![]() Who'd have thought it would take a 20th-century woman to flesh out the crusty, taciturn, yet oh-so-well beloved figure of Sherlock Holmes, himself essentially a 19th-century man? Of course, I am referring here not only to the talented King but also to her most imaginative creation, Mary Russell, the liberated, half-American Jewish woman who, over the course of several evocative books so far (beginning with The Beekeeper's Apprentice, 1994), has breathed freshness and new life into Holmes' legendary persona.īorn at the turn of the last century, and only a precocious 15 years old on the occasion of her fateful first meeting with the Great Detective (who was then 54 and languishing in semi-retirement, keeping bees on England's Sussex Downs), Mary Russell has gone on to win not just Holmes' admiration, but his well-guarded old heart as well. ![]()
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![]() But, when we had a moment (and it is a relatively short moment in the grand reading scheme of things, the book only being 180 pages long) we took a deep breath, pushed our classroom prejudices aside, and had a read.Īnd unfortunately this is the part where World of Books says – “ we’re on the fence” (“ cowards!” we hear you cry!) But we just can’t decide how we feel about this book. ![]() You know the type – that classic fear of the unknown and therefore potentially direly boring, well, classic. It’s one that’s been on our reading list for a long time. Scott Fitzgerald has been described as many things over the years – timeless, disappointing, beautifully written, intricate, boring, perfection – this conflicting list goes on. ![]() ![]() "Elmer is endearing with Cole's colorful and sprightly illustrations combining line and style of Disney and Paul Galdone. "The characters are engaging, and their faces and body language are wonderfully expressive." School Library Journal His acrylic paint and colored pencil drawings focus on gestures and expressions, but also create settings which add to the emotional impact, from a sunny beach where Elmer happily makes sand castles to the dark woods that echo his loneliness." ≼hildrens Literature "Cole's ducks take on some human characteristics while still keeping their duck identity. He makes a sympathetic hero of the skinny yellow nonconformist." Publishers Weekly "Cole (Moosetache), assigned the daunting task of capturing Elmer's sensitive nature and the other ducks' bewilderment or scorn, keeps his zaniness in check. ![]() Elmer is one extraordinary duck whose "sissyhood" is something to celebrate!" ≻arnes & Noble Review "Henry Cole's tender yet hilarious illustrations are just the right touch for Elmer, who even sports a pink flowered backpack and heart-shaped sunglasses. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Now, in 1917, Grandpa is gone, and boarding with Miss Love is that ``pure-T beauty,'' new schoolteacher Sanna Maria Klein, who's infatuated with a Harvard boy-until her disastrous visit to his fancy home when bath water floods a festive board. The previous novel concerned the adventures of narrator Will Tweedy, then 14, of Cold Sassy Tree, Georgia, who among others wondered at the shocking marriage of newly widowed Grandpa Blakeslee and the stylish Miss Love. Burns's editor, Katrina Kenison, who was left with notes and letters by the author to indicate plotlines beyond the 15 finished chapters here, has contributed a tribute and personal reminiscence. Now comes this partial sequel-which continues the story of Will Tweedy and the courting of his future wife-that Burns, with extraordinary courage, worked on through her final illness. ![]() 1990) published Cold Sassy Tree-a spirited, southern small-town rural tale with robust characters and a regional period (1906) diction that was as tangy and real as grits. ![]() ![]() Joined by Hap Swenson, whose father runs the island's motor pool, they soon discover the project and its scientists are being targeted by multiple organizations, each with their own goals. Upon discovering this, the kids decide to beat their parents at their own game. GangFive genius kids - Rachel and Roger Phillips, Ray "Gamma Ray" Gammand, Tripton "Trip" Duncan Delmar Davis, and Wendy "Wonderchild" Wendell III - have been dragged off to a remote island so their scientist parents can work on the ultimate computer project: creating a machine that can truly think. Waiting Spirit (1984 in Dark Forces series reprinted 1996).Eyes of the Tarot (1983 in Dark Forces series reprinted 1996).Spirits and Spells (1986 in Twilight: Where Darkness Begins series reprinted 1996). ![]() ![]() Amulet of Doom (1985 in Twilight: Where Darkness Begins series reprinted 1996).Bruce Coville's Chamber of HorrorsFour standalone horror stories originally published in the teen horror series Dark Forces and Twilight: Where Darkness Begins, they were reprinted in 1996 as a single series. ![]() ![]() ![]() He needed all the good reactions he could soak up, like fuel to keep him going until the next time. Only rarely did he feel comfortable enough to go out and meet the public. They both looked like they’d enjoy a second act of some kind, but he tipped an imaginary hat and walked back to the bar, where that handsome dude with the silver hair had promised to save Ramon’s seat. ![]() The music crashed to an end, and Ramon swept a bow at both partners. ![]() Bless her heart, she’d misjudged her target, but he gave her a butt bump in return, and she giggled. Not to be outdone, the pretty blonde girl who had also leaped onto the floor to dougie with Ramon shook her pert chest against his back. One of his partners, a big muscular stud with tattoos on his neck, leaned over and kissed Ramon’s cheek. THE MUSIC flowed through him like wine-like freedom-and Ramon threw his head back, letting the swish of hair against his shoulders tickle him as he danced. ![]() ![]() ![]() Aced is the fourth Rylee and Colton book and it’s life after the checkered flag. The return of Rylee and Colton! I think we can all be happy about that… while we have enjoyed a closer look into the stories of their friends and family it’s like coming home when we get to return to the original couple that started our Driven journey. Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, and Hard Beat are standalone Driven novels that can be read on their own and in any order.) | Goodreads | Review Jenn’s Star Rating: 5 Stars (Reading Order: Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced is optional, and then Aced. ![]() ![]() How can one moment, when our world seemed so right, resurface and cause our perfect life to spiral out of control? So why do I feel like it’s slipping through my fingers? Our happily was supposed to be ever after. Now it’s the catalyst that threatens to tear us apart. The night she made the world around me so much more than just a blur. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Wanted to eat flipper pie with him and the girls. Before you know it, their presence is comforting. The thing of it is, they start to feel so honest. Instead, Proulx builds her momentum slowly, slowly, taking you deeper into the lives of these characters, who started out so hard, unattractive, broken, and nasty. No secret codes to be found in paintings. There was no melodramatic conflict introduced. ![]() Then at some point in the second half, the book went from a nice little read to a ferocious page-turner, and I still am not sure how it became so compelling. In the beginning it felt a little forced. And his wife Petal is a two-dimensional device created solely as a catalyst for the story to come. Quoyle, a big, damp loaf of a man, as Proulx describes him, is the definition of pathetic. I found the book initially to be a relaxing solace on my commute home after a busy day of work, soley because of its use of language and setting. Proulx's writing style is mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. ![]() ![]() ![]() It may border on parsimony, but the line is drawn by Fumio – minimalist living includes enjoyment of possessions and experiences. A £20,000 will not have fifty times the battery life of a £400 one, and it is probably true that even Bill Gates cannot eat six meals a day, as Fumio says, but the point that the author is making is that not only should we not acquire things, we need not acquire expensive things. ![]() As a Japanese, he once was a hoarder! Not anymore, as he tells us his reasoning that we do not need most of the things we possess. ![]() ![]() If they read Fumio, they will go right ahead and chuck their stuff.įumio is a minimalist, not so much because he is a Japanese, who are more minimalist than many other societies, but because he was reacting to his ‘overly cluttered pigpen’. There are people who are on the verge of deciding whether to keep their keeps sakes or throw them away. But there are many in the middle, who at times feel that their lives and living conditions are cluttered. Some people are neat and minimalist by nature, and this book will not add much other than the pleasure of reading a fine personal account of the life of a minimalist. Some people are hoarders by nature and this book will never appeal to them. He got rid of all his books (all £7,000 worth), CDs, rolls and rolls of developed photographs, and, well, almost everything else he owned. Fumio advocates a style of living that is close to that of the ascetic, and is difficult to live as he does – he has only four shirts. ![]() ![]() ![]() With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. ![]() When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.Ī year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. ![]() I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies. ![]() |