tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39570105562901266082024-03-05T23:09:48.892-08:00Cindy's Book ClubThis is not just book reviews--it's a cozy place to come for fun and interesting things about books and reading!Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-85774732095097078782015-02-16T09:35:00.001-08:002015-02-16T09:35:53.890-08:00Sandra Byrd's "Mist of Midnight"--a gothic Victorian treat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymOTF0wgincmpRoZXu98KmB0Vwh5Kf4UhRdkMrOWjDtUcE_cWx3i2aKyohW6hMeczmAlQUlGxirtRuh22CswA_8FLrkLZkQVm1w_vRl9JpbVvAzFnh1zuknvL4em6Km0IKcwf7gB8t6oj/s1600/mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymOTF0wgincmpRoZXu98KmB0Vwh5Kf4UhRdkMrOWjDtUcE_cWx3i2aKyohW6hMeczmAlQUlGxirtRuh22CswA_8FLrkLZkQVm1w_vRl9JpbVvAzFnh1zuknvL4em6Km0IKcwf7gB8t6oj/s1600/mist.jpg" height="400" width="242" /></a></div>
I've become a slightly more impatient reader in recent years. If a book doesn't grab me fairly soon after I open it, I have trouble making myself keep reading.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mist-Midnight-Novel-Daughters-Hampshire/dp/1476717869" target="_blank">Mist of Midnight</a>, by Sandra Byrd, offered no such problem. As soon as the reader meets Rebecca Ravenshaw, then finds out her extraordinary quandary, you're in.<br />
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This from <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a>:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her...and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca's name, but her home and incomes."</blockquote>
Rebecca is a likable heroine, and I kept turning pages to find out how she would deal with her plight and her growing attraction to Captain Luke Whitfield, who has taken over her family's estate. In true Gothic novel fashion, we have to question whether the handsome captain is friend or foe. (We're hoping it's friend, because we're a little in love with him ourselves.)<br />
<br />
In fact, the entire story has that Gothic atmosphere that I used to enjoy in writers like Victoria Holt.<br />
<br />
<b>About Sandra Byrd</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5YKBAYFGxIMMJoaZ2m_y7PJyHW1xQXpQ9d8UrmpYyMLKLvv38P-q1ScVtPWl7NRfYAfFeGCANkMfbbF6pafbEqtKMX_CzYKG2vrxaJw89y9nJGxOcKtQmdaYiXW25yvcL3UmPeDw4sP7/s1600/sandra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5YKBAYFGxIMMJoaZ2m_y7PJyHW1xQXpQ9d8UrmpYyMLKLvv38P-q1ScVtPWl7NRfYAfFeGCANkMfbbF6pafbEqtKMX_CzYKG2vrxaJw89y9nJGxOcKtQmdaYiXW25yvcL3UmPeDw4sP7/s1600/sandra.jpg" height="400" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandra Byrd</td></tr>
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Sandra Byrd first drew me in with her contemporary <a href="http://www.sandrabyrd.com/books/contemporary-fiction/french-twist/" target="_blank">French Twist </a> series about a young woman who becomes a pastry chef in France, Then I loved her Tudor series, <a href="http://www.sandrabyrd.com/books/historical-fiction/ladies-in-waiting/" target="_blank">Ladies in Waiting.</a> I'm not surprised that her Victorian series, <a href="http://www.sandrabyrd.com/books/historical-fiction/daughters-of-hampshire/" target="_blank">Daughters of Hampshire</a>, should be any different. <br />
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I've read dozens, if not hundreds, of Christian fiction books. Sandra Byrd has that something extra that makes a writer stand out in the genre. Faith is naturally infused into her books in, as she once told me in an interview, an "organic" way.<br />
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Most of all, her books have the quality I ask for of any writer: Make me care about the story and characters. Give me the sheer enjoyment of reading that makes me keep turning the pages. Sandra Byrd does that, in spades.<br />
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<i><b>Disclosure</b>: I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review.</i>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-62031049671749556922014-10-06T21:24:00.000-07:002014-10-06T21:24:55.329-07:00A fictionalized peek into the story of Charles Dickens' wife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm fascinated with Charles Dickens. I have been for quite some time. And while I enjoy his writing, and feel he was one of the most amazing storytellers of all time, I've always thought his treatment of his wife Catherine was shabby at best.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Blue-Dress-Inspired-Marriage/dp/0307463028">Girl in a Blue Dress</a>, subtitled "A Novel of the Life & Marriage of Charles Dickens," did nothing to change my opinion of Dickens. But it was a truly interesting read.<br />
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This is from <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a>; <br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">At the end of her life, Catherine, the cast-off wife of Charles Dickens, gave the letters she had received from her husband to their daughter Kate, asking her to donate them to the British Museum, “so the world may know that he loved me once.” </span></span><br />
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Author Gaynor Arnold changes some things. For instance, Charles and Catherine Dickens become Alfred and Dorothea Gibson, and she changes the names and birth orders of their children.<br />
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She also adds some key scenes which probably didn't happen in real life...like allowing Dorothea to confront the young actress who destroyed her marriage.<br />
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Other than that, as far as I can ascertain, Arnold stuck fairly close to the facts. Dorothea/Catherine is a sympathetic figure because after giving her husband the best years of her life, she is literally cast aside. Oh, Charles Dickens made sure the mother of his children was well-cared for, but that's about it. <br />
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One can feel the heartache of this woman who apparently never stopped loving the man who threw her over. <br />
<br />
Arnold paints Charles Dickens just as he seemed to be: larger than life, brilliant, selfish, a superstar in his time and a lasting literary legend.<br />
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If, like myself, you have an interest in Charles Dickens and would like to gain more insight into his marriage and how it ended up, this book is a must-read.Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-83285416072784181542014-05-20T11:24:00.003-07:002014-05-20T11:28:39.121-07:00How can you love a book when you can't stand the characters? My review of "Flinder's Field" by D. M. Mitchell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oj_M13yzuBC7AzYiLBVJS-syQkC_0rmE6INGwoCUP5ar_JgtUXqE6yVyKctz3UpvWwpF-FJPfog_hgNr6uQTViXwYdF0RAzvVQB4IWzfr4wVpoy28UWTkcK1XfmlyvXkf7Dta-EwnXY/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oj_M13yzuBC7AzYiLBVJS-syQkC_0rmE6INGwoCUP5ar_JgtUXqE6yVyKctz3UpvWwpF-FJPfog_hgNr6uQTViXwYdF0RAzvVQB4IWzfr4wVpoy28UWTkcK1XfmlyvXkf7Dta-EwnXY/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20262027-flinder-s-field">Flinder's Field</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7349145.D_M_Mitchell">D.M. Mitchell</a></div>
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/943021214">1 of 5 stars</a></div>
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I read this book on my Kindle because I love psychological thrillers, and this had gotten a lot of five-star reviews.<br />
<br />
Here's part of Amazon's summary:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In November 1974, a young woman called Sylvia Tredwin goes missing. Nobody has the faintest idea where she’s gone. She was wearing only a light skirt and T-shirt, didn’t take anything with her, no suitcase, nothing. Simply went out one dark evening and never returned. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Some say she went off with another man, because there’d already been talk in the small Somerset village of Petheram that she’s that type of woman – attractive, flirty with it, dressed too provocatively. But her husband, Bruce Tredwin, doesn’t believe a word of the callous whisperings of the locals as they gossip about his outsider wife. So he never gives up searching for her. A fortnight later on a stormy winter’s night he finds her. She’s naked in a place called Flinder’s Field, wandering aimlessly, badly bruised and in total shock. But what she says to him will astound everyone. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">She says she’s been abducted by aliens, and she was never to be the same again, with tragic consequences…</span><br />
<br />
While not badly written, I had two glaring problems with this book:<br />
<br />
1) It took SO long to get going. It was well into the book before anything really started happening. <br />
<br />
2) And this one is a biggie: I COULDN'T STAND THE CHARACTERS, especially the main character, George Lee! <br />
<br />
George returns to Petheram, the village of his birth, and decides to try to find out exactly what happened to Sylvia Tredwin.<br />
<br />
George was quite frankly a jerk, with no endearing qualities or anything that drew me to him. Quite honestly, I didn't care if he lived or died. <br />
<br />
None of the other characters were much better.<br />
<br />
I stuck it out only because other readers had raved about the huge twist at the end, but even the twist failed to wow me.<br />
<br />
The author has been touted as England's answer to Dean Koonce and Stephen King, but judging by this book, I'm not seeing it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4774757-cindy">View all my reviews</a></div>
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Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-44162478225952935252014-02-18T08:14:00.001-08:002014-02-18T08:14:54.702-08:00"The Luminaries" didn't light up my world<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333230-the-luminaries" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Luminaries" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384015794m/17333230.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333230-the-luminaries">The Luminaries</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2093764.Eleanor_Catton">Eleanor Catton</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/852371911">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><i>"It is 1866, and young Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men who have met in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events: A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky."--</i>Goodreads</span><br />
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I really wanted to like this critically acclaimed and highly-praised book. It had so many characteristics that I like in a book: it was lengthy, well-written, had interesting characters and story, even a Dickensian flair that I enjoyed.<br />
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Why, then, was it so hard for me to read this book? I literally had to force myself to read it. I only finished it because at some point, I figured I had invested too much time in it to just abandon it.<br />
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I ploughed doggedly through it as if it had been assigned to me in school and I was going to be tested on it.<br />
<br />
But I feel no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction on completing it. Maybe it was because there was no one character I was really rooting for? I just don't know. I liked Moody, and Anna Wetherell was a solid character, but neither were developed enough to really care about.<br />
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All I know is, life is too short and there are too many amazing, page-turning books out there to spend time forcing myself to read a book.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4774757-cindy">View all my reviews</a>
Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-55021575427030373462013-12-07T11:02:00.002-08:002013-12-07T11:02:59.266-08:00Remembering favorite writers from my early years<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd1kUNM3Ajpk91jt7TTsbJtXqTY2CHfACcIk0rpdwv20Ew2b6soeG6y7s3EwuPllevVXBUJmBtLZm60P-6tQ9EnUCjkCcj_xyw2HQ3ZdeBskxhyRGB0AMBg5Inx5Kwqgt1mLvEsWbemGG/s1600-h/Rosamund_du_Jardin.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047405163325968674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd1kUNM3Ajpk91jt7TTsbJtXqTY2CHfACcIk0rpdwv20Ew2b6soeG6y7s3EwuPllevVXBUJmBtLZm60P-6tQ9EnUCjkCcj_xyw2HQ3ZdeBskxhyRGB0AMBg5Inx5Kwqgt1mLvEsWbemGG/s320/Rosamund_du_Jardin.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0 10px 10px 0;" /></a><br />
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From the Rosamund du Jardin <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7563/">website:</a><strong></strong><br />
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<strong>"Most people wonder why I like these books so much when I am a child of the '80's and the '90's and these books are about what it was like to be young during the '50's and the '60's. To tell you the truth, I don't know myself! Perhaps it's because they are about a time when it was safe to walk a girl home at night or when people drank malteds in the soda shop while wearing their charm bracelets and sweater sets. In some ways, their world of wearing class rings and hoping for orchid corsages is the opposite of my world of MTV, gangs and violence, and teenage pregnancy, but it's still the same when it comes to joys and heartaches, growing up and learning." </strong></blockquote>
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<br />
Most people remember Pulitzer Prize-winning poet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Frost">Robert Frost </a> (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) for his poem, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken">The Road Not Taken. </a><br />
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However, my favorite Frost poem is <a href="http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/Reluctance.htm">Reluctance.</a> It ends like this:<br />
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<blockquote>
Ah, when to the heart of man <br />
Was it ever less than a treason <br />
To go with the drift of things, <br />
To yield with a grace to reason, <br />
And bow and accept the end <br />
Of a love or a season? </blockquote>
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<strong>Mary Stolz, et al</strong><br />
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I've liked that poem ever since my early teen years, when I read a book whose title was taken from it: <em>A Love, or a Season,</em> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Stolz">Mary Stolz</a>. To be honest, I don't remember what the book was even about. I do remember that Mary Stolz was one of my favorite writers at the time, along with the likes of <a href="http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9319045">Betty Cavanna,</a> <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7563/">Rosamund du Jardin</a> and <a href="http://www.schoolgirlshamus.net/Author/janetlambert.htm">Janet Lambert.</a><br />
(By the way, if you were ever a Rosamund du Jardin fan, <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7563/">this website </a>dedicate to her is really enjoyable.)<br />
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While some of these books were already ten to 20 years old when I was reading them, they still resonated with me as a starry-eyed bookworm.<br />
<br />
<strong>Francena H. Arnold</strong><br />
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Christian fiction was in its early stages, but there was some good stuff out there even then. I loved <a href="http://www.christianbookclearinghouse.com/notmywill.html">Not My Will,</a> <a href="http://www.bookbase.com/search;jsessionid=8302BA88764602A7E270CE87D4AE8C22?dealer_login=ventura&bookId=bb0350685&method=POST">Light in My Window</a> and <a href="http://www.bestwebbuys.com/Then_Am_I_Strong-ISBN_0802400604.html?isrc=b-search">Then Am I Strong,</a> by <a href="http://www.moodypublishers.com/Publishers/default.asp?SectionID=DA0DB250205240A3B2D27CB97458709F&action=view_details&subid=5635F0DAC4F836C506B3CC7823ECC364">Francena H. Arnold. </a> (I even listed <em>Not My Will </em>as one of my <a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/2006/10/way-back-wednesday.html">Top 25 Books of All Time.)</a><br />
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I've since lost track of most of my copies of these books, but I see now that many of them are available online. <a href="http://www.moodypublishers.com/Publishers/default.asp"> Moody Publishers </a>has even re-released Not My Will. I will probably eventually purchase some of my favorites online. Reading them again will be a delight.<br />
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Any favorites that you'd like to let me know about?<br />
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<i> (Originally posted on my main blog,<a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/"> Notes in the Key of Life</a>, 3/26/07</i>.)Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-9872048644075803902013-11-05T12:36:00.001-08:002013-11-05T12:36:53.819-08:00Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: my review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Peregrines-Home-Peculiar-Children/dp/1594746036">Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</a>" is one of the most charmingly quirky books I've read in quite some time. <br />
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With unbridled imagination and deft world-building reminiscent of <a href="http://www.andrew-peterson.com/books/">Andrew Peterson's fantastical books</a> (a must-read if you love fantasy), this tale also fulfilled my number-one need in a reading experience: the motivation to keep turning pages because I couldn't wait to see what happened next.<br />
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It's about Jacob Portman, a 16-year-old self-described bored rich kid from Florida, whose grandfather raised him on unbelievable tales of bloodthirsty monsters and children with unusual abilities who live in an idyllic haven on an island in Wales.<br />
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Jacob had long since stopped believing his grandfather's stories, despite the fact that he had the photographs to "prove" them. Photographs that Jacob could see were often doctored, and not even that skillfully.<br />
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And because Jacob's grandfather was a Jewish man whose family was killed in the holocaust, and who joined the army to fight the Nazis, it was easy to decide the monsters in his grandfather's tales were simply an allegory for the real-life monsters he had fought.<br />
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It isn't until Abraham Portman's death that Jacob begins to believe all the stories might have been real. And prompted by his grandfather's last words, Jacob embarks on a trip to the Welsh island, determined to learn the truth.<br />
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<b>Criticisms of the book</b><br />
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Because I enjoyed this book so much, I was really surprised to see the number of one- and two-star ratings it got on Goodreads.<br />
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Most of the criticism seems to be that the cover of the book was misleading. Readers thought they were in for a chillingly creepy horrorfest, and were disappointed to find that it's a young-adult fantasy novel in which the only creepy things are the actual photographs that pepper the book.<br />
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Having read some things about the book, I wasn't expecting a bone-chilling tale, and I actually liked the story's air of fresh, sweet innocence. Don't get me wrong...there's danger, bloodshed and mild scariness, but nothing along the lines of Stephen King or Dean Koontz.<br />
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<b>About those photographs </b><br />
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The vintage photographs are quite real, and author <a href="http://www.ransomriggs.com/">Ransom Riggs</a> admits he built the story around them. To me, they lend a quirky charm, despite the fact that some of them are rather weird and creepy. They all came from the hands of collectors of such pictures. One can't help but wonder about the circumstances in which some of them were taken.<br />
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A sequel is coming--yes, the book pretty much ends on a cliffhanger--and Riggs promises that more such photographs will be featured.<br />
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Overall, I truly enjoyed reading "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," and I look forward to finding out what happens in their further adventures.Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-13330954373604167682013-08-24T10:35:00.001-07:002013-08-24T10:39:16.433-07:00Deeply Odd was deeply enjoyable<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15722281-deeply-odd" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Deeply Odd (Odd Thomas, #6)" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365922854m/15722281.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15722281-deeply-odd">Deeply Odd</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9355.Dean_Koontz">Dean Koontz</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/702455235">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<em>Deeply Odd</em> was deeply enjoyable.<br />
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It's been a while since I read an Odd Thomas book. I skipped "Odd Apocalypse" because, frankly, I wasn't in the mood for an apocalyptic read. So when I saw this one at my local library, I decided it was time for a return to the world of a uniquely sweet young man who "sees the spirits of the lingering dead."<br />
<br />
Honestly--unlike some of the reviews I've read on here--I think "Deeply Odd" is one of my favorites in the series. <br />
<br />
Although there was the requisite evil and the horrific tragedy Odd needs to avert, it was also infused with a spirit of hope and goodness.<br />
<br />
The book leaves the enigmatic Annamaria in the background. (She's the pregnant young woman that he befriended a couple of books ago. Enigmatic almost to the point of being annoying, I might add.)<br />
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It also introduces a wonderful new character that I hope sticks around...the elderly, but feisty and sparkling, Edie Fischer. Edie is also enigmatic and mysterious, but also down-to-earth and very likable.<br />
<br />
For example, after the story's suspenseful and nerve-wracking climax, this exchange:<br />
<br />
Edie: "How do you feel, Oddie?"<br />
Odd: "Starved. I need a big pile of breakfast."<br />
Edie: "First you need a shower, dear, so the rest of us will have the stomach to take breakfast at the same table with you."<br />
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A new ghost is also introduced (in the past, Odd has helped ghosts like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra pass over to the other side), and there's a new, awesome twist with this one. Plus, he seems to be even more helpful to Odd than some of the spirits in past books.<br />
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One of the criticisms I've read has been that Odd didn't ever seem to be in very much danger. Umm, did you read the same book I did? I would think being relentlessly pursued by a bloodthirsty demon would qualify as "dangerous." <br />
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I actually appreciated that the story seemed to be a tad less chaotic than some of the "Odd" books. For me, the main attraction of an Odd Thomas book is Odd himself. His thoughts, his ponderings, his humor, his unique outlook on the world. All that I got in spades.<br />
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Another criticism was that "not enough questions were answered." The better to keep us buying the next books, maybe?<br />
<br />
As for the element of hope? Previous Odd Thomas books have held the gloomy undertone that the world as we know it is being overtaken my evil. "Deeply Odd" revealed that the good is out there too, and working just as hard.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4774757-cindy">View all my reviews</a>
Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-62501366087276240592013-08-16T08:04:00.000-07:002013-08-16T08:04:18.113-07:00Lauren Willig's "The Ashford Affair"
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15701533-the-ashford-affair" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Ashford Affair" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1340917750m/15701533.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15701533-the-ashford-affair">The Ashford Affair</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14469.Lauren_Willig">Lauren Willig</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/696360983">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Two books came out at about the same time, both set in Africa in the 20s. I couldn't finish one of them--Deanna Raybourn's <em>A Spear of Summer Grass</em>--but I really enjoyed the other, Lauren Willig's <em>The Ashford Affair.</em><br /><br /> I'm normally a big Deanna Raybourn fan. I love her Lady Julia series. Lady Julia is an eminently likable character, and her husband Brisbane is one of the most attractive male characters ever--brooding, mysterious, very cool. <br /><br />But I had to quit reading <em>A Spear of Summer Grass</em> simply because I didn't like the characters. I had no sympathy or connection whatever with Delilah, and her male love interest just bored me. Definitely no Brisbane.<br /><br />On the other hand, <em>The Ashford Affair</em> captured me immediately. I liked the main character, Clementine, very much. As for the characters from the past (the 1920's), I wasn't crazy about any of them, but I was vitally interested in their story.<br /><br />Addie is one of the most multi-dimensional characters I've encountered in fiction. Kind of like real life--few people are totally good or bad. Addie had her likable, admirable qualities, but definitely her questionable ones as well.<br /><br />Bea was much like Delilah in Raybourn's book, but unlike Delilah, she had to face the consequences of her selfish, devil-my-care attitude.<br /><br />Altogether, an entertaining and absorbing tale.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4774757-cindy">View all my reviews</a>
Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-5073642634603683142013-08-07T21:08:00.001-07:002013-08-07T21:09:16.086-07:00My review of "The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10692.The_Historian" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Historian" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1338298031m/10692.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10692.The_Historian">The Historian</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5918.Elizabeth_Kostova">Elizabeth Kostova</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/689071724">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I had read so many rave reviews of this book, I went into it with great anticipation...despite the fact that vampires are not usually my thing.<br /><br />Ultimately, despite good writing and a basically interesting storyline, I found myself disappointed.<br /><br />The daughter in the book doesn't feel fully fleshed out at all. Did it ever even mention her name?<br /><br />I did like the narrator, her father, very much, and Helen was a terrific character.<br /><br />There were times that I read eagerly and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Other times, I felt like I was plodding through a dull textbook that barely held my interest.<br /><br />Then when we finally get to meet the object of everyone's interest, fear, research, etc, it feels like an anticlimax...and not even as frightening as you might think.<br /><br />I think the book would have greatly benefitted by shrinking it down to about half its size. <br /><br />I don't regret reading it, but it didn't live up to my expectations. And unlike a lot of other readers, I actually preferred her sophomore book, "The Swan Thieves" to this one.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4774757-cindy">View all my reviews</a>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-91597812929535568672013-01-28T08:03:00.002-08:002013-01-28T08:03:45.923-08:00Extended hiatusI think, for now at least, I'm going to have to put this blog on an extended hiatus.
When I started it up again, I was unemployed and had plenty of time on my hands. Now, I feel any blogging time will have to go to my main blog, <a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com">Notes in the Key of Life</a>.
For the time being, any book reviews I do will be on that blog.
I'll leave this one up, and will even be moving some reviews over to the other blog.
And who knows, maybe at some point I'll have the energy to devote time to this one again.
Thanks to all 20 of you who occasionally read it! :) Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-44431214792480743082012-11-02T16:04:00.001-07:002012-11-02T16:18:27.761-07:00Wool Omnibus, by Hugh C. Howey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a long time since I've read a book that I literally did not want to put down. Well, the streak is over, thanks to<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Edition-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA"> Wool </a>by <a href="http://www.hughhowey.com/">Hugh Howey</a>. (The edition I read is subtitled Omnibus because it was originally a collection of self-published stories that have been put together.)<br />
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Case in point: doing the elliptical for 30 minutes at the gym is usually a half-hour of boredom made bearable only by the selection of music on my mp3 player. But I forgot my earphones yesterday, so decided to continue reading "Wool" instead. <br />
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Normally I have a hard time staying focused on reading material when I'm exercising...but not only did I stay focused, the 30 minutes evaporated in no time!<br />
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"Wool" is the kind of book for which you really need to set aside some uninterrupted time...else you'll be staying up way past your bedtime.<br />
<br />
<b>So what it's about?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
An entire city of people (I don't think Howey ever specifies just how many) lives in an underground silo that reaches some 140 floors down into the earth. <br />
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They carry on their lives--schools, jobs, religion, marriage, childbirth, entertainment--in this shelter. Their only knowledge of the outside world is that breathing its toxic air would destroy them. <br />
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Talking about the outside, even speculating about it, is a punishable offense. The worst offenders are sent to "cleaning"-basically, their death. (I'll let you find out about that for yourself.)<br />
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But when a curious IT tech finds some secret information about the history of the silo, it sets off a chain of events that kick this engrossing tale into high gear really quick. In fact, the first page had me hooked.<br />
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<b>The stairs</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
With life taking place on <b>so</b> many floors--the "uptop," the "mids" and the "down deep"--the stairway becomes a focal point of the story. A trek from the top to the bottom could take quite a while, could even require an overnight stay at a halfway point.<br />
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I have to admit that I had to wonder, with silo life so perfectly planned and regulated, why whoever designed the silo didn't provide for elevators!<br />
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But I think another blogger, <a href="http://janyaabooknook.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/wool-omnibus-edition-1-5-by-hugh-howey/">Janyaa,</a> expresses her thoughts about the stairs perfectly:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #f7f3ee; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">I love how Howey incorporates the stairs into the story. They become a test of will, a graceful arc of hope, or potential for despair. Not only is it the tie that connects the levels together, but it’s also the gravity that keeps them apart. A barrier and a link. The very DNA of the silo’s civilization.</span></blockquote>
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<b>The characters </b><br />
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While life in the silo--and the speculation about what is really outside it--are fascinating, it's the characters that really make the story.<br />
<br />
My favorite is Juliette, who has all the attributes of a good heroine--courage, integrity, and feistiness. Not to mention she's a very talented mechanic, which serves her well in the adventures that befall her.<br />
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But more than that, she has a vulnerability that makes her likable and relatable.<br />
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<b>More to the story?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>(SPOILER ALERT!)</b><br />
I liked how this book--originally a collection of self-published stories--ends on a note of hope and even joy.<br />
<b>(END SPOILER)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
But it's obvious that Howey left some threads hanging loose. And in a Q and A in the Kindle edition, he implies that there WILL be more to the story. I can't wait to see if future installments will be as riveting as this one!Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-57688012513135483762012-09-27T07:24:00.001-07:002012-09-27T07:24:42.993-07:00Booking Through Thursday: Carry-Ons<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/267823509060530121/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="434" src="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/267823509060530121_4cT2lV9c_c.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://hvntmetuyet.tumblr.com/post/21567006868" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">hvntmetuyet.tumblr.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/cynthiasusan/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Cindy</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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I've sadly neglected this blog lately, and it's been quite some time since I participated in Booking Through Thursday, so...there's no time like the present, right?<br />
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<b>Here's today's question:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you bring the book(s) you’re reading with you when you go out? How?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Physically, or in an e-reader of some kind? Have your habits in this</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;">regard changed? (I know I carried books with me more when I was in</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;">school than I do now–I can’t read while I’m driving to work, after</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #4f402a; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all.)</span>
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Short answer: Yes. Often. I find myself in situations where I have to "wait' a lot, and if I have my current book with me, no worries. Irritation at having to wait vanishes when I get caught up in the story.<br />
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I used to have a Kindle before I broke the screen, and I really miss it for that very reason. You can't beat the portability! I really wish I had an e-reader again...even though I love actual books and would never completely abandon them.<br />
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Oh, and I NEVER go on a car or plane trip without a good book!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Go<a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/carry-ons/"> here</a> to participate in Booking Through Thursday</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and go <a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/">here</a> to enter for your chance to win a beautiful top from Soft Surroundings!</span></div>
Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-49424463277157681782012-08-03T09:00:00.001-07:002012-08-03T09:00:55.353-07:00My review of Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNe3_Ho2lNw04R7J6l-RBQeADT0_9xQ5JC3krb73-GKa0DEcn6HKBRkNpVTYMWEFc_CTH1WLBDoc-JC-lKyfcgK1wgK1U5V98D_XHXqVbxOypzKwn3BvjBJxan5k5NkbqCalvm0v3OCQ/s1600/mansf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNe3_Ho2lNw04R7J6l-RBQeADT0_9xQ5JC3krb73-GKa0DEcn6HKBRkNpVTYMWEFc_CTH1WLBDoc-JC-lKyfcgK1wgK1U5V98D_XHXqVbxOypzKwn3BvjBJxan5k5NkbqCalvm0v3OCQ/s400/mansf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 17.962963104248047px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 17.962963104248047px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px; line-height: 17.962963104248047px;"><b><i>Warning: This review contains spoilers</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Although I've thoroughly enjoyed other books by Jane Austen, this is the first time I've read "Mansfield Park."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I was riveted from the first page. I seriously had a hard time putting this book down, so utterly captivating and engaging was the story.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The book shows how, although morals and mores have changed drastically since the early 18-hundreds, basic human nature has changed not at all...and Ms. Austen had a laser-sharp grasp on it, and how to unerringly depict it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I loved Fanny, and wanted her to be able to claim her deserved status as well as the man she loved.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">****SPOILER ALERT****</strong><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkZaKeCx48XN-xOBWEQgwH1b7WrAmOez0iq5FAOdmvZFCQZAoEir6JjhYkzJjHzQXTt_NWKe-hrYMpCoVocZAmjvK_T_TVEqOra119J6ZYErMAvvfWUXSMz_eIr7RSBWrjXCPe-MvvHU/s1600/mansfield-park1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkZaKeCx48XN-xOBWEQgwH1b7WrAmOez0iq5FAOdmvZFCQZAoEir6JjhYkzJjHzQXTt_NWKe-hrYMpCoVocZAmjvK_T_TVEqOra119J6ZYErMAvvfWUXSMz_eIr7RSBWrjXCPe-MvvHU/s400/mansfield-park1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is from the movie...in the book, no such scene is depicted</td></tr>
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<b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The one thing in which I was disappointed was how the ultimate union of Edmund and Fanny was almost anticlimactic. They didn't even get a "reveal" scene in which Edmund could tell Fanny that he had been an idiot and it was Fanny he had really loved all along, and that they could at least share a heartfelt kiss and/or embrace.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The closest we get to any such scene is when Edmund comes to get Fanny from Portsmouth, and he clutches her to his heart.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I would have loved to have seen Edmund's feelings for Fanny be revealed to him gradually and culminate in a joyful scene of realization.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">But that isn't enough to ruin the book for me. It was a truly enjoyable read, and a triumph for anyone who has experienced unrequited love.</span>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-58470644882900747222012-07-18T09:07:00.000-07:002012-07-18T09:07:41.621-07:00My latest book trailer...One of the things I love to do as a voice-over artist is voice book trailers. Here's my latest, for Kathi Macias' The Deliverer. It's produced by Misty Taggart with <a href="http://trailertothestars.com/">Trailer to the Stars</a>.
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NobFUST7xlk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-63295277747375071062012-06-23T23:28:00.000-07:002012-06-23T23:28:20.080-07:00My review of Kate Alcott's "The Dressmaker": so what happened after the Titanic sank?<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12384157-the-dressmaker" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Dressmaker: A Novel" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1314819502m/12384157.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12384157-the-dressmaker">The Dressmaker: A Novel</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5052587.Kate_Alcott">Kate Alcott</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/354477006">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Tess, a young maid who dreams of being a dressmaker and designer, lucks into boarding a ship in the employ of famous fashion designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon and her husband.<br />
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The ship is the Titanic, and of course we know how that voyage turned out. Fortunately for Tess and the Duff Gordons, they survive, and once in New York, Tess's dreams begin to come true.<br />
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But questions are being raised about the reasons for the Titanic's tragedy and who was to blame, as well as why many of the lifeboats were only partially filled. And the Duff Gordons are squarely in the middle of the controversy.<br />
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That means Tess's loyalties are torn between her new employer and a handsome sailor she befriended on the ship, Jim Bonney, who is determined to tell the truth about what really happened on the lifeboat he shared with the wealthy couple.<br />
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<strong>Good story</strong><br />
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I gave this book four stars mainly because it's a good story that held my interest and propelled me along. It also renewed my interest in one of the most fascinating true stories of all time.<br />
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Pretty much everything about the doomed ship is intriguing, and I liked this book because it centered around the aftermath of the sinking. We've seen and heard a lot of stories about the actual event...what happened to the survivors who had to pick up the pieces of their lives and move on?<br />
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As well, many of the people in the book (although not Tess and Jim) were real people who figured prominently in the Titanic's story, including the Duff Gordons.<br />
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<strong>"Modern sensibility"?</strong><br />
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However, the story falls a bit flat in the area of character development and emotion. It's not a surprise to find that Kate Alcott is a journalist who has covered national politics.<br />
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Another reviewer on Goodreads said that the book is guilty of giving its characters a "modern sensibility." I have to agree. They're quite politically correct, and even the hero, Jim Bonney, admits he "doesn't dismiss" the Bolsheviks and tells Tess "hopefully": "There's this bloke, Vladimir Lenin...have you heard of him?"<br />
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Also, will someone please tell me when the use of the word "okay" became common? Did people really say it frequently in conversation in 1912? I'm genuinely curious. <br />
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I will say that the characters in this book generally talked like contemporary people.<br />
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These are quibbles, though. If you like a good, entertaining tale against the backdrop of one of history's most fascinating events, you'll probably enjoy this book...just as I did.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4774757-cindy">View all my reviews</a>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-33058244279771784422012-06-19T08:49:00.000-07:002012-06-19T08:49:03.959-07:00A fascinating book about Louisa May Alcott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcKiHGpEOasbWcYqCfie5a1h23chAvbJezKLQYVDqz4wZ0dy5wssN2CWe4DAGOML2C3_HphIknTklEV8i4Pe9rrZt8nlm3leMpO0AP14wUls9VM8YmTf4_DMcoirzQ_MJKW650U4PJwo/s1600/LMAbook.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcKiHGpEOasbWcYqCfie5a1h23chAvbJezKLQYVDqz4wZ0dy5wssN2CWe4DAGOML2C3_HphIknTklEV8i4Pe9rrZt8nlm3leMpO0AP14wUls9VM8YmTf4_DMcoirzQ_MJKW650U4PJwo/s400/LMAbook.JPG" width="250" /></a></div>
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I believe I was about eight years old when I first read Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." It was an abridged version, but it launched me into a world of book-loving that I've never left. <br />
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I subsequently read everything by Alcott that I could get my hands on, and of course, I've re-read many of them several times.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1KsNhtpT3a7SgIeFQBOeUND7HMzDBCsvy6yKP10ZL9VGKj4mTLbKL-WqAUnyeEeFz6AsqN2f87K0io-hD_m_pmYzmLKtoiIBuOLLI504DGOB48jEXcH2m1rDo2Qgr71ywnb7BiNrckM/s1600/Little+Women+1955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1KsNhtpT3a7SgIeFQBOeUND7HMzDBCsvy6yKP10ZL9VGKj4mTLbKL-WqAUnyeEeFz6AsqN2f87K0io-hD_m_pmYzmLKtoiIBuOLLI504DGOB48jEXcH2m1rDo2Qgr71ywnb7BiNrckM/s400/Little+Women+1955.JPG" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is exactly what my first copy of "Little Women" looked like</td></tr>
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So I was delighted to read Harriet Reisen's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Louisa-May-Alcott-Behind-Little/dp/0805082999">"Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women.</a>"<br />
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Reisen, who wrote the book after researching the author's life for a documentary, provides a wealth of detail and glimpses into the personal letters and journals of Louisa and her family<br />
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Yes,<i> Little Women</i> was largely based on Louisa's own family--her father, famed philosopher Bronson Alcott, her mother Abby, and her sisters, Anna, Lizzie and May.<br />
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<b>More than the March Family</b><br />
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But there is so much more to the story of Louisa and her family. Bronson Alcott's perpetual head-in-the clouds philosophizing and transient schemes for utopian communities and innovative schools brought him fame and even admiration, but it rarely paid the bills.<br />
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This caused his wife and family to suffer, and Louisa bore the brunt of it for much of her life. Once she became a successful author, she felt the constant weight of supporting her family financially.<br />
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There's a lot of sadness and suffering in Louisa's life, but through it all emerges the woman that "Jo" was based on...feisty, funny, and usually emerging triumphant over trials and depression.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_aLoM8cF8vVP8inV0QHDwAKUYVQCEBJ94Rd6nKGeMxnBPtk0u0IlomfsCFQu6QsJncNfCKImH2KmqAuZsa-CMFtjU2O-LdcEFFt-a7lp2kgaWfOfqnvpZxFr9F0groZq9S8KSJBoQ2Q/s1600/LMAyoung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_aLoM8cF8vVP8inV0QHDwAKUYVQCEBJ94Rd6nKGeMxnBPtk0u0IlomfsCFQu6QsJncNfCKImH2KmqAuZsa-CMFtjU2O-LdcEFFt-a7lp2kgaWfOfqnvpZxFr9F0groZq9S8KSJBoQ2Q/s320/LMAyoung.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image of Louisa as a young woman is so much more attractive than later images. Can you imagine how pretty she would be if she was smiling?</td></tr>
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<b>A fascinating woman</b><br />
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Louisa was ahead of her time. She was passionate about issues like slavery and women's rights, and she firmly believed a woman could do whatever God had gifted her to do.<br />
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Reisen never questions Louisa's sexuality in the book, as I think some other authors have done. It's obvious from her personal writings, journals and letters that Louisa was attracted to men, and had a few suitors in her day. <br />
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By the way, Reisen believes Louisa's forays into pulp fiction were not just a means to pay the bills, although that was a huge factor. She posits that Louisa lived vicariously through those daring, sensational tales, experiencing a life beyond her own tame domestic one.<br />
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<b>A woman to admire</b><br />
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I find it sad that Louisa never married. I think her life could have been much sweeter if she had had a life partner to share it with.<br />
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It's also sad that medical science had not yet advanced to the point where Louisa's life could have been lengthened beyond the age of 55. Reisen cites doctors who have speculated that she may have had lupus.<br />
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This book left me with an even greater respect and liking for a fascinating woman. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the author of so many beloved books.<br />
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<br />Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-79468447809782939592012-04-28T08:10:00.000-07:002012-04-28T08:23:46.680-07:00Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books: Anne Perry's The Face of a Stranger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyMrFWYVAisbPwRE1PlYjt8K33VWQAQHxjwS6c3HmxD3alLVaNi-6wQgwatd-6hWCWwFi1Nep9U9B61j-KgXspdgnnC9EtMDsqTZOtVz7tlDg80XcpIp5b82bljOXodSAGT2eM54Ax8Q/s1600/FaceofStranger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyMrFWYVAisbPwRE1PlYjt8K33VWQAQHxjwS6c3HmxD3alLVaNi-6wQgwatd-6hWCWwFi1Nep9U9B61j-KgXspdgnnC9EtMDsqTZOtVz7tlDg80XcpIp5b82bljOXodSAGT2eM54Ax8Q/s400/FaceofStranger.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"With insight, compassion, and a portraitist’s genius, Perry illuminates the shifting tide of emotions encompassing Queen Victoria’s London and the people who live there—aristocrats, brothel owners, thieves, Dickensian ruffians, and their evil keepers. She takes us through dangerous backstreets where the poor eke out their humble livings, and into the mansions of the rich, safe and secure in their privileged lives. Or so they believe..."</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">--<a href="http://goodreads.com/">Goodreads.com</a></span></blockquote>
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Not long ago, I realized I was up-to-date with Elizabeth George's mysteries (and not only that, I was having some reservations about her books), when I started casting about for a new series to get involved in.<br />
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I love Victorian mysteries, so I decided to check out <a href="http://www.anneperry.net/">Anne Perry'</a>s Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. I read and enjoyed a couple of them. <br />
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But then I read the first in her William Monk series, and I was hooked.<br />
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William Monk is the kind of man Heathcliff would be if Heathcliff wasn't violent and cruel. :) He's dark, brooding, attractive and mysterious. But he also has a heart, and I fell in love with him immediately.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The author's troubling history</span></b><br />
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It wasn't long before I found out that Anne Perry is a convicted murderer herself. It's complicated, but she was very young when it happened, she has served her time and apparently deeply regrets the whole thing.<br />
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Some people have said they wouldn't read Perry's books because of that. But I actually believe in redemption, second chances, and that people can change.<br />
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And darn it, she writes a great book!<br />
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If you decided to get into the series, I definitely recommend you start at the beginning, with "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Face-Stranger-Anne-Perry/dp/0449905306">The Face of a Stranger.</a>" There's a definite arc to Monk's story, and each book adds to its trajectory.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The story</span></b><br />
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I found the book riveting from page one. William Monk wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who is or how he got there.<br />
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He has been in a serious carriage accident that has robbed him of his memory. Eventually he learns that he is <br />
a London police detective...and a very good one, but also a very disliked one. Apparently the William he used to be was arrogant and downright mean.<br />
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He can't tell the police--especially his supervisor, Superintendent Runcorn, who obviously dislikes him and probably for good reason--that he has no memory. He has to go back to work, because it's the only way he has of earning a living.<br />
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Immediately he's thrust into a high-profile murder investigation. Fascinatingly, it seems his detecting skills haven't suffered too much from the accident--those seem to return instintively.<br />
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But obviously he's hampered by the fact that there are people everywhere who know him (and most can't stand him), while he doesn't know them at all.<br />
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(By the way, snatches of his memory do return throughout the series, but I'm well into it, and he still doesn't remember everything.)<br />
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Monk is a fascinating character, and as we can see his basic goodness and compassion, we like him and are rooting for him to succeed.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hester Latterly</span></b><br />
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This book also introduces a character who becomes extremely important to the series--Hester Latterly, a nurse who worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War and who is on sort of a mission to reform the appalling Victorian hospitals and antiquated ideas about nursing and health care.<br />
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Outspoken, independent and strong, Hester is the opposite of the kind of woman Monk is usually attracted to, and yet he is drawn to her.<br />
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Thanks to the character of Hester, I've learned so many fascinating things about the history of nursing. In fact, each Monk book has significantly enriched my knowledge about a remarkable time in history.<br />
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I'm really enjoying these books, and I dread when I'm finally up to date on them. They've pretty much comprised my leisure reading for the past couple of months.<br />
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I highly recommend them to anyone who loves mysteries and enjoys books set in the Victorian era.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I'm linking up today with Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.semicolonblog.com/?cat=29" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="SatReviewbutton" height="200" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/5129805062_88d1cd68e9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-40308491302525506962012-04-17T07:53:00.000-07:002012-04-17T07:53:53.174-07:00Revisiting my reviews of some Christy Award nominees!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm delighted to see that some of the books I've reviewed on this blog, as well as a couple of others but I read but didn't review, have been nominated for <a href="http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/">Christy Awards</a>.
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What are Christy Awards, you might ask? Named for Catherine Marshall's classic, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christy-Catherine-Marshall/dp/0380001411">Christy,</a>" the awards are given each year to honor and promote excellence in Christian fiction.
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The awards will be presented July 16th in Orlando.
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Check out my reviews of four of the nominees</i> <b>(click on the title to go to my review):
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<b>Nominated in the category CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS:
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<a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/08/two-tales-of-two-husbands-dancing-on.html">Dancing on Glass</a>, by Pamela Binning Ewen
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<b>Nominated in the categories CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE and FIRST NOVEL</b>:
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<a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/02/ginny-yttrups-words-poignant-moving.htm">Words</a>, by Ginny Yttrup
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<b>Nominated in the category HISTORICAL ROMANCE</b>:
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<a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-review-of-maid-of-fairbourne-hall-by.html">The Maid of Fairbourne Hall</a>, by Julie Klassen
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<a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-review-of-to-die-for-by-sandra-byrd.html">To Die For</a>, by Sandra Byrd
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<b>Nominated in the category YOUNG ADULT</b>:
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<a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/04/waterfall-by-lisa-t-bergren-time-travel.html">Waterfall</a>, by Lisa T. Bergren
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Although I never reviewed it, I also <a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/08/booking-through-thursday-what-book-were.html">blogged about</a> (and highly recommend)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mine-Night-Liz-Curtis-Higgs/dp/0307747409"> Mine is the Night</a>, by Liz Curtis Higgs, nominated in the HISTORICAL category.
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And I read and really enjoyed <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=my+foolish+heart+susan+may+warren&sprefix=My+Foolish+Hear%2Cstripbooks%2C362">My Foolish Heart</a>, by Susan May Warren, nominated in the CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE category.
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You can find the complete list of nominees <a href="http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/images/stories/client_pdf/christynomineespr2012.pdf">here</a>.
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Congratulations to all the nominees!
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<br />Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-85282169147960812892012-01-26T17:29:00.000-08:002012-01-28T07:12:12.396-08:00My Review of Maid of Fairbourne Hall, by Julie Klassen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">OK, so that lasted all of 20 days...the retiring of my book blog!</span><br />
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Turns out, this really does seem like the best place to put my book reviews. So I'm back. And you know what they say about a woman's perogative, and all that! :)<br />
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Anyway, <span style="font-size: large;"><i>on to my review....</i></span><br />
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After reading all of Julie Klassen's previous books, my interest is always piqued when I hear she has another out. <br />
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And reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_27?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+maid+of+fairbourne+hall+by+julie+klassen&sprefix=The+Maid+of+Fairbourne+Hall%2Cstripbooks%2C218"><i>The Maid of Fairbourne Hall</i> </a>was the perfect antidote to the intensity of <i>The Hunger Games</i> and a string of P.D. James mysteries.<br />
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Julie Klassen's books may contain some danger and intrigue--they're not all fluff and frivolity--but they are books that you can just sit back and <i>enjoy</i>, for the sheer pleasure and fun of a good story.<br />
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Margaret Macy is a typical young lady of the Regency era--rich, beautiful and spoiled. But she's not without decorum, and when her stepfather tries to force his boorish nephew on her in marriage--even to the point of suggesting the nephew compromise Margaret in order to insure the marriage--Margaret decides to make like Joseph fleeing Potiphar's wife.<br />
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And of course, the stepfather is only after the fortune she'll inherit when she turns 25 in just a few months.<br />
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She has no one to turn to and only a few coins to her name. So what does she do? She joins her own maid in leaving London and seeking a position elsewhere.<br />
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As a housemaid.<br />
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A good deal of enjoyment of this book is watching the tables turn on this pampered girl. Disguised with a wig and spectacles, Margaret--now "Nora"--now literally finds out how the other half lives. And that includes scrubbing floors and emptying chamber pots.<br />
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But Margaret is always likable, and we grow to respect her for adapting to her new lifestyle and gaining respect for the kind of people who have served her all her life.<br />
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And of course, there's a complication or two when Margaret finds out just whose house it is that she's working in. <br />
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Julie Klassen has obviously done her research when it comes to the part that servants played in that era--basically, that a wealthy home couldn't exist without them. They often lived under severe rules and regimens, rarely getting any time off and working for very little pay.<br />
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I enjoyed the story's romance, and appreciated the element of faith that is an undercurrent of the main character's lives.<br />
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If you need an escape from the winter doldrums, you can probably find it in this light but refreshing historical romance.<br />
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<a href="http://www.semicolonblog.com/?cat=29" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="SatReviewbutton" height="200" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/5129805062_88d1cd68e9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm participating in Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books!
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<i>Click on the badge for more info!</i></div>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-38180160980945924882012-01-06T13:12:00.000-08:002012-01-06T13:12:57.533-08:00Sayonara to this blog--at least for now!<span style="font-size: x-large;">NOTE:</span> I'm merging this blog with my main blog, <span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/">Notes in the Key of Life.</a> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/">Please join me there</a> </span>for more book reviews, book bloghops, and <span style="font-size: x-large;">all things books and reading! </span><br />
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In the meantime, all of the content I've amassed here so far <b><span style="font-size: large;">will remain right here</span></b>...and who knows, maybe I'll try a return to double-blogging someday.<br />
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However, this blog never really took off readership-wise, and it's not easy to maintain two blogs and do them both justice. <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">I do hope you'll follow me</span></i> on <a href="http://cindyswanslife.blogspot.com/">Notes in the Key of Life</a>, where although I talk about other things, books and reading will <span style="font-size: large;"><b>always</b></span> be one of my ruling passions!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-19069515550470973402012-01-02T21:25:00.002-08:002012-01-02T21:50:01.262-08:00My Review of Nightmare by Robin Parrish<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ULWGGgXC2GcIkOjimIDHQEvkRZV4Qc6dyNcy5DdXUExJCNLPT54UTGtawdfKwW7d3WW8kyqNA2-17fKqmhMrRdEIvFsHrUH_9YCH4YzGdUD19hbIpTTkiw_F0P2wgU0gOlgMDQPLd8o/s1600/Nightmare+by+Robin+Parrish.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ULWGGgXC2GcIkOjimIDHQEvkRZV4Qc6dyNcy5DdXUExJCNLPT54UTGtawdfKwW7d3WW8kyqNA2-17fKqmhMrRdEIvFsHrUH_9YCH4YzGdUD19hbIpTTkiw_F0P2wgU0gOlgMDQPLd8o/s400/Nightmare+by+Robin+Parrish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693274475145991010" /></a>I'm not one for horror movies or anything Satanic, but I have to admit--I'm a sucker for a good ghost story.<div><br /></div><div>And I've always wondered--what's the deal with ghosts anyway? As a Christian, I believe souls go directly to heaven or hell when they die. So what are these things that creditable people have obviously seen?</div><div><br /></div><div>Robin Parrish's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Robin-Parrish/dp/B0058M7742/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325569006&sr=1-1">Nightmare</a> takes a look at such questions, and from a Christian worldview--while delivering a suspenseful and often quite scary page-turner of a tale.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story centers around Maia Peters, a young criminal justice major whose parents are renowned paranormal investigators--or "ghost hunters," a term she doesn't like.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maia has decided to walk away from such investigating and plans to go into law enforcement. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then a fellow college student, the very wealthy and beautiful Jordin Cole, makes Maia an offer she can't refuse--generous payment for taking Jordin to the most haunted spots in America in an attempt to touch the paranormal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jordin's reasons for this quest unfold as the two take trips to places like the Stanley Hotel (famous for Stephen King's <i>The Shining</i>). Gettysburg, Alcatraz, and other spooky sites. And they get more than their share of paranormal evidence...leading Maia to believe that Jordin is a magnet for such activity.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story culminates in a fast-paced, thrilling showdown between good and evil that leaves no doubt as to Who will be the winner in any such face-off.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like some reviewers, I would have like to have seen the characters developed a bit better. I had a bit of trouble connecting with and even liking Maia initially, although she does grow more sympathetic as the tale progresses. But ultimately, that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all.</div><div><br /></div><div> I especially liked the chapters dealing with Maia and Jordin's visits to the haunted sites. They didn't just visit--they spent nights there. Alone. Very creepy, chilling, scary and well-written chapters.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you like a good ghost story, this one is for you. </div><div><br /></div>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-9256585366575611052011-12-19T20:37:00.000-08:002011-12-20T06:52:58.919-08:00From the Archives: I'm in love with a Christmas book...<strong><em>...that I got for 5 dollars at a local dollar store</em></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwTzvRAN-7DgaIZVNU9ccO7nVlXQFPYn_LbAFRKMbJLG8hyphenhyphenuX9QPkwZpQfh0cJvY6l7jPJNmU7Hjjf-xlNkV1pyEQYzY3ZjlfmVqV7I8dIKfDyGDIra77NQDLCAI-CKOClfI-zOT2bb4/s1600/ChristmasBook+011.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391769578014242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwTzvRAN-7DgaIZVNU9ccO7nVlXQFPYn_LbAFRKMbJLG8hyphenhyphenuX9QPkwZpQfh0cJvY6l7jPJNmU7Hjjf-xlNkV1pyEQYzY3ZjlfmVqV7I8dIKfDyGDIra77NQDLCAI-CKOClfI-zOT2bb4/s400/ChristmasBook+011.jpg" /></a> As a little girl, I loved Christmas anthology books. Nothing made me</div><br /><div align="center">happier on a December day than to snuggle up with a big, beautifully-illustrated book full of Christmas stories, songs and poems. </div><br /><div align="center">That's why I was so delighted to find this Christmas Treasury at a local dollar store for 5 dollars. I liked it so much, I bought three of them...one for me to read to my grandsons, one for two of my little nieces, and one for two little friends of the family. </div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><i>(Click on any photo to view larger)</i></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGn4bzVKFOhmdcFpEKPYzdxclI4MaSl12xy_kkerf-n35PlaYBU-kcvuakHxLWoeb74EiRs0bBxn02OXAypWOpfejghRXy-o7wsOkc6D1ogNEiMzZVBEhqIymaH_H-m67PntpmQETjRs/s1600/ChristmasBook+001.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391650555851234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGn4bzVKFOhmdcFpEKPYzdxclI4MaSl12xy_kkerf-n35PlaYBU-kcvuakHxLWoeb74EiRs0bBxn02OXAypWOpfejghRXy-o7wsOkc6D1ogNEiMzZVBEhqIymaH_H-m67PntpmQETjRs/s400/ChristmasBook+001.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_DIY3nzabZGQ7yaQT60_j4GhkfCw_Qk5PrYDd39Fc0TByQetC8k9GQeMALKiRL9aujml48tbXE296VKxx0kUkZN5igFxx9DNv4tmmFzJpArm4SjA8dJYVPd07yhNCNslmIT1034odE/s1600/ChristmasBook+002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391641235957554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_DIY3nzabZGQ7yaQT60_j4GhkfCw_Qk5PrYDd39Fc0TByQetC8k9GQeMALKiRL9aujml48tbXE296VKxx0kUkZN5igFxx9DNv4tmmFzJpArm4SjA8dJYVPd07yhNCNslmIT1034odE/s400/ChristmasBook+002.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.newsomart.com/index.php">Tom Newsom</a> beautifully illustrates "The Night Before Christmas."</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lqa7M1rDrcyb6QEAF9xG7ZWoABnEIIIfgw1XUT6ggS7cfBsdicfXP_J2WAu6Q73Tea2R71ljXgV8C-rFkn6m546ctIYzM907lUrP8DS1QHJoMC0uHC64g7gXD2VKKs8M6IrWze5qstM/s1600/ChristmasBook+003.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391576984744226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lqa7M1rDrcyb6QEAF9xG7ZWoABnEIIIfgw1XUT6ggS7cfBsdicfXP_J2WAu6Q73Tea2R71ljXgV8C-rFkn6m546ctIYzM907lUrP8DS1QHJoMC0uHC64g7gXD2VKKs8M6IrWze5qstM/s400/ChristmasBook+003.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyPtVGp2SSkyrmT7X6-r4k26CwN8MoWAvIImLKxHnX1yYJQU53hb6qm5Yqvtc8ZPeNjKyJaCp0f0C_AR58g1A3u6F8aOtU4oJCHQ6W1OCUfbQ-MwMl0BDceYb1tQSE0YTsl2IOAvLc7U/s1600/ChristmasBook+004.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391568798017874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyPtVGp2SSkyrmT7X6-r4k26CwN8MoWAvIImLKxHnX1yYJQU53hb6qm5Yqvtc8ZPeNjKyJaCp0f0C_AR58g1A3u6F8aOtU4oJCHQ6W1OCUfbQ-MwMl0BDceYb1tQSE0YTsl2IOAvLc7U/s400/ChristmasBook+004.jpg" /></a> I love the fact that there are several songs in the book, complete with music.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv229eyqYMLC4hE-jho1AO2oLDprwPyzY5QLKOvdJS5Tqw6nWAsAK_Kz19qBQzJsrRRE3eB5bZUPiifoRkThkwphUKuovLivethxtAr3Z6lHKTFzZ4Q-BzLDw1yYiF3S_mWkXIDyO4zGY/s1600/ChristmasBook+005.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391565578969810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv229eyqYMLC4hE-jho1AO2oLDprwPyzY5QLKOvdJS5Tqw6nWAsAK_Kz19qBQzJsrRRE3eB5bZUPiifoRkThkwphUKuovLivethxtAr3Z6lHKTFzZ4Q-BzLDw1yYiF3S_mWkXIDyO4zGY/s400/ChristmasBook+005.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>The book includes several Victorian-style illustrations and poems as well.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p7i9tteYWAC60tUoXXbJc4JOsAK7hhKAcsDwj5bDQp9ESp_h9oGEuFwjdmDdZPkWBdEyHWBQ7YYFz-c6KXI9XaZREDdHLFQPSOrgx6KlCRXbYNoR7CO7kNVqLuwwuvO6CkCmvQUIFxw/s1600/ChristmasBook+006.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391018993799714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p7i9tteYWAC60tUoXXbJc4JOsAK7hhKAcsDwj5bDQp9ESp_h9oGEuFwjdmDdZPkWBdEyHWBQ7YYFz-c6KXI9XaZREDdHLFQPSOrgx6KlCRXbYNoR7CO7kNVqLuwwuvO6CkCmvQUIFxw/s400/ChristmasBook+006.jpg" /></a> Among the prettiest illustrations in the book are by an illustrator named <strong>Pat Thompson</strong>, about whom I was able to find frustratingly little online. Making it even more confusing is that there is also a children's illusrator named Pat Thomson...without the P. I'd love to know more about this artist.</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVEqu6xo70-E_nwJ3wSQRWYgK1pV4s7YpDk5_5pnN7NTKVdDBJyRtciXh2B2VJ4cKo7F_lOiKZF5tqrhhJy7VQ03BLJG5doZTBw44h4KKd3SOR2mFu51CwaHT4Gl7eEEzEkPMHSgAzJ0/s1600/ChristmasBook+007.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391016636228818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVEqu6xo70-E_nwJ3wSQRWYgK1pV4s7YpDk5_5pnN7NTKVdDBJyRtciXh2B2VJ4cKo7F_lOiKZF5tqrhhJy7VQ03BLJG5doZTBw44h4KKd3SOR2mFu51CwaHT4Gl7eEEzEkPMHSgAzJ0/s400/ChristmasBook+007.jpg" /></a> Another lovely Pat Thompson illustration in the book's rendition of "The Nutcracker."</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL08TuFW82SaQsjLTBPnnieg9e1_DxVzTR-oYyJQVy7zNZi04F64Ag5Z3oJtFOUfvVWkKuAIvZKM0kklKBqwcTNcZyGQuTzrCWuQkUdkHMSAGK4L3zhewtYGIRBuqTrYhNN8dbuw6edNM/s1600/ChristmasBook+008.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391011009588882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL08TuFW82SaQsjLTBPnnieg9e1_DxVzTR-oYyJQVy7zNZi04F64Ag5Z3oJtFOUfvVWkKuAIvZKM0kklKBqwcTNcZyGQuTzrCWuQkUdkHMSAGK4L3zhewtYGIRBuqTrYhNN8dbuw6edNM/s400/ChristmasBook+008.jpg" /></a> Another Pat Thompson illustration in "The Velveteen Rabbit."</div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwi8EHAg473SVCImGoUFfu24Z3OLIhvNtgebR8KtOfGXtoX7B45FBGsjNdJ0GauFc4LhfHj_Qu7apXf7ZVKYCG3txI7u9_PQhCj7cx5RPfA0DxrPZAynK8JWcNyaBxoKDg5MYjP8r2Y4/s1600/ChristmasBook+009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545391003086888130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwi8EHAg473SVCImGoUFfu24Z3OLIhvNtgebR8KtOfGXtoX7B45FBGsjNdJ0GauFc4LhfHj_Qu7apXf7ZVKYCG3txI7u9_PQhCj7cx5RPfA0DxrPZAynK8JWcNyaBxoKDg5MYjP8r2Y4/s400/ChristmasBook+009.jpg" /></a><em> Another by Pat Thompson</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYpumOk9GhtoRcgse3GrrwTxfX6e6THCuYaSsyiSwiV_ZU9QXwLZE7f68aa1im_ggtXdHhF0qYbVG1m-2o4dvDySRpvvJzM2JhG5rHTLRGK2qcHd93B1x1mkQ9d6GZxyHIfyllRlMwFI/s1600/ChristmasBook+010.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545390999618129426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYpumOk9GhtoRcgse3GrrwTxfX6e6THCuYaSsyiSwiV_ZU9QXwLZE7f68aa1im_ggtXdHhF0qYbVG1m-2o4dvDySRpvvJzM2JhG5rHTLRGK2qcHd93B1x1mkQ9d6GZxyHIfyllRlMwFI/s400/ChristmasBook+010.jpg" /></a><em> A Pat Thompson illustration in the Christmas Story</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><div>How about you? Do you have a favorite Christmas book? Let me know about it in my comments section!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>UPDATE</strong></span>: I posted this a little over a year ago, and one person was able to give me a little more info about artist Pat Thompson. "Sparrow1" commented:<br /><br /><blockquote><br />"Pat Thompson is an artist in Franklin , TN with Southgate Studios. I was trying to remember which book she illustrated to pass the info along to a friend when I came upon your blog. In years past I have taken pastel classes from her and consider her a both a very fine artist and a lovely friend."</blockquote><br /><br />Very cool!<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">UPDATE 2</span></strong>: You can order this book on Amazon! It's about 18 dollars, but this gorgeous book is well worth it. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Christmas-Stories-Padded-Treasury/dp/140375005X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324391580&sr=1-1">Here's the link.</a>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-75801526105450360102011-12-06T18:29:00.001-08:002011-12-06T18:40:03.000-08:00I will never stop reading the printed word, but...I have a Kindle.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Y-TajXAQbUI-WxNR1SvRpGZpnQw1LgkZwodiAKKOKtabMySdg2x-gh0OJ5sLz7NmaLXluIJQAiRFJOCk-mlIj0LNGTFbZo8aLXMdu_mq9IPXisRDBtDcT_q8he2orXBY1DFVva5_wmo/s1600/CindyReading.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Y-TajXAQbUI-WxNR1SvRpGZpnQw1LgkZwodiAKKOKtabMySdg2x-gh0OJ5sLz7NmaLXluIJQAiRFJOCk-mlIj0LNGTFbZo8aLXMdu_mq9IPXisRDBtDcT_q8he2orXBY1DFVva5_wmo/s400/CindyReading.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683208404839186770" /></a><br /><br />Yep, it happened. And I didn't even seek it out!<br /><br />I'm sure you've seen the little button on my sidebar: "I pledge to read the printed word."<br /><br />And I stick by that pledge. I will never stop reading real, physical books. I will always love them.<br /><br />But yes, I have a Kindle.<br /><br />My son gave me his a couple of weeks ago, saying he never used it. And yes, I deeply appreciate it and am glad to have it.<br /><br />Justin had already loaded a ton of books on it, including many by Stephen King, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and Tom Clancy. My other son, Jonathan, loaded some P.D. James Adam Dalgleish mysteries on it as well.<br /><br />I haven't yet put any books on it. I haven't even figured out how to do so! (Justin doesn't remember, so I'll have to ask Jonathan!)<br /><br />The Kindle will be a blessing when I'm traveling, no doubt about it. Handy and compact...no need to worry about added weight in my suitcase or in my tote bag as I schlepp through O'Hare.<br /><br />However...<br /><br />When I'm reading a book on the Kindle, I actually do miss holding a real book in my hands.<br /><br />You see, I love the feel of books. The smell of books. Turning real paper pages. The entire experience of reading the printed word.<br /><br />So yes, I have a Kindle, and I appreciate it immensely...but it will never stop me from reading, collecting and loving real books.<br /><br />What about you? Is the Kindle, Nook or other such device now your reading venue of choice? Would you ever like to have such a device...and if you did, would you stop reading real books? <br /><br />I'd love to know your opinions!Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-31119841865469697332011-11-13T18:58:00.000-08:002011-11-13T19:08:04.842-08:00Bookish Images Monday<center><div style="padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/474769962/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/267823509059771824_hPsvlDUU_c.jpg" border="0" width="526" height="639" /></a></div><div style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><p style="font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;">Source: <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://bookshelves.tumblr.com/post/2135892395">bookshelves.tumblr.com</a> via <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/cynthiasusan/" target="_blank">Cindy</a> on <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p></div></center><br /><br /><br /><center><div style="padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/444202669/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/267823509059763087_1NZlNpFx_c.jpg" border="0" width="467" height="700" /></a></div><div style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><p style="font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;">Source: <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://withnailrules.tumblr.com/post/11707017560/sunday-magazine-cover-by-coles-phillips-1908">withnailrules.tumblr.com</a> via <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/cynthiasusan/" target="_blank">Cindy</a> on <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p></div></center><br /><br /><center><div style="padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/267586331/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/267823509059721561_0QuoICNB_c.jpg" border="0" width="341" height="400" /></a></div><div style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><p style="font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;">Source: <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://windypoplarsroom.tumblr.com/post/5705812282/jessie-willcox-smith-the-bed-time-book">windypoplarsroom.tumblr.com</a> via <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/cynthiasusan/" target="_blank">Cindy</a> on <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p></div></center><br /><br />I'd love for you to participate in Bookish Images Monday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Remember, you do NOT have to post a ton of images--one will be fine if that's all you want to do!</span> (I just tend to go a little crazy.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">They can just be <span style="font-weight:bold;">interesting</span> or <span style="font-weight:bold;">pretty book covers</span> if you want. Or just <span style="font-weight:bold;">pictures of books, bookcases, libraries or bookstores.</span> Or they can be <span style="font-weight:bold;">humorous</span>, or <span style="font-weight:bold;">vintage</span>, or related to <span style="font-weight:bold;">movies based on books</span>. They just need to be book-related in some way.</span><br /><br />Feel free to grab this button:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa469/CindySwanson/BookImagesMonday-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Book Images Monday" /></center><br /><center><br /><textarea cols="20" rows="3"><center><a href="http://cindysbookclub.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa469/CindySwanson/BookImagesMonday-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"/></a></center></textarea></center><br /><br /><br />If you participate, be sure to leave your link in the comments!Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957010556290126608.post-83143206329970503492011-11-09T17:49:00.001-08:002011-11-11T20:35:06.422-08:00My Review of Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, by Donald Spoto<center><div style="padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/474801685/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/267823509059771839_ptTIVDLq_c.jpg" border="0" width="352" height="450" /></a></div><div style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><p style="font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;">Source: <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com/post/2640457936">hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com</a> via <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/cynthiasusan/" target="_blank">Cindy</a> on <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p></div></center><br /><br /><br />Such was the staggering fame and notoriety of Marilyn Monroe, that even my Sunday School teacher mentioned her as a sort of cautionary tale the Sunday after she died.<br /><br />I was only 5 and a half years old, but I clearly remember my teacher pointing out that riches and fame had not brought Marilyn Monroe happiness...that she had killed herself despite all that.<br /><br />I must admit, I've been curious about this legendary sex symbol/icon for some time. I've only watched a couple of her movies, but if you grew up a latter-fringe baby boomer as I did, Marilyn Monroe--even dead--was just<span style="font-style:italic;"> there.</span><br /><br />Even now, there are myriads of blogs, many of them by young people, devoted to iconic images of the movie star.<br /><br />As Elton John famously sang about her in "Candle in the Wind," her "candle burned out long before her legend ever did."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72JugUt60PVQEPrn-drsU103jTveb0dQOIw1H2u9LOhw7VXSy4dzUQZmwBOjaBVPFRZxX9uj9qy580bVs6w8M8_Ci0neU5iUXoVdugT3jcAQYInjskFCPOp3cRmQXb_dVaILN84q3fxg/s1600/MarilynBio.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72JugUt60PVQEPrn-drsU103jTveb0dQOIw1H2u9LOhw7VXSy4dzUQZmwBOjaBVPFRZxX9uj9qy580bVs6w8M8_Ci0neU5iUXoVdugT3jcAQYInjskFCPOp3cRmQXb_dVaILN84q3fxg/s400/MarilynBio.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673185156646437266" /></a><br /><br />I picked up Donald Spoto's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Monroe-Biography-Donald-Spoto/dp/0815411839"><span style="font-style:italic;">Marilyn Monroe: The Biography</span></a> somewhat at random at my public library. Turns out, I probably picked the least sensationalized, earnestly-endeavoring-to-be-accurate Marilyn bio out there.<br /><br />Spoto presents a detailed, factual account of Marilyn's life. Apparently, to gain sympathetic publicity, she exaggerated the poverty and pitifulness of her early life--but the truth is bad enough.<br /><br />Norma Jeane Baker (her real name, as most people know), never knew who her father was--it could have been any number of her mother's boyfriends. That mother, Gladys, was an unreliable and infrequent visitor in Marilyn's childhood, showing up occasionally to whisk her away from her foster family and then disappear again.<br /><br />As Spoto relates, her entire early life was characterized by being regularly abandoned by the people who mattered most to her and who she most wanted to please.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWbpQaqjZZqTt2k0xyGeRfFoaebIlNIWAAsLRNekhJmTau1IUPS6a1HV_VyRDBCjMVnNj67Dodf9hHh5eVpMrIcOajCiXYpFz8ghrsnRnDf4jE0zK5wx4n8unA0vB8zj8UCHlo-PQxX4/s1600/MarilynBride.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWbpQaqjZZqTt2k0xyGeRfFoaebIlNIWAAsLRNekhJmTau1IUPS6a1HV_VyRDBCjMVnNj67Dodf9hHh5eVpMrIcOajCiXYpFz8ghrsnRnDf4jE0zK5wx4n8unA0vB8zj8UCHlo-PQxX4/s400/MarilynBride.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673190099646711346" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i>As a teen-aged Norma Jeane Baker, Marilyn married 21-year-old Jimmy Dougherty to escape the orphanage where she'd been living. The marriage was short-lived as she became popular as a model and hungered for stardom</i></div><br />Spoto seems to almost minimize two disturbing childhood incidents of sexual molestation--one by a trusted surrogate father, the other by a boy around her own age. But there's no doubt that the magnitude of these incidents can't be ignored when it comes to their lifelong impact on her.<br /><br /><center><div style="padding-bottom: 2px; line-height: 0px"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/407409311/" target="_blank"><img src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/11892386485596462_ildkJ8lO_c.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="400" /></a></div><div style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><p style="font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;">Source: <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://avdeeezyk.tumblr.com/post/5090377532">avdeeezyk.tumblr.com</a> via <a style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/vickypk/" target="_blank">Vicky</a> on <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #76838b;" href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></p></div></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>There's a sadness in her eyes here</i></div><br />As far as conspiracy theories about her death--that the FBI killed her, the mob killed her, Kennedy cronies killed her to hush her up--Spoto convinced me that these were all pretty much rubbish.<br /><br />Far from carrying on any liasons with the Kennedy brothers (Spoto does admit to at least one physical encounter between Marilyn and JFK; none with Bobby)--at the time of Marilyn's death, she was happily planning remarriage to baseball star Joe DiMaggio--the one man in her life who really seemed to love her. (That despite the fact that during their marriage years earlier, his extreme jealousy and hair-trigger temper caused him to physically abuse her.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zSeYqoKplOgv74Btk5JkzcC6W5XKoRRQn3ldBXq4sbJNp3K7I17SnFXk_6pJpzqZFleV5Kz9cPa-3FXyYE3J7RE8k_RAp7YLjJTPgBMIQNLdnKvV61pXID_udw3h_AAjbodwVg2QU4I/s1600/MarilynJoe.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zSeYqoKplOgv74Btk5JkzcC6W5XKoRRQn3ldBXq4sbJNp3K7I17SnFXk_6pJpzqZFleV5Kz9cPa-3FXyYE3J7RE8k_RAp7YLjJTPgBMIQNLdnKvV61pXID_udw3h_AAjbodwVg2QU4I/s400/MarilynJoe.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673192324356369938" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio. He never talked about her after her death, but for 20 years afterward, he had flowers placed on her grave every week</i></div><br />Spoto also convinces me that Marilyn did NOT commit suicide...but that a lethal cocktail of accumulated drugs, administered by her controlling and unethical psychiatrist, actually did the deed unintentionally.<br /><br />Despite my disapproval of Marilyn Monroe's lifestyle, choices, exhibitionism, whatever--this book left me with a profound sympathy for her. Here was a beautiful girl, actually smart and talented beyond what her dumb-blonde image often portrayed, who was completely unable to find joy in her short life.<div><br /></div><div>Dying at 36, still in the prime of her beauty, she will remain forever young in the many iconic images of her that still circulate perpetually.<br /><br />I don't think Marilyn Monroe committed suicide, but my Sunday School teacher was right about one thing.<br /><br />Riches and fame didn't bring her happiness.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm participating in Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books!</i></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.semicolonblog.com/?cat=29"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/5129805062_88d1cd68e9.jpg" alt="SatReviewbutton" width="225" height="225" /></a></div></div></div>Cindy Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090693362997103412noreply@blogger.com2