jeaniejudy

Alethea now owns a book.

Alethea reviewed a book.

“I am unfamiliar with BLEAK HOUSE, so this reimagining of various of its characters was entirely new to me. In this tale, we meet young Charles Maddox, a recently dismissed Inspector now employed as a private detective who is hired by a shady attorney in Lincoln’s Inn Fields to discover the...”

“I am unfamiliar with BLEAK HOUSE, so this reimagining of various of its characters was entirely new to me. In this tale, we meet young Charles Maddox, a recently dismissed Inspector now employed as a private detective who is hired by a shady attorney in Lincoln’s Inn Fields to discover the author of some threatening notes to a high-ranking English banking official. And from the start, the reader knows there is more to the assignment than meets the eye, that the attorney and his cohorts are hiding something much more sinister than they wish for young Maddox to discover. But discover it he does, a place called the Solitary House, into which the attorney who previously hired him has, for a fee, deposited the pregnant wards and nieces and daughters of high-ranking members of the ton in order to effect their disappearance. A great tale, simply written but twisted enough to keep the reader guessing as to how the mystery would be resolved. Very enjoyable.”

Alethea reviewed a book.

“Writing a biography about a person whom history has swallowed up, as it has done Cleopatra, must be a monumental task, but one that Schiff handles with aplomb. The truth of who this queen was has been lost to time, buried underneath centuries’ worth of poetry, vilification, praise, and lies. ...”

“Writing a biography about a person whom history has swallowed up, as it has done Cleopatra, must be a monumental task, but one that Schiff handles with aplomb. The truth of who this queen was has been lost to time, buried underneath centuries’ worth of poetry, vilification, praise, and lies. Somehow, though, Schiff manages to recreate Cleopatra’s Alexandria for us, and shows how, despite the blood hunger which ran through every member of her family, including herself, she was able to get a hold of Egypt’s wealth and reign as its well-loved pharaoh for twenty-two years. She seems not to have been a classic beauty, but instead someone of intense personal magnetism, erudite, interested in the flow of knowledge that poured through Alexandria during her reign. The legend is removed from her relationships with Caesar and Antony and her death is described separately from the myth that has surrounded it, simply as a great woman’s last show of independence and fiery spirit. I sincerely enjoyed this. I felt as though I finally got a grasp on a legendary woman of whom very little physical evidence remains.”

Alethea added a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Alethea rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Alethea reviewed a book.

“Caldwell’s premise for this JA follow-up is to continue the stories of JA’s colonels; however, there are only two he pulls from the original material, and one he creates entirely on his own, Colonel Sir John Buford, new husband to the now radically reformed Caroline Bingley. So, with his...”

“Caldwell’s premise for this JA follow-up is to continue the stories of JA’s colonels; however, there are only two he pulls from the original material, and one he creates entirely on his own, Colonel Sir John Buford, new husband to the now radically reformed Caroline Bingley. So, with his addition, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Colonel Brandon, now all familiars, head off to fight at the Battle of Waterloo with their loving women behind them. There is the usual round of babies expected, babies born, accidental delays in the post, all rather plot slowing. Marianne was a bit more steely than I expected, and Fitzwilliam’s love affair with Anne de Bourgh seems trite. I did appreciate the renewed Caroline, suddenly much more caring and loving than her former P&P self. However, I found the premise of “three” colonels when one needed inventing a bit of a stretch. Enjoyable, but not fantastic.”

Alethea reviewed a book.

“I had read rave reviews about this YA thriller a few weeks before it came out. And it certainly earned the praise. Yancey is adept at simply dropping the reader right into the action, letting the background story press through slowly while the current action is progressing. Cassie Sullivan is...”

“I had read rave reviews about this YA thriller a few weeks before it came out. And it certainly earned the praise. Yancey is adept at simply dropping the reader right into the action, letting the background story press through slowly while the current action is progressing. Cassie Sullivan is alone, a survivor after an alien invasion of the Earth. Attacks and human deaths came in waves. The pulse of an EMP, a plague, aliens disguised in human bodies… Cassie does not know what the Fifth Wave will be, but she is sure that one is coming. The story breaks into two halves, one chronicling Cassie’s attempts to survive, especially after she meets up with mysterious stranger Evan, and the other following Cassie’s former high school crush, Ben Parish, who has been recruited into the army fighting the “Others.” This novel had great pacing and ended on a great note for a follow-up I now know is coming. ”

Alethea now owns a book. (see 3 more books added to shelf)

Alethea added a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Alethea reviewed a book.

“Roach once again led me on a humorous journey, this time down the Yellow Brick Road of NASA and space flight. We learn about monkeys shot into space in capsules, the creation of pelletized and dried-cubed food for astronauts, and spend a good deal of our time on the pros and cons of pooping in...”

“Roach once again led me on a humorous journey, this time down the Yellow Brick Road of NASA and space flight. We learn about monkeys shot into space in capsules, the creation of pelletized and dried-cubed food for astronauts, and spend a good deal of our time on the pros and cons of pooping in space. I once again found myself laughing out loud at the puns she is able to make about serious topics, and felt awestruck, as usual, by the way she manages to sneak into these highly secretive, highly serious organizations and ask silly questions that we are all wondering but which none actually speak. Space travel is lower down the rung of my interest than some others of Roach’s topics have been, but I was just as amused by this trip as by all of the others. ”

Alethea reviewed a book.

“This was not my typical Victorian murder mystery, being set, as it was, in and around Scotland. The effects of Her Majesty are still felt, but in a much more distant way. The reader knows England is out there, but you no longer feel yourself amidst the soot of 1800s London. The generations-old...”

“This was not my typical Victorian murder mystery, being set, as it was, in and around Scotland. The effects of Her Majesty are still felt, but in a much more distant way. The reader knows England is out there, but you no longer feel yourself amidst the soot of 1800s London. The generations-old line of the Dukes of Dornoch is being disposed of, one by one, by a murderer killing the four living brothers who can inherit the title from one another. Allerdyce, an Inspector on the police force, is brought in initially b/c the first Duke is missing. The inspector feels his time is being wasted locating a missing nobleman until the latter turns up shot at the bottom of a well. Summarily, each brother in turn is disposed of, and Allerdyce never can quite seem to catch up with the killer. Ultimately, seeing an innocent man hang and knowing both you (the reader) and Allerdyce can do nothing about it, leaves you with an odd feeling. Satisfaction at a good story told, but sadness at the reality that such probably happened all the time in those courts (and most likely still happens today).”

Alethea now owns a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Alethea rated a book.

• Rated 5 stars

misplaced mermaid is now reading a book.

misplaced mermaid rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

misplaced mermaid rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

misplaced mermaid rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

misplaced mermaid rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

misplaced mermaid rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

misplaced mermaid rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars