Elly
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Post by Elly on Apr 4, 2007 20:24:43 GMT 10
Reading Ian Rankin's 'Knots and Crosses' must be one of the first books in the Inspector Rebus stories, there's a lot in it I never knew about.
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Post by roper on Apr 24, 2007 2:13:18 GMT 10
I'm still busy with the Fiery Cross, canye believe it? It's giving me a hard time, so boring at times! Was reading a biography of a policelady inbetween, enjoyed it and will get it signed by her thanks to Mike's help! ;D I agree Fiery Cross was boring at times, but I have gone to the Library and gotten outlander and dragon fly in Amber on Audio CD and listening to them at work. Devina Porter does a great job reading them. you may want to try listening to Fiery Cross instead
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Elly
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Post by Elly on Apr 30, 2007 9:16:50 GMT 10
Just finished reading 'the Dark Queen' by Susan Carroll, seemingly this is the first book in a trilogy, the dark queen being Catherine De Medici, she does feature in this first book but it is mainly about Ariane, Lady of the Faire Isle and her two sisters, white witches. Set during the turbulent time of Catherine de Medici, aka The Dark Queen, Ariane Cheney, as her mother did before her, has assumed the mantle of The Lady of Faire Isle, a place rooted deeply in the magic and healing arts practiced by The Daughters of the Earth to which she belongs—white witches, in other words. When Ariane gives safe haven to a Huguenot soldier who holds evidence of evil doing by Catherine, evidence that once produced could cause grave political consequences, Ariane finds herself pitted against witch hunters, the Queen's Army, and finally against The Dark Queen herself, whose expertise in the arts of dark magic is unsurpassed by anyone—except the wicked Melusine herself. I enjoyed this book and going to get the next one. The Courtesan
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Elly
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Post by Elly on Apr 30, 2007 9:41:19 GMT 10
I'm about halfway through 'The Red Tent' by Anita Diamant, it was a recommended read to me though I didn't really think it was my type of book since the library had it got it and glad I did , its a really interesting book told in the first person style about Dinah, only sister of Joseph from the Old Testament. I don't remember her being mentioned in the bible but seemingly she is. www.anitadiamant.com/theredtent.asp?page=books&book=theredtent
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Post by mcnass on May 16, 2007 16:27:37 GMT 10
Just have read a science-fiction book. I stoped reading after having finished the half of the book. It is not worth to read further. Have forgotten the title but it is not worth mentioning the title. The book is just boring - please dont read it.... ;D
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Elly
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Posts: 29,887
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Post by Elly on May 16, 2007 19:13:17 GMT 10
Just have read a science-fiction book. I stoped reading after having finished the half of the book. It is not worth to read further. Have forgotten the title but it is not worth mentioning the title. The book is just boring - please dont read it.... ;D thanks for the tip
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Elly
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Posts: 29,887
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Post by Elly on May 16, 2007 20:12:53 GMT 10
Just finished reading the first two books in trilogy of ancient Scotland around AD 80. The author seems pretty accurate and really enjoyed the first 2 books. www.juleswatson.com/index.htm' The White Mare' - AD 79 and Agricola, the ruthless governor of Roman Britain, is turning his attentions to the last unconquered territory in Britain - Alba, Scotland. Rhiann is a courageous and beautiful Scottish princess and priestess scarred by her violent past. Of noble blood, she faces what for her is the ultimate sacrifice - a forced marriage - to protect the freedom of her people. Eremon is an enigmatic Irish prince, an exile, who must seek an alliance elsewhere to regain his throne. Will he prove himself the man who can unite the squabbling Celtic tribes against the more ominous threat of Rome? With war and chaos looming for her people, Rhiann finds herself drawn into an unexpected journey of the spirit and heart, which will reveal the true purpose of her life. 'The Dawn Stag' - For Rhiann – a Celtic priestess and queen in ancient Scotland – and her warrior husband, Eremon – an exiled Irish prince – the prospect of a peaceful and free future is wrecked by the threat of a Roman invasion into the north. Theirs was a political marriage, but from it has emerged a passionate love as well as a powerful public alliance. Now in them lies the hope of a nation. For there is a new Emperor in Rome, Domitian, and he has commanded Agricola, Governor of Britain, to crush the troublesome realm of Scottish Alba once and for all. The predestined day draws near: the armies of Alba and Rome will meet in an epic battle to decide the fate of a country. Rhiann searches for guidance in the spirit world, little realizing how big a part she will play in this endgame. Eremon knows only that he must risk – and sacrifice – many lives, perhaps his own.
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Post by dreamy on May 27, 2007 4:16:25 GMT 10
Oh yes, these books look and sound very very interesting! Thank you for posting them, Elly!
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Post by mcnass on May 27, 2007 23:57:21 GMT 10
Perhaps I should give Ellys books a try.... again I started a book a few days ago. Again its not worth to be read or to be mentioned... I gave up yesterday after having read 50 pages. However, my son helped me out with this one and its quite good:
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Elly
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Post by Elly on May 30, 2007 19:02:59 GMT 10
I picked this book up a wee while ago at a book sale, think its meant to be a boy's book but did read it and really enjoyed it. Macbeth And Son by Jackie French Book Description Luke lives in modern-day Australia with his mother and stepfather, Sam. Luke is burdened by a guilty secret: Sam has helped him to cheat in an entrance exam for a prestigious school. Lulach lives in eleventh-century Scotland with his mother and stepfather, Macbeth, who becomes a great king and restores peace to the land. Luke is studying Shakespeare’s play Macbeth at school and dreams about Lulach and Macbeth at night. But gradually Luke realises they are more than dreams. Somehow, he is reliving events that actually took place – and they’re nothing like Shakespeare’s version. In the play, Macbeth is a villain who murders the rightful king. Why did Shakespeare lie about who Macbeth really was? Does truth really matter? As the lives of Luke and Lulach intertwine, the answers to these questions will change them both forever.
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Post by mcnass on May 30, 2007 23:10:09 GMT 10
Betrayal In DeathYeeees, got it today!
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Elly
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Post by Elly on Jun 18, 2007 13:36:45 GMT 10
Read both these books recently after being recommended to me well 'The Kitchen Boy' was anyway but couldn't remember the title so got both the authors books from the library, I did prefer the recommended one, but 'Rasputin's Daughter' was interesting too. n the last dozen years or so, one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century was finally uncovered and resolved. In 1991 the graves of the last Tsar of Russia and his family and servants were found in a remote Siberian forest. Using DNA testing, the remains were scrutinized and finally identified and given a final burial in St. Petersburg, Russia. With the testing, the final identification of Anna Anderson as not being a relative of Nicholas II was discovered. But with that discovery, came another mystery. Two of the children's bodies were not found, one of the daughters and that of the Tsarevich, Alexei. Author Robert Alexander gives a tantilizing hint of just what might have happened on a hot July night in a Russia ripped apart by revolution. Told as a set of taped memoirs, an old man in Chicago finally speaks the truth about his past. Misha's seen almost a century, and now that his wife has died, feels that he can reveal at last who he just might be. Slowly, we get to see a family imprisoned in cramped conditions, trying to maintain dignity and their faith under the control of a pack of sadistic guards. Rumors fly about that there is an army of White Russian troops coming, and the Tsar's family prays daily for a miracle to happen and rescue them. Told through the eyes of a boy, the fourteen year old, Leonka, we get to see days passing by with tedium and near madness. The guards taunt, pilfer and scrawl obscenities on the bathroom wall. And it is Leonka who finds a hidden message and is drawn into a conspiracy that will lead up to the night of the 16th of July, when at last, a family's imprisonment ends, and a mystery begins. But as details are shown, conversations heard, the reader begins to wonder, is Leonka who he says he is? The author shows the family with all of their weaknesses and strengths. The research is extensive and digs into some of the more obscure aspects of the family, such as a jewel diary that Nicholas II kept, the family's pets, diaries and letters that were smuggled and kept. But interestingly enough, Alexander keeps it all to a minimalist elegance that doesn't go too far into the realm of fantasy. Taking a snippet from here and there, we get plenty of twists, introspection and a tight narrative that is packed into less than 225 pages, a feat in this day and age of near thousand page bestsellers. A final twist will floor you, and make you wonder, and possibly encourage you to do your own digging into history. In an endeavor similar to his debut novel, The Kitchen Boy, Alexander couples extensive research and poetic license, this time turning his enthusiasm toward perhaps the most intriguing player in the collapse of the Russian dynasty: Rasputin. This eyebrow-raising account of the final week of the notorious mystic's life is set in Petrograd in December 1916 and narrated by Rasputin's fiery teenage daughter, Maria. The air in the newly renamed capital is thick with dangerous rumors, many concerning Maria's father, whose close relationship with the monarchy—he alone can stop the bleeding of the hemophiliac heir to the throne—invokes murderous rage among members of the royal family. Maria is determined to protect her father's life, but the further she delves into his affairs, the more she wonders: who, exactly, is Rasputin? Is he the holy man whose genuine ability to heal inspires a cult of awed penitents, or the libidinous drunkard who consumes 12 bottles of Madeira in a single night, the unrestrained animal she spies "[eagerly] holding [the] housekeeper by her soft parts"? Does this unruly behavior link him to an outlawed sect that believes sin overcomes sin? The combination of Alexander's research and his rich characterizations produces an engaging historical fiction that offers a Rasputin who is neither beast nor saint, but merely, compellingly human.
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