Though the ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu wrote it more than 2,500 years ago The Art of War is still referenced and used today. Its relevance applies not only to war, but it has far reaching applications to leadership, business, etc. I’m more of an organizer/to do list maker than a long term planner, strategic thinking isn’t my strong suit, so I knew that I could learn a thing or too from this ancient tome. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need […]
Sexy Spies + Overwrought Plot = Not-so Sexy Spies
I’m a bit of a self-loathing historical romance reader. Some (Flowers From the Storm, The Grand Sophy, Outlander, Lord of Scoundrels) are really great but the vast majority can best be described as disappointing. In fact if you use Mrs. Julien’s infamous tally (and really, why wouldn’t you) as a guidepost, a meager 10 out of 75 historical romance novels read in 2014 warrant her coveted recommendation. Many of the characters and plotlines are relatively homogeneous because there are only so many variants of “wealthy […]
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
I alternated between really liking this book and being very annoyed by it. I think if it had been one or two hundred pages shorter, I would have liked it a bit more. But with the hardcover clocking in at almost 600 pages, it didn’t have enough story to justify the length, which led to lots of filler to drag through. “He can’t really love anyone, you know, and in the end such people are always alone, no matter how much other people once loved them.” […]
A historical romance with deep secrets and surprise revelations
4.5 stars Spoiler warning! It is actually IMPOSSIBLE for me to write about this book without spoiling some pretty major developments that involve all three former Rules for Scoundrels books. If you haven’t already read No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, PLEASE stay away from this review and return once you’re caught up. You’ll enjoy this book so much more if you heed my advice. The previous three books in the Rules for Scoundrels series told the story of the disgraced noblemen who opened The Fallen Angel, an exclusive […]
Best Book I’ve Read This Year
I’ve had Code Name Verity (2012) by Elizabeth Wein in my library queue for months. I think at least twice it came up, but I either forgot to check it out in time or ran out of time to read it. Part of the problem was I couldn’t remember why I’d chosen to read it. I vaguely remembered that it was a young adult novel set during World War II that had something to do with women spies. I was imagining some kind of Disney-fied […]
500 Years of Nuns
The Sisterhood (2013) by Helen Bryan was the latest selection of my local book club. I didn’t choose this one and hadn’t heard of it, but it looked interesting so I began it willingly enough. The Sisterhood is an ambitious novel that travels jumps almost 500 years and across continents: from Spain, to South America, to southern United States. Menina Walker was found as a toddler, alone in a boat after a terrible hurricane in South America. There was no sign of her family, but […]
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