premature
death. Following the trail back to Egypt and further beyond to their honeymoon
in eastern Europe, twenty years earlier, she sets off a chain of reactions that
put not only herself in danger, but her husband’s diplomatic associates as
well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The novel delves deep into the world of espionage
intrigue and strategy where everyone is living a lie and no one is assured of
their safety from one day to the next. It’s a page-turner in the strongest
sense of the word and keeps the reader on edge right to the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are many characters and sometimes the plot is
difficult to follow, especially with so many Arab names. However, the flashbacks
to the war in Croatia were very informative and gave one some incite to the
problems the Serbs faced after the breakup of Marshall Tito’s Yugoslavia. It
also looks at U.S. intelligence during the time of the “Arab Spring.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I found the book well written and interesting and a
must-read for lovers of political conspiracies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-80096170232035119152014-08-11T11:22:00.001-07:002014-08-11T11:41:49.334-07:00Another Jane Austin Add On <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALydia_showing_her_ring_CH51.jpg" title="By C. E. Brock (died 1938) (Scan from the book at Pemberley.com) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Lydia showing her ring CH51" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Lydia_showing_her_ring_CH51.jpg/256px-Lydia_showing_her_ring_CH51.jpg" width="256" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It rather amazes me that there are so many fans of
Jane Austin out there. And so many historical fiction authors that are adding
to her words or filling in whatever gaps she may have left. I recently read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Longbourn-Vintage-Jo-Baker/dp/0345806972/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1407782349&sr=1-1">Longbourn</a> which
was on the best sellers list for a long time this spring. Here is my appraisal:
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve seen several versions of “Pride and Prejudice”
both on television and in the movies, but have to admit I’ve never read the
book. I know it is somewhat sacrilegious to say this, but much as I love her
characters and their old-fashioned stories, Jane Austin’s plodding 18<sup>th</sup>
century prose generally stops me cold. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Nevertheless, after reading “Longbourn” by Jo Baker,
I feel I really must settle down and give the original book version a whirl. I
need to know more about Mr. And Mrs. Bennet; their five sprightly daughters;
and the farm in Hertfordshire. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even if the author does rather take liberties with
the original characters, the servants of Longbourn come miraculously to life
under Jo Baker’s skillful literary pen in this parallel telling of their below-stairs,
private lives. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sarah the maid, who has been at the farm since she
was orphaned in childhood, is beginning to experience the bloom of youth. She
first finds herself drawn to the dusky mulatto footman of the neighboring
Bingley household at Netherfield. And he is definitely quite smitten with her
young, innocent beauty. But it is when she kisses the Bennet’s mysterious, new
hired hand that she begins to realize there is more to life than washing other
ladies’ dirty underwear and preparing roast chicken and mashed turnips for her
“betters.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Jo Baker’s characters are extremely well drawn and
her settings beautifully described. I found myself easily transported to that
time period with no great wish to return to reality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-91112660758866716372014-08-04T17:04:00.000-07:002014-08-05T11:00:49.037-07:00I Love a Series <div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABobbsey_Twins_at_the_County_Fair.djvu" title="Stratemeyer Syndicate [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Bobbsey Twins at the County Fair" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Bobbsey_Twins_at_the_County_Fair.djvu/page1-402px-Bobbsey_Twins_at_the_County_Fair.djvu.jpg" width="256" /></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's always delightful when you discover a series with a character that you can love and want to follow. Since I first discovered "The Bobbsey Twins" and "Nancy Drew" in the fourth grade, I have loved getting involved with a main character of a series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm going to be discussing some of these series in the next few weeks. At present, I'm greatly intrigued with two series by the same author, a mother and son writing team who go by the pen name of Charles Todd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A few weeks ago, I reviewed one of the latest books in their "Ian Rutledge" series. Here I'm going to introduce you to their new series called "Bess Crawford Mysteries." Bess was born in India into a military family and now, during the Great War (WWI), she is serving as a nurse in France. She often gets a leave from her front-line duties and manages to discover a murder whenever she does. Once in awhile, something that happens in the front lines gets her involved as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Question-Honor-Crawford-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/0062237160/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407261373&sr=1-1&keywords=a+question+of+hon">A Question of Honour</a>" is not the first book in the series, but it does take you back to her early years in India, so it's a good one to start with. Here's my review as it appears on Amazon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">English nurse, Bess Crawford serves in World War I tending the wounded in the battlefields of France. Much of her childhood was spent in India where her father. a Colonel in the British army, was stationed. Now, while on a tour of duty, she gets a glimpse of a man she knew years before in India's northwest frontier. A soldier who disappeared when he was accused of killing five people, but whom she remembers as being a very fine person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As some of the murders took place in England, on one of her leaves, she and her long time friend Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon begin to follow a trail to try to discover whether the subject is actually the killer or a victim of circumstance. A trail that will lead them into danger as they learn the horrific truth behind the murders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the fifth book in this series but the first one that I read. I really liked everything about the novel. The settings, the characters, and the plot were all exceptionally gripping. I'm just as hooked now on Beth as I was on the Todd's Detective Ian Rutledge series.</span><br />
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Just discovered that I have won an advanced copy of the above book from Harper Collins. Stay tuned soon for a review of another delightful Bess Crawford Mystery.<br />
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-50924141767774556642014-07-27T23:15:00.001-07:002014-07-27T23:15:53.489-07:00Coming to Amazon in September <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"London tea
merchant, Marc Garneau faces bankruptcy and debtor’s prison unless he can
retrieve his inheritance from war-torn France.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Marc’s brother, a secret Huguenot still living
in their small French village, agrees to help him spirit the money into a Dutch
bank account. In spite of the dangers to both of them, they agree to m<span class="textexposedshow">eet in Holland.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<span class="textexposedshow">Travel in 18th century Europe entails perils enough
without having an attractive, young daughter of marriageable age in tow.
Nevertheless, when an unscrupulous London moneylender threatens his wife and
children, Marc decides to take them along on his quest. As the tea merchant and
his family set off for Europe, both father and daughter face challenges that will
change their lives forever.</span><br />
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<span class="textexposedshow">Part historical adventure and part coming-of-age,
“Night of the Gypsies” brings to life the next generation in this French
Huguenot family saga." </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;"><span class="textexposedshow"><br /></span></span></span>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-2604992978280391172014-07-21T15:07:00.002-07:002014-07-21T15:07:43.574-07:00English History Novalist, Maria Grace was kind enough to do her blog on me this week. I have reposted it here.<br />
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by <span class="fn nickname"><a class="url" href="http://randombitsoffascination.com/author/Maria/" rel="author" style="color: #b07060; text-decoration: none;">Maria Grace</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-size: 18pt;">A superhero in purple velvet? Read on and find out more…</span></span></div>
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<img alt="superhero copy" class="size-full wp-image-21713 alignleft" height="200" src="http://i2.wp.com/randombitsoffascination.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/superhero-copy.jpg?resize=300%2C200" style="border: 4px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); float: left; height: auto; margin: 5px; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong> If you were to write the ‘origin’s episode’ of your writing what would be the most important scenes?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">When I was about nine my mother, who had been a teacher, introduced me to <em>Anne of Green Gables. </em>I was immediately hooked and begged for all the other L.M. Montgomery books. By age twelve, I was so into reading that in a two-month period when I was home a lot with a terrible flu, I went through seventy-five books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">All sorts of characters started coming to life in my mind and I thought I would tackle something myself. After listening to an episode of my favorite radio show, <em>Fibber McGee and Molly </em>(is there anyone who still remembers that) I decided to sit down and write a play myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What did your early efforts look like? Are they still around to be used as bribes and blackmail material?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">As I recall now, I don’t think the play was very long—maybe about fifteen minutes. But apparently, it was quite funny because the school principal decided to produce it and we performed it on stage at a PTA meeting. The audience howled most of the way through it and for about a week, I was the “toast of the town.” Heady stuff for a twelve year old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">Looking back through the mists of time, I’m not sure what happened to our copy of the script and perhaps it is fortunate that my mother didn’t keep it.<a href="http://i1.wp.com/randombitsoffascination.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/liz-kales-e1401157126750.jpg" style="color: #b07060; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="liz kales" class="size-full wp-image-46399 alignright" height="250" src="http://i1.wp.com/randombitsoffascination.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/liz-kales-e1401157126750.jpg?resize=233%2C250" style="border: 4px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); float: right; height: auto; margin: 5px; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px;" width="233" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>All super heroes have their mild-mannered secret identity, what is yours? I promise we won’t tell.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">She’s a little old lady, closer to eighty than seventy. Back in her “Clark Kent” days she wrote television and radio commercials for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; then moved on to the travel industry where she often wrote articles about her flying trips for newspapers and travel trade journals. It wasn’t until she toured France and the areas where her Huguenot ancestors came from that she discovered the latent talent that could bring them to life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What kind of training do you do to keep your superpowers in world-saving form?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I read what other writers write. I constantly have books in a variety of genres “on the go.” In fact, I’m an Amazon Vine reviewer, so I have to read every day to keep up with the books they send me. I also read a lot of “How to…” writing books. Because it was late in my life that I recognized I had this embryonic super power, I still need guidance on how to handle it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Granted, you probably don’t get to wear your superhero costume a lot, but if you did, what would it look like?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">Oh, I wear it a lot. Sometimes far into the afternoon. It’s a purple velvet bathrobe that I’ve had for many years. It’s completely loose and allows all the creative juices to flow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What is your kryptonite? What are the biggest challenges faced with in your writing?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I think it’s my age. In the past, I was always able to think on my feet and words came to me with ease. Now I often have to wait for the right word to pop into my head. When my mind goes blank like that, I just tell myself to relax and stop thinking so hard. In a moment or two, the word will come to me. But this method definitely slows down the flow. That’s why I can only write a book every two years, so I do suggest that you start writing while you’re still young.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What was the super villain that threatened to stop your latest project and how did you vanquish it?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">Fatigue. I was born tired anyhow and that hasn’t improved with age. I have to be totally rested before the voices in my head will wake up. However since I like to write at night between ten and midnight, that means a nice long nap in the afternoon. Since I’m retired, I don’t have to get up very early.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What important lessons have you learned along the way?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I think it’s important to learn the so-called rules of writing fiction and then figure out which ones it is safe to break. Just as an example, when I was taking on-line writing courses, both students and teachers kept repeating the mantra “show don’t tell.” I thought to myself, must you never tell? Seems impossible. I finally found a realistic writing book entitled <em>“Showing & Telling: Learn How to Show & When to Tell</em>.” I learned that there is a place for both and that “telling” is often necessary to speed up the plot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What has been your most memorable experience along the way?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">Two years ago, the city where I lived opened a big, brand new, beautiful library in the center of town. My cousin’s daughter is a librarian there and we got a special invitation to explore it before the actual opening. Imagine my delight and surprise when she showed us the “historical fiction” section and there was my novel, in living colour, on the top shelf. She had convinced her superiors to order the book since they like to spotlight the writing of local authors. I didn’t expect it and it was a great experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>If you did this, again what would you do differently and what would you not change?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I’d definitely start writing seriously at a much younger age. It takes so many years to get really good at it, and unfortunately, I don’t think that I have that much time left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I wouldn’t change my chosen genre. I love history and would always want to write about a different time than the one we live in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What is the best (writing or otherwise) advice you have ever gotten and why.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">Don’t write only what you know. Thankfully, my life has been fairly free of conflict and cliff hanging moments, so it wouldn’t make a very interesting book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Tell us about your new book and why we need to drop everything and get it now.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">The new book is the sequel to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Weavers-Daughter-Elizabeth-Kales-ebook/dp/B0071NP3LU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400706158&sr=1-1&keywords=The+silk+weaver%27s+daughter" style="color: #b07060; text-decoration: none;">“<em>The Silk Weaver’s Daughter</em>”</a> and is probably going to be called “<em>Night of the Gypsies</em>.” **</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">Although Marc Garneau wasn’t the hero of the first book, many of my readers were fascinated by the handsome Frenchman and wanted to follow his further adventures. When Marc and his family set out to Europe to try to recover the fortune he left behind in France, they run into a band of gypsies. The strange woman they meet in that gypsy camp more or less changes the future of every one of the main characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">It does stand-alone but I think it might be more interesting if one reads “<em>The Silk Weaver’s Daughter”</em> first.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>What’s in store for you in the future? Do you have any other big projects on the horizon?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; font-size: 14pt;">I have an idea in my mind for a prequel to “<em>The Silk Weaver’s Daughter</em>” about one of the silk weaver’s ancestors who is mentioned in that novel. However, it will take a tremendous amount of research and I’m not young anymore. I always have to face that fact that I could run out of steam. Even superheroes sometimes fade away.</span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-69301429701944372022014-07-13T16:53:00.000-07:002014-07-13T17:00:56.018-07:00<br />
Wikimedia Commons" Bremmerton_and_Port_Orchard_Foot_Ferries.<img alt="Bremmerton and Port Orchard Foot Ferries" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Bremmerton_and_Port_Orchard_Foot_Ferries.JPG" width="512" /><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">With television and the
newspapers being constantly full of sorrowful and frightening events and television so full
of sex and violence, every so often I need to read one of Debbie Macomber’s
books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Macomber lives in
Washington State in the beautiful Kitsap Peninsula. By ferry, it’s an easy ride
from Seattle and is an area of great beauty. Many of her novels are set in and
around Seattle and her latest novels called The Rose Harbor series are truly balm
to the soul. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I had never read a
Debbie Macomber book when I picked up the second book in this series titled, “The
Inn at Rose Harbour,” but I had noted that she is a very popular author. I
chose this book for a summer read a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much
I’ve been following Debbie ever since. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">The premise for “The
Inn at Rose Harbour” was that after less than a year of marriage, Jo Marie Rose
lost the love of her life in a tragic accident in Afghanistan. To try to cure
her heartbreak she decides to embark on a new life, using the insurance money
to buy a Bed and Breakfast. She finds the perfect spot in the small town of
Cedar Cove on the Kitsap Peninsula. The town is probably modeled to some extent
after the town of Port Orchard, Washington where Macomber actually lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">Jo Marie loves her new
home and soon makes friends with many of the welcoming residents.</span> When
her first two guests arrive with profound problems of their own, Jo Marie
throws herself into providing them with a happy sojourn, and in so doing, finds
solace for herself.<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="background: white;">It's
not a page-turner but Ms. Macomber's writing is lovely and descriptive. I found
it easy to imagine myself in the setting. It's a soothing sort of read and I'm
sure many people would find it enjoyable. So I was happy when this summer,
Amazon Vine offered me a copy of her latest novel in the series titled, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Letters-Rose-Harbor-Novel-ebook/dp/B00HBQUF74/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405294800">Love
Letters</a>.” </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">Since I was already </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">familiar with the setting and the protagonist,
Jo Marie Rose, I was happy to see her coming to terms with her new life. Her B&B
is in full swing and this book deals with two romances that need the
encouragement that a stay at the Rose Inn seems to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Also in this volume, Jo Marie's handyman, Mark Taylor is still in the
picture and we are beginning to learn a little more about him. From the ending,
it does seem, as though there will be a sequel. So, looking forward to that.
Although it helps to have read the earlier ones, the first time reader will
still enjoy this novel</span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-68853786315307468342014-07-08T20:16:00.001-07:002014-07-13T17:02:49.146-07:00Two Novellas for Pool Side Reading. <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A little late, this week but here are two books that
are easy beach or pool side reads. Both of them fairly short. Not awe inspiring but
fun reads if you are an armchair traveler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One takes you to the Cote d’Azur of France and the other
to the mountains of Colorado. Enjoy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A
Rocky Road by Glen Ebisch<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After the death of her father, Susan Cantwell hopes
to make a new life for herself away from her demanding brothers in New Jersey.
Leaving her job as a schoolteacher in the east, she takes a job as a guide with
a tour company in Denver, Colorado. She likes the thought of the freedom living
in the Wild West hopefully will give her.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However, when one of her guests dies in a mysterious
fall down a hotel staircase on the second night of the tour, she wonders if she
has taken on more than she bargained for. Especially when the one young
handsome passenger on the tour turns out to be a private detective, the company
has hired to look out for fraudulent passengers. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rather a nice little
mystery plus a hint of romance all against the gorgeous background of Mesa
Verde and Rocky Mountain Park. I always like a book that takes me travelling
and this one provides a nice tour through the wonders of Colorado. This is a
few pages too long to be considered a novella but it is definitely an easy
summer read. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACliff_Palace-Colorado-Mesa_Verde_NP.jpg" title="By Tobi 87 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Cliff Palace-Colorado-Mesa Verde NP" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Cliff_Palace-Colorado-Mesa_Verde_NP.jpg/512px-Cliff_Palace-Colorado-Mesa_Verde_NP.jpg" width="512" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">By Tobi 87 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Corsican Caper by Peter Mayle<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Although this short novel
is written in Peter Mayle's light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek style and chock full
of good food and excellent wines, there's really not much to this book. At
around 160 pages, it really is a novella. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A wealthy Russian named
Vronsky, who <i>modus operandi</i> is
generally to have those who stand in the way of what he wants put out of
business. In other words, killed. He never is caught because he's always far
away when these murders happen. He is now determined that he must have for
himself an impressive Riviera mansion owned by a Monsieur Francis Reboul, who
refuses to sell. Enter Mayle’s master sleuth, Sam Levitt, who just happens to
be vacationing on the Riviera. (Who wouldn’t if they could?) <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Even though it's a
mystery, there's very little in the way of suspense or cliff hanging moments.
Just enough of a plot to whet your appetite for a substantial meal. A little
disappointing compared to his other books.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACannes_port_rotonde.jpg" title="By Guy Lebègue (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Cannes port rotonde" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Cannes_port_rotonde.jpg" width="512" /></a><br />
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Cannes Harbor by Guy Lebègue (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<br />
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-27106286535372693292014-06-29T22:42:00.002-07:002014-06-29T22:49:39.492-07:00iPads for the Older and Wiser<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you are a senior who really wants to get a tablet and are thinking about an Apple product, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/iPad-Older-Wiser-Running-Apple/dp/1118833295/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404107178&sr=1-1&keywords=Ipad+for+the+older+and+wiser">iPads for the Older and Wiser"</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/iPad-Older-Wiser-Running-Apple/dp/1118833295/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404107178&sr=1-1&keywords=Ipad+for+the+older+and+wiser"> </a>is a great book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I received it prior to purchasing my iPad mini and
the very first chapter saved me from making an expensive mistake. I had thought
that the cheapest model would be good enough for me in this learning stage.
However, under the section entitled “which generation if iPad to choose” I
discovered that the cheaper model did not have a Retina Display. Retina display
enables text and images to be much sharper, and high definition videos can be
played at their full quality on these models. Not only that, but the camera on
the cheaper model is not as good as the one on the iPad mini with Retina
Display. So that was important to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The book has an excellent selection of chapters
dealing with things such as ‘browsing the web,’ ‘adding music and video,’
‘using apps on your iPad,’ and a very important chapter on ‘finding your way
with Maps.’ Apple has replaced Google Maps with its own Apple Maps or you can
download the Google Maps App if you prefer. But Apple Maps works with Siri and
has a great 3D view section called FlyOver that works as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the end of each chapter is a Summary and a
section called Brain Training, which helps to reaffirm all the information in
that chapter. As you go through the book, you keep adding to the knowledge and
the skills you’ve already acquired. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As far as I’m concerned, this little manual is the
best thing since apple pie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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By Lilitik22 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<br />
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AApple_pie_182161_04.JPG" title="By Lilitik22 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Apple pie 182161 04" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Apple_pie_182161_04.JPG/512px-Apple_pie_182161_04.JPG" width="512" /></a>Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-78058815614997547082014-06-22T14:05:00.001-07:002014-06-29T14:50:39.451-07:00Two Excellent Beach Reads for Summer<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I always feel a little sad when we reach June 21</span><sup style="color: #252525; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">st</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">.
True it’s the official beginning of summer here in the northern hemisphere, but
it also is the period when the sun stars it’s journey back south and the days begin
to shorten. I try not to think about that, as I love these long summer evenings
while the weather is still warm enough to sit comfortably outside long into
twilight and nightfall.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Since this also is the time of year, lots of us head
to the seaside; I am reviewing a couple of pleasant beach reads this week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, if you are a fan of Debbie
Macomber’s inspirational women’s fiction, <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blossom-Street-Brides-Novel/dp/0345528840/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403724390&sr=8-1&keywords=blossom+street+bridges">Blossom Street Brides</a></i></b> is one that
won’t disappoint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the downtown Seattle area of Blossom
Street, four young women are drawn together over a mysterious knitting project.
Some unknown person is leaving baskets of wool all over town, suggesting that
people knit scarves for the poor while they wait. The baskets are discovered at
bus stops, in doctor’s offices, and anywhere people have to remain for a while.
Each basket has a card with The Yarn Barn logo written on it, but the shop
owner, Lydia Hoffman knows nothing about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">As well, each of the four ladies is
dealing with her own personal problem. Lauren’s boyfriend of three years is
stalling regarding a marriage proposal. Bethany’s new husband’s business is
located in California, which keeps them apart for weeks at a time. Eliza is
concerned that the man her pregnant daughter wants to marry isn’t right for
her. And Lydia, herself, has an adopted teenage daughter whose terrible
nightmares keep the whole family awake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the wool shop, as the women become
entwined in one another’s stories, they draw together to become close-knit
friends. An easy read with a sweet ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASeattle_Skyline_tiny.jpg" title="By Joshulove (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Seattle Skyline tiny" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Seattle_Skyline_tiny.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, to introduce a new writer, Nicole
Dweck with her debut novel that was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel quarter
finalist this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Tamar-Nicole-Dweck-ebook/dp/B00JO31ZDK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403724470&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Debt+of+Tamar">The Debt of Tamar</a></span></i><span style="background: white; color: #181818;"> </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">is a lovely romance with hints of fantasy. A Jewish family
headed by a wealthy Spanish widow escapes Portugal and settles in Turkey during
the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century. Over time, the
sultan's grandson falls in love with Dona Antonia's granddaughter but because
of their different faiths, her father spirits her away to a far off land.</span><span style="color: #181818;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Jump ahead four centuries to the time when a
playboy prince meets the daughter of a French holocaust survivor. Could the
love of this couple set them free from an evil that has followed these two
families through the ages?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The author has come up with a unique plot that
takes us into far off, exotic settings and eras with descriptions that excite
the senses. Early in the book, I felt some of the narration was slightly overwritten, but as the story continues, the writing
definitely strengthens.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Her research is superb and I learned several
historical facts that I had never heard before. For example, that the Sultan
Suleiman practiced religion tolerance and allowed the persecuted Jews to live
unharmed under his rule.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the end, I enjoyed the novel immensely and
look forward to more of this author's work.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">By Constantin Barbu _Blue_Mosque_at_sunset.<img alt="The Blue Mosque at sunset" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/The_Blue_Mosque_at_sunset.jpg/512px-The_Blue_Mosque_at_sunset.jpg" width="512" /></span></span></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6889631952420700685.post-61461207021960902822014-06-15T11:45:00.002-07:002014-08-08T12:24:19.634-07:00The Prime Minister's Secret Agent Winston Churchill during Second World War<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" nbsp="" p="" title="By War Office official photographer, Horton (Capt) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><br /><img alt="Winston Churchill in the Second World War H10310" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Winston_Churchill_in_the_Second_World_War_H10310.jpg/512px-Winston_Churchill_in_the_Second_World_War_H10310.jpg" width="512" /></a><br />
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I was very young when WWII broke out, so some of my first memories are of
a world deep in conflict. It was a scary
time for children, especially once the Japanese entered the fray and the west
coast of Canada was considered a target. Both my father and brother had joined
up, so many a night my mother had to struggle to get up our blackout screens
made of strong tar paper which would allow us to have a small light to read by.
Then to sooth me to sleep, she would read to me my favorite books by A.A.
Milne. I learned early that immersing oneself in a make believe world could
compensate greatly for the sadness and fear that war brings to children of all nations.
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Now several generations have gone by and we are greatly
distanced from the horror of that era.
Books set in the time period are very much the fashion and so I have
discovered a new series by author, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asusan+elia+macneal&keywords=susan+elia+macneal&ie=UTF8&qid=1402857629">Susan Elia MacNeal</a>. She is a New York Times
bestselling author who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York with her husband and son.
However, she has done a great deal of research on the subject and has travelled
throughout Great Britain. </div>
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I’m always excited when I find a new cozy mystery series, especially
if the protagonist is a young woman of uncertain age. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Ministers-Secret-Agent-Mystery/dp/0345536746/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407525787&sr=1-1&keywords=the+prime+minister%27s+secret+agent">ThePrime Minister’s Secret Agent</a>” as much as I had anticipated. But I think this
is not the fault of the author as I later explain. </div>
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Maggie Hope is a
secret spy currently instructing young hopefuls in a clandestine training
centre somewhere in Scotland. She is fighting her own personal demon of deep
depression left over from a previous experience in Germany. One would have to
have read that novel to get the full impact of why she is suffering this
condition. </div>
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There is no particular plot to this novel other
than the escalation of WWII as the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour suddenly
thrusts the United States into the conflict. This volume is simply a
continuation of the previous novels in the series. Therefore, although the
story supposedly could “stand alone,” I didn’t find it an easy read. Throughout
the entire book, there are references to earlier occurrences that I knew nothing
about. Almost to the point that the reader sometimes feels a little out in left
field. All the sub-plots pretty much require that one have knowledge of her
earlier escapades. </div>
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I think that for readers familiar with Maggie’s past
adventures, the book would be quite satisfying because it is well written and
the characterizations are well drawn. As this part of the story proceeds, one
begins to get some feelings of compassion for the girl’s melancholia and rejoice
with her as she regains her equilibrium.
I did become sufficiently fond of her to consider going back and reading the
earlier tomes. If the idea of reading the whole series appeals to you, I would suggest you begin with the first one entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Churchills-Secretary-Maggie-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004J4X9HE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-3&qid=1402893808">"Mr. Churchill's Secretary."</a></div>
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<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABorrodale_flats_-_geograph.org.uk_-_300965.jpg" title="Jim Bain [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Borrodale flats - geograph.org.uk - 300965" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Borrodale_flats_-_geograph.org.uk_-_300965.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<o:p>D</o:p><span style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;">uring WW2 and </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.625px;">Arisaig</span><span style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;"> </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.625px;">House</span><span style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;"> in the distance was the SOE's area HQ. | </span><b style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;">...</b><span style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;">Category:Coasts of </span><span class="searchmatch" style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23.625px;">Scotland</span><span style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;"> Category:Images by Jim Bain Category: </span><b style="background-color: #f6f8fc; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23.625px;">...</b></div>
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Liz Kales - I Love Books and Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15228579469547980081noreply@blogger.com1