Book Review: ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia

 I did it; I finally nailed down a classic this year. I tend to struggle on some of the older classics and this one was no different for me. At 160 pages it might as well have been double. I found myself rereading pages at a time. Why I am not really sure but I think it was because I was trying to make sense of the nonsense style of writing or at least justify it. A struggle as it was, it was well worth the read because now I know the real story of Alice.

Alice the curious little girl actually fell down a well not a rabbit hole. Of course she was chasing the white rabbit in the waistcoat. The world she fell into was a wonderland of non-sense. I found no mention of the twin boys that have graced many of the other tales and movies about wonderland which I was sort of disappointed about. I did find one part that has largely been omitted from recent works. It was when Alice made her way to the Duchesses house. A frog in a uniform, which was an oddity to Alice in its self, guarded the home but she ventured further and found upon entry into the Duchesses house it was filled to the brim with pepper. The cook of the house was randomly throwing pots and pans at everything and everyone. Curiously the Duchess sat in the middle of the violent cook and the cloud of pepper nursing a baby that she thrust to Alice to care for. Funny part was when Alice gazed at the baby at first she could not decided if it was a human baby or a pig. She abruptly decided it was a pig and let it run off into the woods while she continued on her adventure.

3/5 Good to know but it made no sense at all but what else was there to expect? I did not expect it to make sense. It was worth the effort and the illustrations were lovely to gaze upon. Masterpieces in themselves I was aw stuck by how well Garcia captured the non-sense in a truly modern gothic fashion. A must have for any art enthusiast library. I do hope that since the movie has created so much hype about Alice that this version can draw a whole new generation of lovers of the classic Alice in Wonderland. I wish I had read this in a group that could discuss the underlining in this book. I just know that there is so much more to it than what I got out of it.

From the Web on Alice

"In the eighth chapter, three cards are painting the roses on a rose tree red, because they had accidentally planted a white-rose tree that the Queen of Hearts hates. Red roses symbolized the English House of Lancaster, while white roses were the symbol for their rival House of York. Therefore, this scene may contain a hidden allusion to the Wars of the Roses".

"In 1931, the book was banned in Hunan, China, because "animals should not use human language" and it "puts animals and human beings on the same level". In Woodsville High School in Haverhill, New Hampshire, the story also was banned, because it had expletives, references to masturbation and sexual fantasies, and derogatory characterizations of teachers and of religious ceremonies".

Amazon: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Mailbox Mondays and HFBRT "FOR THE KING" by Catherine Delors Kick Off

Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain Won from Librarything.com

"Fiona Mountain is a major new talent in the field of historical fiction."
-Alison Weir, author of The Lady Elizabeth

"They say I'm mad and perhaps it's true.
It is well known that lust brings madness and desperation and ruin. But upon my oath, I never meant any harm. All I wanted was to be happy, to love and to be loved in return, and for my life to count for something.
That is not madness, is it?

So begins the story of Eleanor Glanville, the beautiful daughter of a seventeenth-century Puritan nobleman whose unconventional passions scandalized society. When butterflies were believed to be the souls of the dead, Eleanor's scientific study of them made her little better than a witch. But her life-set against a backdrop of war, betrayal, and sexual obsession-was that of a woman far ahead of her time".

Also this week commences the Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table June event. This month's feature is "For The King" by Catherine Delors which hits bookstores everywhere July 8th. You can check out the group shedule for the down low on this months event. 

Sundays Art Early Edition, The White Queen and Book Review Journal Update

 I know it has been awhile since I have posted much of anything lately and for that I am sorry. Things have been a bit hectic lately in my world and I just have not had the means to be online much lately. I hope that this post makes up for it. I think I have just come down to the decision that I am limiting my number of posts to things that I really must post about. As many of you might have noticed I have been reading Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" and I decided to update my reading challenges for this year. Which I had been completely slacking on but I made up for it and made a whole page dedicated to my reading challenges. One of the challenges I joined this year was the "Book Review Journal" and I finally have another one to add to the journal challenge.

My inspiration for this one was the lovely new "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll it is an illustrated version. The illustrator is Camille Rose Garcia and I have to say this Alice is like no other I have ever seen before. To me it seems like Camille's Alice has a bit of a Spanish Gothic vibe which I am sure Carroll never envisioned for his Alice. I found the art work stunning and could not help but let it influence me a bit. Since I also watched the new Alice in Wonderland movie by Time Burton my favorite character was the White Queen. She was played by Anne Hathaway, yep that morbid Gothic feel came into play once again because Anne was pale as a ghost with dark lipstick. I wanted to make my own white queen but I think my queen turned into everything but white. How that happened I am not really sure but here she is.

Once again I sketched her into my review journal first in pencil. Then I transfered the outline onto a bigger piece of paper and took off from there. She is done completely in watercolor pencils, color pencils, and one black pen. I really need to get a better size of watercolor paper because as usual it is a big piece, The White Queen is about 8x10. Enjoy everyone she is a beauty and stayed tuned for my review of "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.

Mailbox Mondays

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

"Prisoners in the Palace -- London, 1838. Sixteen-year-old Liza's dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady's maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Meticulously based on newly discovered information, this riveting novel is as rich in historical detail as Catherine, Called Birdy, and as sizzling with intrigue as The Luxe". 

 

 For The King by Catherine Delors, final hardback copy to die for beautiful

" Delors follows Mistress of the Revolution with a gripping historical that chronicles the efforts of a young police inspector to capture the men responsible for trying to kill Napoleon Bonaparte. After a botched assassination attempt on Napoleon kills several bystanders, chief inspector Roch Miquel races to find the men responsible. His investigation is hindered by corruption and jealousy among his colleagues in the police force, notably from Fouché, the stridently unsavory minister of police, who, in order to keep Roch under his thumb, imprisons Roch's father under false pretenses and threatens to have him deported. Meanwhile, Roch finds some comfort in his married mistress, Blanche Coudert, who has a very unfortunate secret that will harshly complicate Roch's already precarious situation. It's not a surprise that Delors's sympathies are with her hero, and his adversaries are depicted as satisfyingly despicable. Themes of class conflict, the messy process of change, and impossible love are nicely woven into the tense central plot of this fast-moving chase through the damp, rutted streets of turn-of-the-19th-century Paris".

Book Review: THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold

Hands down this is the best non-royalty historical fiction read I have read to date. I was hooked in with in the first few pages to the point where I wanted to sleep with it attached to my hand. I plunged so deeply into “Susie” that I finished it with in two days. Sleep deprived as I was, I found the book had taken a hold of me like nothing ever has before.

It is a tragedy in this world that people hurt children, it is a withdrawn subject to me and one that I choose not to ever touch on in my readings. I do not have a stomach for violence but violence with children involved hits a breaking point for me that I just cannot do. I purposely stayed away from this book because I was scared and I knew that a girl was brutally murdered but when I saw that maidens court had read it I knew it was time. I had to stomach the violence to see what all the fuss was about. I was in a dark mood the day I picked it up and happened to pick the off-handed read to change up the mix, I am glad I did.

As I braced myself for the read I found Susie Salmon, “Salmon like the fish” was in junior high in the early seventies. She was fourteen when her demonic pedophile neighbor Mr Harvey viciously murdered her. The murder happened with in the first few chapters because death was not the end of Susie Salmon. I instantly loved Susie as every woman could relate to being an innocent young girl in that awkward phase of life. She deserved to transcend directly to that place where lost loved ones waited with open arms to greet you. Something was transpiring and Susie found herself in a limbo place where people who could not move forward stayed in their own world, like a waiting room for heaven. Her little brother Buckley said it was the “in-between” part of Earth and heaven.

In the in-between Susie watched, she saw her family struggle with the loss that had no resolution. In my mind I have always felt that to loose a child at any age is a devastating event that many families are never able to recover from. To be just lost is worse because you never get the much needed closure. Susie found she did not have closure in her heaven either and she remained where she was and continued watching the time go by. The family changed the kids were growing up, mom had run off with her grief that was like a crushing weight. Her grandma moved in even if she was disfunctional in the begining, but with in it all they had each other still the core that mattered was intact. What kind of closure could there be for the girl that only her elbow was found? I was not really sure, I do not even think Susie knew what it was until it came in another unexpected form.

5/5+ loved it a exhilarating read that had me burning through pages all the way to the end. This book is reminiscent of my all time favorite movie “What Dreams May Become”, magically beautiful and deeply sinister all at the same time. I do have to state that I think if I had to give this a movie rating it would have to be R because it is violent and it does get into the disgusting details of a child’s rape and murder. With that out of the way I would highly recommend this read for who believes they can handle the grizzly details. This is one of those reads it is necessary to push through the bad to get to the startlingly good experience.

FTC This is my own personal book.

Mailbox Mondays

The Pearls of the Stone Man by Edward Mooney, Jr.

"Joseph and Anne Marino's idyllic 50-year marriage is rocked in this pedestrian inspirational tearjerker when Anne is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition. Joseph tries to make her last few months as comfortable as possible, but all Anne wants is for Joseph to finish the stone wall he's been promising to build and to make peace with their estranged son. In the process, they also take on wayward teen Shannon, who desperately needs a parental figure. Once Anne dies, Shannon tries to comfort Joseph, who continues to build the stone wall in Anne's memory. The reading experience is nothing short of excruciating: the characters are caricatures, their motivations are simplistic, and the plot is pat and uninteresting. If there's merit here, it's deeply hidden".

Shadow of the Swords by Kamran Pasha

"An epic saga of love and war, Shadow of the Swords tells the story of the Crusades—from the Muslim perspective.

Saladin, a Muslim sultan, finds himself pitted against King Richard the Lionheart as Islam and Christianity clash against each other, launching a conflict that still echoes today.

      In the midst of a brutal and unforgiving war, Saladin finds forbidden love in the arms of Miriam, a beautiful Jewish girl with a tragic past. But when King Richard captures Miriam, the two most powerful men on Earth must face each other in a personal battle that will determine the future of the woman they both love—and of all civilization.

      Richly imagined, deftly plotted, and highly entertaining, Shadow of the Swords is a remarkable story that will stay with readers long after the final page has been turned".

Giveaway Winners

The three winners of "The Pearls of the Stone Man" by Edward Mooney Jr. are....

Linda

Mystica 

Mitzi 

 

The Winner of "Ten Things I Love About You" by Julia Quinn is ...

Debbie 

Congrats to all and winners check you emails to get me your mailing info.

Book Review: THE ROYAL ROAD TO FOTHERINGHAY by Jean Plaidy

In typical Plaidy fashion Jean brought out the heart and soul of the complicated life of Mary Queen of Scots. This is the best Mary book I have read to date hands down. Who would figure that so much drama could go down in 320 pages? Besides all the above it actually went quite well after “The Confessions of Catherine De Medici” by C.W. Gortner. Though Plaidy fashions Catherine as threatening menace from the young queen of Scots point of view. I find it funny how one book can change your whole prospective on a person and it follows you to other reads. Those types of reads are good reads and this one is no exception to great good read standards.

In truth Mary Queen of Scots was a woman who was “ruled by her emotions” . In the beginning I wondered Fotheringhay…why does that sound familiar? Fotheringhay was the end of the road for Mary and her execution took place there. I always wanted the whole story on her years before captivity in England. What was it that led Mary to be considered a martyr and what really happened in Scotland?

Mary’s life was a complicated one from the beginning, she was proclaimed queen as a baby and her mother was regent. Scotland at this time was in conflict with the royals because Scotland’s people were devout Protestants and the royals were stanch catholics. With the conflict at a high point and Henry VIII nearly beating on Scotland’s door for Mary she had to flee. There is not a more beautiful place you could escape to in the world other than France in this read the luxuries of France were bursting at the seams. Mary found herself in the center being constantly petted and loved for her profound beauty. She was brought up in the royal nursery with her would be husband the later François II, it was always known that François would not be too long for this world. How different things would have been if he had remained.

Sadly after François II passed the not so friendly dowager Queen Catherine De Medici said in not so many words for Mary to kick rocks on her own in Scotland. Mary was distraught to leave her powerful Guise family and the luxury that was France. Mary was not meant for Scotland she was as delicate flower among barbarians. She was more gullible then I ever thought possible, gullible to believe people including her own family’s loyalty.

Plaidy covers it all from the glittering luxury of France with it’s Casanova courtiers, to rough Scotland highlanders who wore they Protestant beliefs as a badge of honor, spies on all sides, murderous plots, blood turning on blood, and delicate Mary always found herself in the middle constantly taking the wrong steps that would only eventually lead to Fotheringhay.

5/5 Loved it, perfect for anyone who wants the straightforward story of what most likely happened to Mary in Scotland. I had heard this was the best and now I have to confirm it is the best. Poor Mary she had no street smarts and just fell for the wrong idiots. I always love a good Mary read she is always going to be a person of interest.

PG-13 for violence

FTC: This book is from my personal collection.

Amazon

Royal Road to Fotheringhay: The Story of Mary, Queen of Scots
~LIZZIE~

Blogging and Reviewing Etiquette

et·i·quette [et-i-kit, -ket] Noun

1. Conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.

2. A prescribed or accepted code of usage in matters of ceremony, as at a court or in official or other formal observances.

3. The code of ethical behavior regarding professional practice or action among the members of a profession in their dealings with each other: medical etiquette

Etiquette of Reviewing and Blogging

I feel this has to be addressed in the only way I know how, write and post about it.

I love books; I love books so much that it is deeply embedded in every fiber of my being. I live for books and when I am lucky enough, the first thing I do when I buy a brand new book is go home settle in and upon first opening it… I cannot help but smell it. I have to do this book “Sniffing” because I really do love books that much. I really have not been at this book review or blogging thing for long but I enjoy sharing. No one else cares as much about my obsession as my wonderful amazing followers and fellow bloggers. I treasure the insight and knowledge I have gained in this adventure people call blogging.

With that being stated we can move on to the issue. The issue for me is if people love books so much how can they bash them so hard? In my mind if you love them you could not hurt them could you? Could you abuse a child in anger and still love it? Everyone in this world has very different tastes and appetites. I tend to stick with shorter reads that get a bit romantic, you could even go so far as to say I enjoy fluffy reads. One the other hand I can get into darker reads that are more geared at the amazing strength of women in crisis. I learned my lessons a very long time ago that if you do not enjoy a book why finish it? Or to go even farther; why waste the time and energy it takes to write a hateful review on blogs or even Amazon? Is it worth the time and effort, for me it is not. I would rather be reading or doing something more productive with my time.

I have accepted that many people are not going to like what I like that is just how the world is. My policy is if I do not finish, I do not review it. But if I find it was not the best read to me then I will honestly review it. I do try to highlight the positive reasons why it is that I finished it and what kept me going to the end. I almost always write my reviews immediately after finishing my read that way I stay true to my feelings on the read.

There also seems to be another trend as far as personally attacking authors. These attackers have been labeled the "literary terrorists" for many reasons. One reviewer even went as far as to call a very prolific author physically obscene names. Or better yet attack an author for their professional choice of pen name. I also find that personally criticizing any author is a very bad way to leave your mark in the review world or blogging community. This is beyond the rules of etiquette. Do we as reviewers have a right to judge an author for changing a pen name or changing a title in the reprint? I personally do not think we are entitled to go to the “no no” zone. Much of that is not up to the author but up to the publisher. I have noticed that some such individuals consider etiquette to be an unnecessary restriction of freedom or of personal expression. In reality these people are obviously unhappy with some occurrences in their lives and their blind hate seeps into the digital world for all to read. Why else would theses literary terrorist feel the need to be cyber stalking authors for a book they did not like? One that really gets me was when I discovered that one reviewer went so far with revenge that in an Amazon review posted the authors personal wedding registration with her husbands name in it; like ha ha for a good laugh go buy her something. I find that  type of behavior absolutely despicable.

For me I just cannot see authors as gods because in reality they are just like you and me. Working hard, paying bills, stressing out about children and family are part of their daily lives too. They are not these all-knowing gods who are perfect human beings, they are just living their lives fulfilling their passions and we as lucky readers are able to reap the benefits of their labors of love. In being human we as a species have to accept that we make mistakes. Sometimes authors, publishers, and editors make mistakes and how can you not give a little to the fact that we are all human. I found it very disturbing to hear that a very well known author was receiving hate mail and death threats because of a clerical error on Amazon.

No matter how much I love books and how mad I would be if I got a bundle deal on the Tudors and one version was the UK one and the other US version, never would I even consider for a moment in my anger crossing the boundaries of my moral fibers to go so far as to threaten a persons life! No matter how much I love books I would choose life over them no matter whose life it was even if it was some of those nasty reviewers lives. I personally sneer at those who feel the need to purposely shock and rant readers because personally I do not like negativity and I just find it callus and the easy way out of having to write a really good review. But hey who am I, just another blogger that is an aspiring writer and just wants to experience the good things this community of bloggers really have to offer. Cheers to the positives in life because when the negative comes I cannot take it seriously.

 “You will get more bees with Honey then with Vinegar”

For all my historically obsessed fans here is your etiquette tasty tidbit.

“In America, the notion of etiquette, being of French origin and arising from practices at the court of Louis XIV, is occasionally disparaged, especially by those unfamiliar with etiquette's social foundations and functions, as old-fashioned or elite, a like code concerned only with apparently remote directives such as which fork to use".

Mailbox Mondays and Happy Memorial Day

In honor of the men and women who have served our country to help give us a better life, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Happy memorial day we do love you!

"Sailor kissing girl in Times Square - by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V-J Day, 1945

Alfred Eisenstaedt of LIFE took the photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse at the Times Square celebration on August 15, 1945, at the end of World War II. The photograph was one of many Eisenstaedt took that day, and he didn�t bother getting the names of anyone. Only after seeing the proofs did he realize that he had captured a decisive moment. On the 50th anniversary of the photograph, the couple was identified as Edith Shain and Carl Muscarello".

In my mailbox this week,  

 "Mistress of the Art of Death" by Ariana Franklin

"In medieval Cambridge, England, Adelia, a female forensics expert, is summoned by King Henry II to investigate a series of gruesome murders that has wrongly implicated the Jewish population, yielding even more tragic results. As Adelia's investigation takes her behind the closed doors of the country's churches, the killer prepares to strike again".

"Had Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael been born a few decades later, he might have found a worthy associate and friend in Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar of Salerno, a short and short-tempered medieval coroner hired in secret by King Henry II to find out who's behind the horrific murders of Christian children in Cambridge, England. Prominent local Jews stand accused; Henry wants them freed, mostly for the sake of their tax revenue. As Adelia examines the children's bodies and gets to know the people of Cambridge, she has no trouble assembling a long list of suspects, but she encounters considerable difficulty trying to narrow it down, a struggle in which the reader gladly joins her. Not all of the plot twists are surprising and the romantic subplot is an unnecessary afterthought, but Franklin (City of Shadows) has developed a skillful blend of historical fact and gruesome fiction that's more than sufficient to keep readers interested and entertained".

Giveaway, Ten Things I love About You by Julia Quinn

"1.Sebastian Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.
2.Annabel Winslow's family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind AND The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.
3.Sebastian's uncle is the Earl of Newbury, and if he dies without siring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.
4.Lord Newbury detests Sebastian and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.
5.Lord Newbury has decided that Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.
6.Annabel does not want to marry Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.
7.is shocking, 8.is delicious, 9.is downright wicked, all of which leads the way to
10. Happily. Ever. After.

Annabel Winslow is a country girl at heart. She’s staying with her grandparents in London for The Season with the intention of finding a husband wealthy enough to save her family from poverty. Annabel dislikes the idea of marrying a man she does not love, but her sense of duty runs deep. She’s smart, expressive, and her figure is constantly compared to that of a “fertility goddess.”

Sebastian Grey is in limbo.  He’s next in line to become the Earl of Newbury unless the current Earl, a despicable, portly man in his 60’s, can find a bride who will bear him a son. Society is not quite sure what to make of Sebastian—on one hand he’s handsome, charming, and may be extremely rich one day. On the other hand, he may wind up poor as a pauper. To complicate matters, the Earl of Newbury despised Sebastian’s father, and consequently hates Sebastian as well.

When Annabel (quite inconveniently) becomes the object of both of their affections, a series of whirlwind events ensues. She knows that marriage to an Earl may be the only thing that will save her family from ruin, but the thought of submitting to Newbury disgusts her. And Sebastian’s tempting touch certainly doesn’t help. It soon becomes clear that Annabel must choose between her family’s livelihood, and her one true love…"

Giveaway Details 

This is for one paperback copy. This giveaway is open to US ONLY. Sorry no international this time guys. Giveaway will end on June 4rd at midnight with the winner posted the next day.

RULES

•     For 1 entry leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
•     For 2 entries follow my blog. If you already do, thanks, and please let me know in the comments. You're eligible for the extra entry as well.
•     For 3 entries blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word. 

Giveaway, The Pearls of the Stone Man by Edward Mooney, Jr.

"Joseph and Anne Marino's idyllic 50-year marriage is rocked in this pedestrian inspirational tearjerker when Anne is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition. Joseph tries to make her last few months as comfortable as possible, but all Anne wants is for Joseph to finish the stone wall he's been promising to build and to make peace with their estranged son. In the process, they also take on wayward teen Shannon, who desperately needs a parental figure. Once Anne dies, Shannon tries to comfort Joseph, who continues to build the stone wall in Anne's memory. The reading experience is nothing short of excruciating: the characters are caricatures, their motivations are simplistic, and the plot is pat and uninteresting. If there's merit here, it's deeply hidden".

The Pearls of the Stone Man is an inspirational novel with plot elements that touch both older and younger generations. Main characters Joseph and Anne Marino are rare. They’re still in love after 53 years of marriage and with little time left, Joseph’s priority becomes finishing the stone wall that Anne requested years ago – a special reminder from her childhood.

Needing the help of someone younger, Joseph turns to his son, estranged for five years, in hopes of rebuilding a severed relationship as well as the wall. Two teenagers also come to Joseph’s aide, and he to theirs, as they all work to finish Joseph’s promise to Anne.

The Pearls of the Stone Man was written in the town in which the book is set: Pine Mountain , California . The settings in the novel are real locations and Edward takes groups of readers there regularly. 

Giveaway Details 

This is for 3 yes I did say THREE paper back copies, which means three people will win copies. This giveaway is open to US and Canada ONLY. Sorry no international this time guys. Giveaway will end on June 3rd at midnight with the winners posted the next day.

RULES

•     For 1 entry leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
•     For 2 entries follow my blog. If you already do, thanks, and please let me know in the comments. You're eligible for the extra entry as well.
•     For 3 entries blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word. 

Annie's Letter

Author Meet and Greet, GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok

"Introducing a fresh, exciting Chinese-American voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures.

When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life-like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family's future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition-Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.

Through Kimberly's story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation".

The event was FABULOUS! Nothing ever happens in Oregon but this time when something was going to happen leave to one of my blogger buddies to give me a nudge in the right direction. Thank you Marie I am so glad you did and I hope to get to the lovely copy you got me sometime this summer.

Jean was great! I got there early so I could be front and center because I had no idea how many people would show up. Before it started I wandered every book shelf and made a couple really good finds paid for my stuff including girl in translation and parked it front and center. I was not sure what to expect in the whole meet author thing. She came out and I instantly knew I was going to love her she is tiny, really petite and has the most beautiful hair ever. I recorded the whole first part of the video on the blackberry granted not the best but it so worked.

The most inspiring thing about her was the real story behind the book and her family being first generation immigrants I really felt I could relate to her story my mother in law immigrated here from Korea and her story about her brother really drew a raw nerve on me. Her bother is in the book and one of the characters is loosely based off of him. She spoke about her real brother and told about how good he was in school and how he was able to graduate high school 2 years early and be one of the youngest people ever admitted into MIT. He went on to be a top scientist and would tell people he was "a rocket scientist", sadly her brother passed away last November but before he did, he did read the book.

Another cool story she shared was about her family in real life and their escape from China, they could only get two out and their mom decided the 2 older girls but right when the moment came for them to sneak off across the bridge between China and Hong Kong the eldest one turned back. She had a love she could not leave behind, her high school sweetheart and her got married and stayed behind living out the communist rule in China and 22 years later they were able to get them out and bring them to the states.
 
Jean's most compelling statement is that with the book she wants people to see the reality that people who speak another language might seem unpleasant in English but in their own native tongue could be a very funny witty person. That after the read you realize that the woman who you though were unpleasant because in reality they did not know the language, could have been her mother in reality and you never would have known.

Giveaway Winner of By Fire by Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

The Winner of the finished copy of By Fire by Water is.....

LibraryPat who has followed so diligently and has literally entered in every single giveaway I have had to date. Your patience has finally paid off and it is your turn for the goodies. Congratulations you so deserve it and I hope you love the book!

Mailbox Mondays

The Confessions of Catherine De Medici, Signed by C.W. Gortner

"Catherine de Medici uses her natural and supernatural gifts to protect the French throne in Gortner's (The Last Queen) portrait of a queen willing to sacrifice happiness and reputation to fulfill her family's royal destiny. Orphan Catherine has her first vision at age 10, and three years later is betrothed to Henri d' Orleans, brother of the sickly heir to the French throne. She heads to France with a vial of poison hidden among her possessions, and after negotiating an uneasy truce with her husband's mistress, she matures into a powerful court presence, though power, she learns, comes at a price. Three of her sons become king in succession as the widow Catherine wields ever-increasing influence to keep the ambitious de Guise clan at bay and religious adversaries from murdering each other. Gortner's is not the first fictional reinterpretation of a historical villainous—Catherine's role in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, for instance, is recounted in a way sympathetic to her—but hers is remarkably thoughtful in its insight into an unapologetically ruthless queen".

 

For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick

"A captivating story of a mother's love stretched to breaking and a knight determined to rebuild his life with the royal mistress, For the King's Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best. Based on a true story never before told and impeccably researched, this is a testament to the power of sacrifice and the strength of love. When Roger Bigod, heir to the powerful earldom of Norfolk, arrives at court to settle an inheritance, he meets Ida de Tosney, young mistress to King Henry II. In Roger, Ida sees a chance for lasting love, but their decision to marry carries an agonizing price. It's a breathtaking novel of making choices, not giving up, and coping with the terrible shifting whims of the king".

On Historically Obsessed today is the last day to enter for the giveaway of 

By Fire, by Water by Mitchell David Kaplan

On HFBRT today is also the last day to enter for the two C.W. Gortner Giveaways

Replica Faux, Necklace of Catherine De Medici

Two book giveaway, finished hardback copies

All winners will be announced tomorrow

Book Review: I SERVE by Rosanne E Lortz

This read was a refreshing follow up read on the black prince.  Since I fell in love with Karen Harpers “The First Princess of Wales”, I have been on a mission for more good reads like it.  A must for me is that it has to feature the more romantic side of the black prince and Joan of Kent’s tale. I have found in my mission I tend to stick with the more romantic versions of the story and when I found a read lacking in regards to the romance aspect I usually will not finish it. This read has all of the components that a novel set this time frame must have; the back cover could not have put my requirements any better than this quote “ A Tale of Arms, of Death, of Love, and of Honor”.

John Potenhale was a lucky man in my mind; he came from a family of low birth but still made it into the rank of knighthood. His grandfather was the caretaker of an estate of a noble man and the only request his grandfather ever made of his lord was to take the young Potenhale on as his squire. Set during the Hundred Years war it was at the battle of Crecy that John earned the accolade and from that moment forward he was in the service of the black prince as a knight. From the siege of Calais to the French’s attempt to take it back John never left the princes service, he was bound by honor to serve.

John had a story to tell and not just to anybody, specifically it was meant for the French widow Jeanne de Vergy. Jeanne could not fathom why an English knight would come all this way to speak with her. In reality it was not just John’s story but also the intermingled tale of Jeanne’s husband Geoffroi de Charney who Potenhale had taken prisoner during the attempted siege of Calais.

 4/5 This was a unique read; it covered so many events of the Hundred Years War that I cannot even begin to get into the details here. It had it all from disguises, unsatisfied love, fights for honor, and most compelling of all the torments of a mans conscience. All the while the “pestilence” sweeps the land taking almost half the known population with it. My favorite aspects of this read was the prince’s capture of the Bohemian ostrich feathers and latter the shroud of Christ.  Romantic YES, and YES a interesting tale of a knight who is tormented by the gritty details of war. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something a bit off the main stream. 

Thank you David for sending me the book I really did enjoy the read. FTC this book came from author.

Re-Cap of HFBRT Event: THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI

I just have to say that this event was a blast! This was a first time for me being "captain" of an event and though I was not perfect it still went off with out a hitch. Allie and Amy thank you for helping me and being my awesome co-captains, you ladies always swooped in to lend a helping hand which was greatly appreciated when I was unavailable. C.W. Gortner is such a hands on author that I enjoyed reading the comments that he left on every single post for the event. It was a pleasure to work so hard for such a cool author with the greatest ladies I know. If by chance you missed this be sure and check out the groups main page for the beyond cool giveaways that Gortner has offered up for the readers. I am really looking forward to hearing more from Gortner on "The Secret Lion" and "The Princess Isabella", I just have a feeling this one really is going to be interesting. 

Charter Members

...::: Allie of :::... Hist-Fic Chick 

...::: Amy of :::... Passages to the Past 

...::: Arleigh of :::... Historical-Fiction.com 

...::: Heather of :::... The Maiden's Court 

...::: Lizzy of :::... Historically Obsessed 

...::: Lucy of :::... Enchanted by Josephine 

...::: Marie of :::... The Burton Review 

...::: Susie of :::... All Things Royal

Replica Faux, Necklace of Catherine De Medici

Two book giveaway, finished hardback copies

Both giveaways will end on  the release day of "The Confessions of Catherine De Medici" which is May 25th 2010.

Also in case you missed some of the posts here is the link to the full schedule.

Comming up next month the feature will be "For the King" by Catherine Delors. I have been looking forward to this one. It will be my first Delors read and I want to see it really lives up to all the hype I have heard about here books. I am currently reading it now and what I can only say now is that so far it is really interesting.