tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4074024647340017302024-03-12T22:47:33.697-04:00Further ReadingDannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06505341404665011532noreply@blogger.comBlogger302125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-71877749440651173112016-02-23T09:21:00.000-05:002016-02-23T09:21:37.434-05:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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Book Review: <u>Pretty Girls </u> by Karin Slaughter</div>
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Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter is a hard hitting, can’t put it down but can’t bear to read it story of a family devastated by the disappearance of their daughter oldest Julia after 20+ years. The mystery surrounding her vanishing erodes the sanity of the father, propels the middle sister into addiction and so flatlines the affect of the youngest sister that she plays into the hands of the fiend who is the instrument of the destruction of her family and the families of many across the world. Fast paced and one of the most painful reads of my life, I gave it four stars because the violence and creeping psychological menace almost overwhelmed me. However, the mark of a great writer is that she can move hesitant romance/inspirational readers like me out of their comfort zone and move their broken reading hearts through connection with characters. An unforgettable read. Please pick it up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Review by Karen</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-42664355788226031452016-02-09T12:46:00.002-05:002016-02-09T12:46:56.492-05:00Heart to HeartValentine's Day is rapidly approaching and if you are running out of ideas, why not try writing a love poem?<br />
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Here are some titles for inspiration.<br />
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<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780143039969/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780143039969/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=" width="127" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780143039969"><span style="color: blue;">Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair</span></a> </span>by Pablo Neruda is a collection originally published in 1924. It has been translated into English by W.S. Merwin.<br />
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<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780375843754/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=301948561" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780375843754/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=301948561" width="140" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780375843754"><span style="color: blue;">Dizzy in Love</span></a> is a collection of poems by teens. Who knows the angst of love better than teenagers?<br />
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<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780679644057/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=798251829" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780679644057/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=798251829" width="132" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780679644057" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Aimless Love New and Selected Poems</span></a> by Billy Collins is a compilation of new and selected poems from four previous books. Collins is a two term Poet Laureate.<br />
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Of course, you can go traditional with these works.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780312744991"><span style="color: blue;">The Sonnets - Poems of Love</span></a> </span>by William Shakespeare. You can't go wrong with Shakespeare. </div>
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<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780307266163"><span style="color: blue;">Burns:poems </span></a>by Robert Burns contains the classic "<i>A Red, Red Rose</i>".<br />
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Give poems a try!<br />
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Review by Cara </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-90936762769693436772016-01-19T15:12:00.000-05:002016-01-19T15:13:43.365-05:00Best Books of 2015<a href="https://2982-presscdn-29-70-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fates-and-furies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2982-presscdn-29-70-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/fates-and-furies.jpg" width="140" /></a>Want to know what others recommended for 2015? Give these lists a try!<br />
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<a href="http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2015/"><span style="color: #20124d;">Best Books of 2015 NPR</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_445750282_1?ie=UTF8&node=13128468011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-1&pf_rd_r=1Y5QCWT1FGJSKAPY1P04&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2276509222&pf_rd_i=13108091011"><span style="color: #20124d;">Amazon's Best 100 in Print Format </span></a></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/entertainment/best-books-of-2015/"><span style="color: #20124d;">The 10 Best Books of 2015 - Washington Post</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2015/top-10#book/book-1"><span style="color: #20124d;">Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2015</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/best-books-of-2015/_/N-2gsq"><span style="color: #20124d;">Barnes and Noble Best Books of 2015</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/books/review/best-books-of-2015.html?_r=0"><span style="color: #20124d;">10 Best Books of 2015 New York Times</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://graphics.wsj.com/best-books-2015/"><span style="color: #20124d;">Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2015</span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_350011424"><br /></a>
<a href="http://bookriot.com/bestof2015/"><span style="color: #20124d;">Book Riot Best of 2015</span></a></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-47051789164614770612015-12-15T10:53:00.000-05:002015-12-17T11:35:35.397-05:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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On a quiet street near a pub
in a working class neighborhood is Slade Alley from which one might find Slade
House. Slade house residents discreetly lure certain people to visit...a visit
from which they will never return. Visitors find the short and narrow black
iron door, which is the entrance to Slade House at 9 year intervals beginning
in 1979. After each disappearence, there is a flurry of activity to locate the
missing person which eventually ends. During the interval years the missing
people are forgotten until a new disappearence occurs. Events come to a climax
in 2015 with a hair raising conclusion that the reader will not see coming.This
is a true modern day horror story! The premise is original, the suspense
electric, and the protagonists portrayed in each chapter are characters with
whom the reader can relate. It so grabs
you that it can be read in one sitting. A most intelligent, thought provoking and
profoundly disturbing read. </div>
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Review by Karen <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-27763333056781850492015-12-04T12:42:00.003-05:002015-12-17T11:35:44.686-05:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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Book Review: <u>Between
the Notes </u>by Sharon Russ Roat</div>
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Ivy Emerson’s life is forever changed when her father’s
business fails and the cost of her brother’s therapy for a disability causes
the family to lose their home. The
family moves from a posh, affluent neighborhood to Lakeside which for Ivy is
the same as living on the wrong side of the tracks. The new apartment, a quarter of the size of
her home will not fit her beloved piano! Ivy’s piano is the primary way she
deals with her emotions which she expresses by composing and singing about the
events of her life. Ivy hides the
change from her high school friends and a cute new guy with whom she hopes to
start a relationship. The more Ivy tries
to hide the change in her life with lies the more complicated things
become. Along the way she also sees how
much she thinks she knows about her friends and new people she meets in
Lakeside that she thought she could never like. As events unfold Ivy learns that not
everyone is who she thought they were…including Ivy herself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A delightful and charming story that is sure to be enjoyed
by teen readers and adults alike!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Review by Karen <u> </u> <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-9304284619539346982015-11-16T11:44:00.000-05:002015-11-19T11:55:03.144-05:00Beautiful Life Lessons....<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<img alt="Image result for very good lives" 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" 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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Book Review: </span><u style="font-size: 12pt;">Very Good Lives; the Fringe Benefits of
Failure and the Importance of Imagination </u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">by J. K. Rowling</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">J.K Rowling, the
perennially popular author of the Harry Potter series, and also titles for
adults shares her brand of wisdom about handling failure, and still living a
very good life. It is her address to
the 2008 graduating class of Harvard University. The benefits of failure and the power of
imagination propel one forward and provide the resiliency necessary to handle both
success and disappointment. Imagination was
instrumental in keeping her focused during periods of poverty. “You will never truly know yourself or the
strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity” she
says. “Life is not a checklist of
acquisitions or achievement; your qualifications or curriculum vitae are not
your life”. Very Good Lives, the Fringe Benefits of Failure Importance of
Imaginations is a powerful and instructive reading experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Review by Karen</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-13898327252195603572015-11-12T19:46:00.001-05:002015-11-12T19:47:29.890-05:00The search begins!<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=semple+bernadette" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RNlNYecCUrE/VkUywEFIdGI/AAAAAAAABEM/HspZGpHLFME/s320/whered%2Byou%2Bgo.jpg" width="204" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=semple+bernadette">Where'd You Go, Bernadette</a></span><br />
By Maria Semple<br />
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Bee's mom has gone missing, and Bee's not going to stand for it. Told through e-mails, notes, video footage, and anything a private investigator might get her hands on, this is the story of the search for Bernadette Fox. Bernadette has made plenty of enemies since moving to Seattle, but her daughter, Bee, idolizes her. This precocious, brilliant 15-year old, is thoroughly devoted to her mom but she hasn't noticed some of her flaws. For instance, Bernadette's fervent desire to avoid contact with anyone outside their family. Or her intense fear of leaving the house, so much so that she hires a woman in India to take care of all of her affairs via the internet. When Bee gets a good report card and tries to cash in on her parents' promise to take her to Antarctica, Bernadette agrees. But through an unlikely and increasingly madcap series of events, planning for this trip brings the Fox family's world crashing down around them. And then, Bernadette is gone. <br />
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Though it may seem like Bernadette is the clear victim here, she's quite a polarizing figure. My sympathies veered wildly between the characters at times, and Bernadette's bitter view of the people around her is occasionally difficult to swallow. But Bee's optimistic attitude and the bizarre actions of some of Bernadette's rivals help the entire book come together as a story of a woman against the world. In the end, you really do wonder what happened to her. And you're rooting for Bee to find out.<br />
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This title is available as a book, an audiobook, and a downloadable audiobook. I listened to it, so if you've got a commute to work consider this a recommendation for you.<br />
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<i>Review by Danny Hanbery</i>Dannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06505341404665011532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-29754765765542016692015-11-04T11:32:00.000-05:002015-11-04T11:32:00.749-05:00History is BIG! <div class="MsoNormal">
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<strong><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Book DVD Review:
Big History A& E Television
Networks, History, Lions Gate Entertainment</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">Big History </span></strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">is a new way to understand
the evolution of life including mankind and historical events through a linking
of activities/happenings that have occurred in the Universe and on our planet. The
interconnectedness of life is explored through a “history” of the superpower
Salt, the Pocket time machine, H2O, Horsepower revolution, Gold Fever,
Megastructures, Defeating Gravity, World of weapons, Brain boost, Mountain
Machines the Sun, Silver Supernova, the Agrarian age, Black Death, voyages of
Columbus, industrial revolution, prehistoric geology and global warming. Also explored are current concerns such as
population growth, global disparities, human evolution and a variety of empires
including Mongol, Mayan and Aztecs civilizations. Each facet studied in the DVD
series subtly links to all others creating a magical “Gestalt” about creation of
life in all its forms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Big History" represents a new kind
of history, one that artfully interweaves historical knowledge and cutting-edge
science. In an age of global warming, when the fate of the earth hangs in the
balance, scientific advances permit us to see the universe as never before,
grasping the timescales that allow us to understand the history of mankind in
the context of its ecological impact on the planet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was enthralled by Big History because it makes
many disciplines accessible to the lifelong learner. It is a very long series
but well worth the effort as it provides a timeline that is more like a “web”
underscoring how life itself is made up of many facets all interconnected.
Please pick this one up because it will both challenge and engage you! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Review by Karen </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-17605199569750842192015-10-26T18:32:00.003-04:002015-10-26T18:33:48.625-04:00Who Are You Gonna Call?Here are a two non fiction books to get you in the mood for Halloween.<br />
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<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780062249210/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=881139522" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780062249210/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=881139522" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The dark-eyed woman first appeared in the 1970s, standing near a fireplace in a long black gown. She was sad and translucent, present and absent at once. Strange things began to happen in the Santa Fe hotel where she was seen. Gas fireplaces turned off and on without anyone touching a switch. Vases of flowers appeared in new locations. Glasses flew from shelves. And in one second-floor suite with a canopy bed and arched windows looking out to the mountains, guests reported alarming events: blankets ripped off while they slept, the room temperature plummeting, disembodied breathing, dancing balls of light. La Posada--"place of rest"--had been a grand Santa Fe home before it was converted to a hotel. The room with the canopy bed had belonged to Julia Schuster Staab, the wife of the home's original owner. She died in 1896, nearly a century before the hauntings were first reported. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780062249210"><span style="color: blue;">American Ghost</span></a>, Hannah Nordhaus traces the life, death, and unsettled afterlife of her great-great-grandmother Julia and her family, from Julia's childhood in Germany to her years in the American West with her Jewish merchant husband, to the spas and seance rooms of the late nineteenth century, to World War II and beyond. In her search to find and understand her troubled ancestor, Nordhaus travels across America and Europe, and unearths family diaries, photographs, and newspaper clippings; meets with historians, genealogists, psychics, and ghost hunters; and learns along the way some unexpected lessons about living. American Ghost is a touching journey of roots and memory, a story of pioneer women and immigrants, villains and visionaries, frontier fortitude and mental illness, imagination and lore. As she follows the strands of Julia's life, Nordhaus discovers a larger tale of how a true-life story becomes a ghost story--and how difficult it can be to separate history from myth."-- </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780738740249/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=902937137" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780738740249/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=902937137" width="132" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;">Step into the mysterious world of </span><span class="nsm-hit-text" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;">haunted</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;"> plantations, where you'll meet the restless spirits of soldiers, slaves, and owners who roam the antiquated halls. Presenting majestic homes from seven southern states, this remarkable guide contains dramatic history and true stories from the days before and during the Civil War. Join paranormal expert Richard Southall on an awe-inspiring journey through each plantation, exploring grand houses and their ghastly ghouls. <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780738740249"><span style="color: blue;">'</span></a></span><span class="nsm-hit-text" style="background-color: white; color: blue; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;"><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780738740249">Haunted</a></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;"><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780738740249"><span style="color: blue;"> Plantations of the South</span></a>' presents fascinating research, in-depth interviews with ghost hunters, and unforgettable encounters full of paranormal activity and evidence. Discover the phantom casket of the Sweetwater Plantation, the Man in Black who haunts Bellamy Mansion, and many more compelling ghost stories along the way."-</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;">Summary provided by publisher </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.3px; text-indent: -13px;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-8315003135877437252015-10-09T10:30:00.000-04:002015-10-10T11:11:53.126-04:00Uprooted <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780804179034/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=892304621" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780804179034/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=892304621" width="135" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780804179034">Uprooted</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> by Naomi Novik</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This fantasy novel is reminiscent of a cross between a dark version of Beauty and the Beast and the Harry Potter series. Agnieszka, our heroine, is plucked from obscurity and thrown into confusion, loneliness and chaos before discovering how to use her magic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the story starts, the reader learns they are waiting for a reaping. Every ten years, the Dragon takes a seventeen-year-old girl off to his tower for a decade of servitude. The girls are released after their time in the Tower but they are always subtly changed from the simple girls they once were. The Dragon is what they call the local wizard who protects their valley. The valley is a lovely and green place, but all there are endangered by the rapidly encroaching Woods, a malevolent forest which literally eats people to sustain itself. The people of the valley have become resigned to the reaping as the only way to protect their homes and families. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The whole village of Dvernik has always known that when their turn comes, the Dragon will choose the beautiful and fearless Kasia. Instead, he chooses her best friend, Agnieszka, which confuses and dismays everyone. Agnieszka is clumsy and plain. She can’t cook, can’t stay clean for even five minutes, and is notoriously casual about following directions. What possible use can she be to the Dragon? What will happen to her now? What will happen to the people of the valley?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Educating herself by reading the books she finds in the Dragon’s library, Agnieszka realizes that she has a strong and intuitive magic of her own. The plot unwinds slowly but steadily as she learns more of magic, and the Dragon, and the world beyond her small valley.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book has an original setting and characters that are charming, flawed, and thoroughly likeable. Agnieszka has an inherent kindness and a resilient spirit. Her loyalty to her friends, her family and her home make her an admirable character. The Dragon is, like the Beast, both more and less than what the village gossips say. The plot builds slowly but steadily and there is real momentum and horror in the last third of the story. The resolution is satisfying and just open-ended enough to leave the reader wanting more.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For teens and adults who are secretly hoping for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Review by Amy </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-43685577672100137512015-10-05T09:00:00.001-04:002015-10-19T12:15:04.139-04:00Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee<div class="MsoNormal">
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Book Review: <u>Go Set a Watchman </u>by Harper Lee</div>
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Go Set a Watchman by Harper
Lee is a thought provoking portrait of a time that is important to remember
because the events it portrays
underscore longstanding but not always easily recognized influences on American
Ideology. Jean Louise, aka "Scout" Finch has come back to Maycomb
Alabama to visit her father Atticus, her former best friend/beau Henry and
other citizens of the town. Initially content with poignant reminisces of her
childhood with Henry about times shared with her deceased brother Jem, she
begins to see a culture that has not changed since the jury trial in which her
father, Atticus served as the defense attorney decades ago. Disappointed with
what she believes is Atticus's betrayal of his values at a council hall meeting
and after a searing argument with him she is catapulted into adulthood by her
wise uncle. Uncle Jack assists Jean Louise in setting her own interior
"watchman" or conscience. This book starts out slowly but builds to a
powerful conclusion from Part VII onward. Part VII exquisitely portrays Scout's
difficult coming of age during a time when right and wrong blur with the
passage of years. A book for our times, the fact that it was published now is
very important. It is worth exploration by readers who look for ways to face
truths that can be obscurred by what seems to be virtue during dark times. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Review by Karen<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-2968246590047167162015-09-21T16:32:00.000-04:002015-09-21T16:32:00.420-04:00The Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert by Marc-Antoine Mathieu <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781561635146/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=175284441" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781561635146/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=175284441" width="190" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9781561635146">This graphic novel</a> takes us gently
down a “rabbit hole” into the museum’s endless subbasements. Which museum? The answer is a taste of things to come. Although called by many names, “they say that
these names are nothing but anagrams of the museum’s real name, which has been
forgotten.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Archivist Edeus Volmer and his
assistant Leonard arrive on a stormy night to begin an inventory of the
sub-basements. The novel’s panels
proceed with beautiful pools and avenues of pale light set within umber shadows
that often recede with a cinematic sense of distance in space. Months, and longer, pass as the archivists
travel the basements. In some, a curator entertains us with wit on art and
memory. Others provoke us with insights on originality, and creativity. In the “restoration workshop” experts view
their work with small headlamps because, “for restorers light is the enemy of
color”, and “darkness preserves colors”.
In the “department of copies” the curator regrets that the practice of
copying the masters isn’t fashionable. “Copying
isn’t original any longer.” In the
“department of archives” we watch Volmer and Leonard fly on a rolling book
ladder, their coats flapping like superheroes’ capes through the upper stories
of a city of archives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, Leonard comes to tell Volmer
that this “limitless universe” suggests that an inaccessible “essential”
exists. Being inaccessible, limitless
paths to travel are all the more important.
I was entertained and captivated by every path.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Review by Ken </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-26671229290890880952015-09-17T14:45:00.000-04:002015-09-17T14:45:37.510-04:00The Theology of Space<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=strange+faber" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hi8eN1tRk-o/VfsJt_jTipI/AAAAAAAABBw/0k-iIxLJgis/s320/index.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=strange+faber">The Book of Strange New Things</a></b></span><br />
By Michel Faber<br />
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The idea of sending a missionary into space is not new. Mary Doria Russell explored the idea of a Jesuit mission to another planet thoughtfully in <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=doria+sparrow">The Sparrow</a>, which is a book that everyone should read. But while that book includes the thrill of discovery and the subsequent race to be the first to visit the planet, Michel Faber starts his book with a colony firmly established. Our missionary, Peter, simply applies for the job to be the pastor to an alien population.<br />
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The decision to leave his wife, Bea, is not easy. First, she is the one who brought him to religion. Second, they've founded a church on Earth that needs minding. But they decide that this opportunity is too good to pass up. How often does a person get chosen to spread his faith to people who have genuinely never heard of Christianity? And so Peter boards a ship and flies off to a community created by USIC, a gigantic corporation who is trying to make a profit off the new planet.<br />
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When Peter arrives he discovers that his job is much easier than he'd imagined. The alien race have not only heard of Jesus, but are hungry for a pastor to tell them more. Peter is thrilled at this, but also discomforted at the strange reception of the rest of the staff at the USIC base. They are largely nonreligious, but also uninterested in anything having to do with home. As Peter gets updates from Bea about constant tragedies happening back on Earth, Peter can't get anyone at USIC to care. He's torn between a hugely successful ministry and a feeling that the distance between his wife and himself is growing too great to cross.<br />
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This book is about distance, both physical and mental, and what sort of people are best suited to leave everything behind. It's also about the way our environment can shape our faith. What would the belief system on another planet look like? How would the residents react to a new one? For armchair theologians and science fiction enthusiasts, this is an excellent read.<br />
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Review by Danny HanberyDannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06505341404665011532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-38964985977642117942015-09-02T15:08:00.000-04:002015-09-02T15:30:23.619-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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Originally written as a novel
and transformed by the author into a play, Ayn Rand's <u>Ideal </u> tells a story that underscores the need for
"ideals" in life and how we turn our back on these if offered the
opportunity to live from them. It tells of the events in the life of Kay Gonda,
a larger than life movie screen goddess who is wanted for murder. She visits six
different fans seeking shelter from police. A respectable family man, a cynical artist, an
evangelist, a playboy, a far-left activist and a lost soul each have written her heart felt letters about the
value she brings to their very existence and who provide Kay with a glimpse of
their life. She asks to stay for one night in order to allude the police. All
but one of the fans she visits can not or will not help her because she asks
more of them than they can deliver. The end has a twist that while expected was
not envisioned to be what occurred! It was very interesting to read the novel
first and then the play because both literary forms evoke different responses
from the reader. As the preface states, "a novel uses concepts and only concepts
to present its events, characters, and universe. A play (or movie) uses
concepts and percepts; the latter are the audience's observations of the
physical actions, their movements, speeches et al.". Leonard Peikoff. The
reader can experience each version differently with more activity and
involvement in the play than in the novel. As only Ayn Rand can, she speaks for
the artist in riveting prose that exites, devastates and challenges....the
Idealist. </div>
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Reviewed by Karen <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-50764516436803338512015-08-14T10:03:00.000-04:002015-09-02T15:30:41.011-04:00:Modern Scholar: Literature of C.S. Lewis <div class="MsoNormal">
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<u><b>Literature of C.S. Lewis by Professor Timothy B. Shutt </b></u></div>
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Professor Timothy B. Shutt
brings to life the works of C.S Lewis in this 14 lecture series. Beginning with
the early years in life of C.S Lewis he discusses his life and events that
carved his inner philosophy which was the evocation of "joy". Though
C.S Lewis is known and loved for his Chronicles of Narnia series, he also wrote
a riveting science fiction trilogy which consisted of the titles "Out of
the Silent Planet", "Perelandra" and "That Hideous
Strength" in which he seeks to present an unfallen world, a world of Peace
and a world of complexities. Also
presented are analyses of his apologetic works such as Mere Christianity, which
was written for the entire Christian family including Roman Catholic and all
Protestant branches of the faith; Miracles and the Problem of Pain. Other
scholarly works include the Screwtape Letters, the Discarded Image, the
Allegory of Love and the Four Loves.
Woven through all of his fiction and nonfiction is a singular theological
theme which is the complexity of the world which includes dark and light and
all shades in between. Prior to experiencing C.S Lewis's works I was familiar
only with the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity. After listening to
these wonderful lectures I am moved to read his other works which include food
for thought and contemplation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Reviewed by Karen </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-54393514351087100792015-07-30T13:37:00.003-04:002015-07-30T17:40:58.487-04:00Philosophy in Action<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=just+city+pallas+walton" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780765332660/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=879582515" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=just+city+pallas+walton">The Just City</a></b></span><br />
By Jo Walton<br />
<br />
In Plato's <i>Republic</i> you'll find a template for a city intended to maximize justice among its inhabitants. If you're already falling asleep, don't worry. You don't have to be a philosophy major to enjoy this book. But author Jo Walton takes Plato's thought experiment and uses it to tell a story. What if the gods of Olympus were real and two of them decided to create a city and fill it with people who desire to follow Plato's guidelines? Would such a city succeed?<br />
<br />
After setting the gears into action the goddess Athena and the god Apollo both take the form of children in the city so that they can see the experiment unfold. Their friends and teachers are taken from throughout history, some of them famous and some of them unknown, but all of them striving to do their best. Of course, the definition of what's best is different for mathematicians from the Renaissance and philosophers from the Information Age, so there are some bumps in the road. Then Athena brings Socrates into the city to to see what has been created from Plato's ideas and his own words. He begins asking questions and some cracks begin to appear in the idea-driven foundations of the city. How far are the gods willing to go with their human experiment? And how long will the humans agree to stay within the rules Plato gave?<br />
<br />
As I said, this book doesn't require a philosophy degree, but it will definitely get you thinking. Check it out if you've pondered anything recently. Or if you think time-travelling gods might be fun to hang out with.<br />
<br />
Review by Danny HanberyDannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06505341404665011532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-76462307242410170882015-07-27T12:23:00.004-04:002015-09-02T15:31:11.697-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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Review: </span><u style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Her </u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by Harriet Lane</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One day Nina
instantly recognizes Her, Emma, a woman who unknowingly has a profound
influence on her life.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On a street on an
ordinary day Nina fastens her attention and intention on finding a way into
Emma’s world entering her life as unobtrusively as Emma did her decades
ago.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On the surface this story unfolds
as two very different women find connection despite the differences in the arcs
of their lives. Beneath the surface of the bright promise of a budding friendship
the psychopathic menace of Nina’s obsession with Emma grows slowly as poisonous
memories of unspoken loss and withering contempt become laced with a desire for
revenge.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The chapters alternate with
Nina and Emma sharing their life experiences and record of their encounters
most of which are descriptions of the same events.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Slowly the tension builds as barely
remembered nuances are remembered by Emma and Nina’s inner fury builds to a
shocking and unresolved conclusion. All I could murmur after reading this
was….Oh my God…Oh my God…what a story.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This one is slow in spots, but subtle tension kept me reading,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">wondering and hoping for a happy ending that
I knew would not happen.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Harriet Lane’s
prose is luminous and involving; delicious as it builds characters neither of
which is truly likeable but who one longs to know more about.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well worth your time if you enjoy slow and
easy suspense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Review by
Karen <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780544411630" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780544411630/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=885225484" width="131" /></a></div>
If you haven't read the delightful mystery series <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9781416532392"><span style="color: #351c75;">The Spellman Files</span></a><span style="color: blue;">,</span> put them on request now!<br />
<br />
Lutz's new offering <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780544411630"><span style="color: #20124d;">How To Start a Fire</span></a><span style="color: #351c75;"> </span>is a departure from the Spellman mystery series which concluded last year. Lutz began working on this book in 2006, right before she sold the first Spellman files book.<br />
<br />
The story follows three friends (Anna, Kate, and George) who meet in college and keep in touch beyond their college years. The friends come from differing backgrounds and they each bring something unique to the friendship. They form a strong bond that is tested by jealousy, substance abuse, stubbornness and the passage of time. The description may appear to be chick lit, but the story goes deeper than most chick lit and is presented in a fresh way.<br />
<br />
The narrative jumps back and forth through time which can be confusing but if you ignore the years on the chapter page the story is easily navigated.<br />
<br />
Review by Cara<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-89751341502132624052015-06-28T11:03:00.000-04:002015-06-28T11:03:17.405-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book
Review: </span><u style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My Grandfather Would Have
Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past </u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by Jennifer Teege</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One day
Jennifer Teege picked up a book in a library in Hamburg Germany. The title was <u>I Have to Love My Father
Don’t It?</u> written by Monika Goeth.
This was her mother’s name! Looking inside the book she found pictures
of her Grandmother Ruth Irene Kalder Goeth and of her Grandfather, the master
of the Plaszow Concentration Camp…Amon Goeth!
This event in a library was the beginning of the author’s research of
her family’s Nazi past. The author
relates her horror which propels her into depression. Slowly and inexorably she
pulls together all the loose tendrils of her existence; her mother’s abandonment as a child, finding
her Nigerian father, gradually reconciling the loving grandmother who cared for
her with the woman besotted with love for a man who shot Jewish people for
sport in the concentration camp near the grounds of their home. Jennifer Teege’s journey takes her to the
sites of the Plaszow and Auschwitz concentration camps, to her friends in Tele
vi and other parts of the Middle East who had family members impacted and finally to the families of survivors of the
Holocaust. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was a
difficult read but so worth the effort.
It brings a personal resonance to the horrors of a time past and helps
the reader to understand that the effects of that time live on generations
after the events. One weeps with and
cheers Jennifer Teege’s courage, humility and willingness to open wounds to
build understanding of a time we must never revisit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Review by
Karen <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-17050293602672978152015-06-22T13:48:00.000-04:002015-06-22T13:48:00.051-04:00Summer Reads Suggestions?<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's hot and the best way to beat the heat is to grab a book and find some shade. Here are some suggested titles from various sources to keep your mind off the heat! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/summer-reads-2015">Publisher's Weekly 2015 Best Summer Reads </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-best-summer-reads-90-books-chosen-by-40-literary-luminaries-10315937.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Independent's Best Summer Reads Chosen By Literary Luminaries</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/b?node=9014217011"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon's Summer Blockbusters </span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/05/22/408523960/beyond-the-bestsellers-nancy-pearl-recommends-under-the-radar-reads"><span style="font-family: inherit;">NPR's Beyond the Best Sellers Selected by Nancy Pearl</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/books/cool-beach-books-for-hot-summer-days.html?_r=0">New York Times Cool Books for Hot Summer Days </a></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/01/summer-books-2015_n_7155626.html">Huffington Post 18 Brilliant Books </a><br />
<br />
Read anything great that you would like to share? Post a comment!<br />
<br />
<br />
List compiled by Cara<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-49122745681195904322015-06-15T12:24:00.000-04:002015-06-15T12:24:00.050-04:00A year abroad, among the beautiful people<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=finch+last+enchantments" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781250018717/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=857370274" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=finch+last+enchantments" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Last Enchantments</span></a><br />
by Charles Finch<br />
<br />
Did Donna Tartt's <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?author=tartt&title=secret+history&type=phrase" target="_blank"><i>Secret History</i></a> fill you with a secret yearning to study Classics with the trust-fund crowd at some leafy liberal arts college? Did you find Whit Stillman's callow Manhattanites inexplicably appealing as they partied languorously through Christmas break in <i>Metropolitan</i>? If so, <i>The Last Enchantments</i> will leave you positively homesick for Oxford.<br />
<br />
Finch's latest novel, his first not starring <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?series=charles+lenox&type=phrase" target="_blank">Victorian detective Charles Lenox</a>, follows 25-year-old Will Baker to Oxford. It is 2005, with the US firmly mired in Iraq and Bush still president. Baker, scion of an old-money New England family quits his job as a Democratic operative, abandons his wealthy and well-connected longtime girlfriend, and heads to England to pursue a Master's in English literature. <br />
<span class="date-display-single"></span><br />
The story is slight: Baker falls in and out love, studies, parties, graduates, and agonizes <i>ad nauseam</i> over whether to stay at Oxford, work in international finance or return to politics in time for the 2006 midterms. The characters are well-drawn, memorable and eminently believable: Tom, t; Anil, the sweet gangsta rapper from India; Oxford, the city and its colleges, is a character in itself. Finch studied there, and his lush, loving descriptions of the place, its people and peculiar customs will leave you half-convinced you actually lived there.<br />
<br />
The characters are loathsome and charming in that way unique to the hereditary rich.<br />
<br />
<span class="date-display-single"><b><span class="date-display-single"><b>Click an item's title or cover to view the catalog or make a request</b></span>.</b><br />
<br />
<i>Review by Don Beistle</i> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-48474115583251954352015-06-10T10:00:00.000-04:002015-06-10T10:00:03.670-04:00History for fans of historical fiction<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
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<br />
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<a href="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780374172992/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=846545705" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780374172992/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=846545705" width="132" /></a><a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780374172992" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Hotel Florida</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9780374172992" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">Truth, Love, and Death in the Spanish Civil War</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
by Amanda Vaill</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
During the Spanish Civil War, Madrid’s posh Hotel Florida hosted a motley
collection of mostly foreign artists, intellectuals, journalists, war tourists and
spies. The fighting was never more than a few miles away, and every so often a Fascist
shell would blow out some windows or kill a pedestrian in the street below. For
a taste of real action, you could drive out to the front after breakfast and still
make it back in time for dinner and drinks. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ernest Hemingway stayed at the Florida, of course, and came away with a
play (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fifth Column</i>), a novel (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For Whom the Bell Tolls</i>), a bundle of
short pieces, and a third Mrs. Hemingway. Amanda Vaill has written about
Hemingway before and clearly has little love for him; here he is a boor and a
dupe who never realized Soviet agents were playing him like a fiddle. He and
Martha Gellhorn are the famous pair among the three couples featured in Vaill’s
excellent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hotel Florida</i>, but what the
others might lack in name recognition is more than made up for in drama. </div>
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Photography or history buffs may be vaguely familiar with the doomed
romance of photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, but Vaill brings them
vividly to life with fresh details from friends and family. Though Capa and
Taro’s story is pure big-screen material, Vaill manages to keep a lid on the
melodrama without muting either the beauty or the horror of their days together.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Loyalist press officers Arturo Barea and Ilsa</div>
Kulcsar round out Vaill’s
sextet, and in some ways their story is the most gripping. Neither consumed by
Capa and Taro’s youthful audacity nor insulated by the wealth, fame and
American passports that shielded Hemingway and Gellhorn, Barea and Kulcsar demonstrate
that civil war can kindle revolutionary passions (both political and personal) in
the most ordinary hearts. Barea and Kulcsar’s story enthralls because they are
unexceptional individuals caught up in exceptional times and—unlike their
famous counterparts—the outcome is always in doubt.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hotel Florida</i> is
well-researched, and Vaill’s deft exploitation of new or little-known sources gives
it an unexpected richness. The brisk narration, eye for detail and abundant use
of dialogue had me checking the spine label to see whether it is historical
fiction or remarkably well-written history. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hotel
Florida</i> is history, but history with living flesh newly hung upon its dry
and dusty bones.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Review by Don Beistle </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-24459574953530461632015-05-28T12:36:00.002-04:002015-06-08T13:35:43.651-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Book
Review: </span><u style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Nightingale by Kristin
Hannah</u><br />
<u style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kristin
Hannah has done it once again in her latest book The Nightingale. It tells the
story of Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol who are drawn into the horrors
of World War II in France. Vianne is reserved and quiescent, a mother with a
daughter and husband at the front. Isabelle is her rebellious and spirited
younger hungry for a way to help drive the Nazis out of her beloved France and
will stop at nothing to do this. As the story unfolds both will be forced to go
to extraordinary lengths not just to help the war effort, but to survive their
own private nightmares. This was both an easy and extraordinarily difficult
book too read because the brutality that the characters had to survive was inexplicably
horrific beyond imagination. The plot unfolds pulling the reader into the time
period sparing no details of the misery experienced and the lengths that are
taken to not only survive but to save others. If you enjoy Kristin Hannah's
books this one is not to be missed. If
she is anew author for you, get ready for a journey to the heart of what it
means to be human, and to want to live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Review by
Karen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-9797962377137899362015-05-07T10:52:00.000-04:002015-05-07T10:52:00.134-04:00Island Bliss?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9781594631573" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781594631573/LC.JPG&client=gwinp&upc=&oclc=859253148" width="132" /></a></div>
What could be more wonderful that traveling to Mallorca for a family vacation? The Post family from NYC has invited family friends to share in their island retreat. But is everything idyllic?<br />
<br />
For Jim and Franny Post, this is a celebration of 35 years together but the couple are at odds over an recent event that has thrown their relationship off course. Franny, the planner of the bunch, is concerned with putting together meals and day trips to avoid the unspoken elephant in the room. Jim is questioning his choices and wondering where life will go from here.<br />
<br />
The recent grad Sylvia is relieved to be out of the city and is looking forward to escaping to college. Bobby, the son who has relocated to Florida, brings his unpopular girlfriend to add fuel to the already simmering emotions.<br />
<br />
On the surface, everything is fine. What lies beneath is the true tale.<br />
<br />
Pick up <a href="http://gwinnett.polarislibrary.com/polaris/view.aspx?isbn=9781594631573">The Vacationers</a> for a contemplative read.<br />
<br />
Review by Cara <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-407402464734001730.post-84650026274609251182015-04-25T10:43:00.004-04:002015-05-06T10:06:52.965-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Eqm0PZPVwq3V3QPWTh3NitfXDZOmfVdBemWtLVUdzr1CNjgedovHDvBpfj0Udoc-DexZ10Pji-sd5TQKS3Zo7m4MoDtUtqs3rniMhkNwbmaLl1rbh73e-qtWtAYSbuK7NfnGsKPmKe3w8lZk85WZgHXSn5yMWXj7warks5gMmmOLrnNXJo4HPuAEHRU7LR-WL-5p_RI6kj4iJyNjabgPVjmQhIx8c0eHMsmMkVivR9nc-qbgJli3Gn-5-AyPxB6AM9-Cho60P_AF-uTo_RhA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/dd8a7f2738f760d64774a14da50bd958b34ad31a/c=0-122-1874-2621&r=183&c=0-0-180-238/local/-/media/2015/03/19/USATODAY/USATODAY/635623777018226036-Lusitania.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a><b><u>Lusitania; Trimuph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian
Age by </u> Greg King and Penny Wilson</b></div>
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<br />
Greg King and Penny Wilson
put human faces on the tragedy of the Lusitania sinking. He artly laces historical facts along with
personality sketches of some of the people on the fateful journey. The authors
were able to give a voice to people like actress Rita Jolivet, Alfred
Vanderbilt, Dorothy Conner, Albert and Gladys Bilicke all high society personages.
Also imparted were descriptions of the accomodations of First, Second and Third
class passengers, what they paid for those accomodations and how those prices
would compare with today's prices. Parts were difficult to read...the suffering was palatable along with
the description of the chaos that occurred as travelers tried valiantly to save
their lives...in 18 minutes. With the 100 anniversary of the sinking
approaching on May 7, 2015 it is worth a look at a time gone by but with a
lasting imprint on the soul of the USA, Germany, England and many pulled into the tragedy of WWI. Illustrations included. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Reviewed by Karen H <o:p></o:p></div>
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