Author: Daphne du Maurier
Published: 1935
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Rating: 3.5
Summary
The coachman tried to warn her away from the ruined, forbidding place on the rainswept Cornish coast. But Mary Yellan chose instead to honor her mother's dying request that she join her frightened Aunt Patience and huge, hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn at Jamaica Inn. From her first glimpse on that raw November eve, she could sense the inn's dark power. But never did Mary dream that she would become hopelessly ensnared in the vile, villainous schemes being hatched within its crumbling walls...or that a handsome, mysterious stranger would so incite her passions, tempting her to love a man whom she dares not trust.
Review
The story is rather dark, with some truly evil characters. And although the ending is predictable, the suspense is well-written enough to keep the reader turning pages. A good, semi-creepy, Gothic-style read for the Halloween season.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
To The Last Man
Author: Jeff Shaara
Published: 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Spring 1916: the horror of a stalemate on Europe’s western front. France and Great Britain are on one side of the barbed wire, a fierce German army is on the other. In the skies, technology has provided a devastating new tool--the aeroplane--and with it a different kind of hero emerges–the flying ace. Soaring high above the chaos on the ground, these solitary knights duel in the splendor and terror of the skies, their courage and steel tested with every flight.
As the conflict stretches into its third year, a neutral America is goaded into war, its reluctant president, Woodrow Wilson, finally accepting the repeated challenges to his stance of nonalignment. Yet the Americans are woefully unprepared and ill equipped to enter a war that has become worldwide in scope. The responsibility is placed on the shoulders of General John “Blackjack” Pershing, and by mid-1917 the first wave of the American Expeditionary Force arrives in Europe. Encouraged by the bold spirit and strength of the untested Americans, the world waits to see if the tide of war can finally be turned.
Review
As expected from Shaara, the work is well-researched and written. My understanding of trench warfare and of aerial combat increased significantly. However, the first two-thirds of the work drug a bit. It was difficult to identify with the flying aces and their attitude about their conquests (although I am sure that was portrayed accurately). The final third of the book moves much more quickly.
Notes
As expected in any work about war, this book contains a lot of swearing. Most of it is of the "Biblical" kind.
Published: 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Spring 1916: the horror of a stalemate on Europe’s western front. France and Great Britain are on one side of the barbed wire, a fierce German army is on the other. In the skies, technology has provided a devastating new tool--the aeroplane--and with it a different kind of hero emerges–the flying ace. Soaring high above the chaos on the ground, these solitary knights duel in the splendor and terror of the skies, their courage and steel tested with every flight.
As the conflict stretches into its third year, a neutral America is goaded into war, its reluctant president, Woodrow Wilson, finally accepting the repeated challenges to his stance of nonalignment. Yet the Americans are woefully unprepared and ill equipped to enter a war that has become worldwide in scope. The responsibility is placed on the shoulders of General John “Blackjack” Pershing, and by mid-1917 the first wave of the American Expeditionary Force arrives in Europe. Encouraged by the bold spirit and strength of the untested Americans, the world waits to see if the tide of war can finally be turned.
Review
As expected from Shaara, the work is well-researched and written. My understanding of trench warfare and of aerial combat increased significantly. However, the first two-thirds of the work drug a bit. It was difficult to identify with the flying aces and their attitude about their conquests (although I am sure that was portrayed accurately). The final third of the book moves much more quickly.
Notes
As expected in any work about war, this book contains a lot of swearing. Most of it is of the "Biblical" kind.
The Continuous Conversion
Author: Brad Wilcox
Published: 2013
Genre: LDS Non-fiction
Rating: 5
Summary
I started writing The Continuous Atonement when I was serving as the bishop of a young single adult ward…. I realized that there was an aspect of the Atonement they didn't get. They knew about how the Atonement could cleanse and console us, but they didn't grasp how it can transform us and how Christ offers us His enabling power however long that transformation process takes--even continuously. This book picks up that same theme and answers the question, "How?" "How do I apply the Atonement and feel it's transforming power on a continuous basis?" True conversion is not a onetime event, but a process that takes time. Most people accept that in theory, but we still beat ourselves up when we fall short. My message is "Be patient. You are doing better than you realize. Hang in there!" We are not paying our way into heaven. We're practicing for it!
—Brad Wilcox
Review
A wonderful reminder that conversion is a life-long process...not a one-time event. Easy to read but very thought-provoking. I particularly loved the last chapter about juggling our different responsibilities in life.
Favorite quote
"Satan doesn't win when he can get us to cross the line but when he convinces us that there is no way back."
Published: 2013
Genre: LDS Non-fiction
Rating: 5
Summary
I started writing The Continuous Atonement when I was serving as the bishop of a young single adult ward…. I realized that there was an aspect of the Atonement they didn't get. They knew about how the Atonement could cleanse and console us, but they didn't grasp how it can transform us and how Christ offers us His enabling power however long that transformation process takes--even continuously. This book picks up that same theme and answers the question, "How?" "How do I apply the Atonement and feel it's transforming power on a continuous basis?" True conversion is not a onetime event, but a process that takes time. Most people accept that in theory, but we still beat ourselves up when we fall short. My message is "Be patient. You are doing better than you realize. Hang in there!" We are not paying our way into heaven. We're practicing for it!
—Brad Wilcox
Review
A wonderful reminder that conversion is a life-long process...not a one-time event. Easy to read but very thought-provoking. I particularly loved the last chapter about juggling our different responsibilities in life.
Favorite quote
"Satan doesn't win when he can get us to cross the line but when he convinces us that there is no way back."
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points that Saved the World
Authors: Chris Stewart, Ted Stewart
Published: 2011
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Today, fewer than 12 of the 193 countries in the world have a democratic government that has survived for more than fifty years. So, what extraordinary events in history have made it possible for us to enjoy self-rule and personal liberty? And what role has the hand of God played in securing that freedom?
In this remarkable new book, bestselling authors Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart highlight seven miracles that changed the course of the world. Skillfully weaving story vignettes with historical explanations, they affirm that history would have been dramatically altered if any one of these events had turned out differently.
Review
An interesting but not compelling read. Some of the less-well-known historical events are interesting to ponder. Worth reading for some of the insights and postulates.
Published: 2011
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Today, fewer than 12 of the 193 countries in the world have a democratic government that has survived for more than fifty years. So, what extraordinary events in history have made it possible for us to enjoy self-rule and personal liberty? And what role has the hand of God played in securing that freedom?
In this remarkable new book, bestselling authors Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart highlight seven miracles that changed the course of the world. Skillfully weaving story vignettes with historical explanations, they affirm that history would have been dramatically altered if any one of these events had turned out differently.
Review
An interesting but not compelling read. Some of the less-well-known historical events are interesting to ponder. Worth reading for some of the insights and postulates.
The Rent Collector
Author: Camron Wright
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the bad-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money--a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman's journey to save her son and another woman's chance at redemption.
Review
While the premise was intriguing, the prose itself seemed to drag. The story--loosely based on real people--was sometimes compelling and at other times fell flat.
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3
Summary
Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the bad-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money--a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman's journey to save her son and another woman's chance at redemption.
Review
While the premise was intriguing, the prose itself seemed to drag. The story--loosely based on real people--was sometimes compelling and at other times fell flat.
Keeping the Castle
Author: Patrice Kindl
Published: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Althea is the sole support of her entire family, and she must marry well. But there are few wealthy suitors--or suitors of any kind--in their small Yorkshire town of Lesser Hoo. Then, the young and attractive (and very rich) Lord Boring arrives, and Althea sets her plans in motion. There's only one problem; his friend and business manager Mr. Fredericks keeps getting in the way. And, as it turns out, Fredericks has his own set of plans.
Review
I really didn't think I could enjoy reading one more "redo" of Pride and Prejudice. But this turned out to be a delightful reworking of the story. I laughed out loud several times!
Published: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Althea is the sole support of her entire family, and she must marry well. But there are few wealthy suitors--or suitors of any kind--in their small Yorkshire town of Lesser Hoo. Then, the young and attractive (and very rich) Lord Boring arrives, and Althea sets her plans in motion. There's only one problem; his friend and business manager Mr. Fredericks keeps getting in the way. And, as it turns out, Fredericks has his own set of plans.
Review
I really didn't think I could enjoy reading one more "redo" of Pride and Prejudice. But this turned out to be a delightful reworking of the story. I laughed out loud several times!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Hangman's Daughter
Author: Oliver Potzsch
Published: 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
A historical thriller set in Germany in 1660. When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play in his small Bavarian town. Whispers and dark memories of witch trials and the women burned at the stake just seventy years earlier still haunt the streets of Schongau. When more children disappear and an orphan boy is found dead—marked by the same tattoo—the mounting hysteria threatens to erupt into chaos.
Before the unrest forces him to torture and execute the very woman who aided in the birth of his children, Jakob must unravel the truth. With the help of his clever daughter, Magdelena, and Simon, the university-educated son of the town’s physician, Jakob discovers that a devil is indeed loose in Schongau. But it may be too late to prevent bloodshed.
Review
Although I usually love historical fiction, I struggled a bit getting into this one. The plot was interesting but not compelling. The names from Bavaria in the 1600s were hard to remember. The hangman was a fascinating and oddly sympathetic character. But the crudeness and vulgarity was repelling.
Published: 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
A historical thriller set in Germany in 1660. When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play in his small Bavarian town. Whispers and dark memories of witch trials and the women burned at the stake just seventy years earlier still haunt the streets of Schongau. When more children disappear and an orphan boy is found dead—marked by the same tattoo—the mounting hysteria threatens to erupt into chaos.
Before the unrest forces him to torture and execute the very woman who aided in the birth of his children, Jakob must unravel the truth. With the help of his clever daughter, Magdelena, and Simon, the university-educated son of the town’s physician, Jakob discovers that a devil is indeed loose in Schongau. But it may be too late to prevent bloodshed.
Review
Although I usually love historical fiction, I struggled a bit getting into this one. The plot was interesting but not compelling. The names from Bavaria in the 1600s were hard to remember. The hangman was a fascinating and oddly sympathetic character. But the crudeness and vulgarity was repelling.
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