5/11/2023 0 Comments The nutcracker hoffmannNot long ago also he had seen a little dark man, with a large chest under his arm, gliding softly through the entry, but he knew very well that it was nobody but Godfather Drosselmeier. Fred, in great secrecy, and in a whisper, informed his little sister (Marie was only just seven years old), that ever since morning be had heard a rustling and a rattling, and now and then a gentle knocking, in the forbidden chambers. Frederic and Maria sat nestled together in a corner of the back chamber dusky twilight had come on, and they felt quite gloomy and fearful, for, as was commonly the case on this day, no light was brought in to them. During the long, long day of the twenty-fourth of December, the children of Doctor Stahlbaum were not permitted to enter the parlor, much less the adjoining drawing-room.
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5/11/2023 0 Comments The brothers by stephen kinzerHe then took up residence in Boston and began teaching journalism and U.S. Upon returning to the U.S., Kinzer became the newspaper's culture correspondent, based in Chicago, as well as teaching at Northwestern University. Kinzer was The New York Times chief in the newly established Istanbul bureau from 1996 to 2000. In 1990, The New York Times appointed Kinzer to head its Berlin bureau, from which he covered Eastern and Central Europe as they emerged from Soviet bloc. A former New York Times correspondent, he has published several books, and writes for several newspapers and news agencies.ĭuring the 1980s, Kinzer covered revolutions and social upheaval in Central America, and wrote his first book, Bitter Fruit, about military coups and destabilization in Guatemala during the 1950s. Stephen Kinzer (born August 4, 1951) is an American author, journalist, and academic. American author, journalist, and academic They dared to play the rebellious villains on a floating international stage. Pirates challenged and subverted prevailing conventions of race, class, gender, and nationality, posing a radical democratic challenge to the society they left behind. At their best, pirates constructed their own distinctive egalitarian society, electing officers, dividing their booty equitably, and maintaining a multinational social order." "This unprecedented social and cultural history proves that the real lives of this motley crew - which included cross-dressing women, people of color, and the "outcasts of all nations"-Are far more compelling than contemporary myth. Historian Marcus Rediker focuses on the high-seas drama of 1716-1726, which featured the dreaded black flag, the Jolly Roger swashbuckling figures such as Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard and the unnamed, pegleg pirate who was likely Robert Louis Stevenson's model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island." "This exploration shows how sailors emerged from deadly working conditions on merchant and naval ships, turned pirate, and created a starkly different reality aboard their own vessels. Summary: "Villains of All Nations explores the Golden Age of Atlantic piracy and the infamous generation whose images underlie our modern, romanticized view of pirates. The narrative leaves readers guessing about who has stolen Ray’s violin until the very last pages. Ray faces multiple obstacles from unsupportive family members, racist fellow musicians, bigoted community members, police, and other gatekeepers who can’t accept that a Black man can acheive success in classical music. The Violin Conspiracy tells the story of a gifted young Black violinist, Ray, who on the eve of The International Tchaikovsky Competition (one of classical music’s most prestigious and grueling competitions) has his prized violin stolen. Represent Classical spoke with the author and musician this week about his work and personal inspiration behind the story. Its surprising success has caught its author pleasantly off guard. Brendan Slocumb’s first novel, The Violin Conspiracy released this month by Anchor Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is charting on Amazon, has quickly gained national media buzz, and become a Good Morning America Book Club selection in only a matter of days. 5/11/2023 0 Comments Dead end in norvelt seriesBirch admits she and the team of writers were specific about including the added layer of race into these conversations, due to the real statistics that back them. Birch’s gory and sometimes brutal reality of the birthing experience pushes the “nice” and “clean” twin sister to reckon with herself and the question of her own morality. As people arriving into that space, hoping to have a baby or being pregnant and there being complications or having a birth - because it’s unpredictable - how can you possibly be ready for all the potential costs that might arise? Costs to your body, and also financially.”Īt several points throughout “Dead Ringers,” Beverly is forced to confront the evil truths about the “miracle” of birthing. And coupled with the fact that it’s one of the most expensive places in the world to have a baby, I find that staggering that it’s a business and a system. “The thing that I found consistently shocking, and still find shocking, is how high that maternal mortality rate is. “I don’t know that I was ever thinking about it as a statement,” said Birch. Beverly also goes through a fever-dream sequence in which she’s confronted with the barbaric beginnings of obstetrics, and bears witness to an enslaved Black woman being tortured by a white male gynecologist (with instruments still used). On the show, a Black mother dies shortly after giving birth because doctors refused to validate her concerns, another Black mother deals with a case of postpartum depression so severe that it leaves her wanting to give away her baby. 5/11/2023 0 Comments Bluestar's prophecyThe ThunderClan deputy struggled, spitting with fury. Leaves sprayed into the chasm as her paws slipped and slid.įireheart was dangling from the glistening jaws of a huge dog. She erupted from the bracken and scrabbled to a stop in a clearing at the edge of the cliff. Would Fireheart really be able to lure the dog pack over the edge? What if the pack’s leader caught him first? She could hear the river crashing between the sheer gray walls. She hurtled through a swath of ferns, running blind as the leaves whipped her face. Gulping air, muscles burning, she wove around the trees, her paws skidding on the leafy forest floor. No! Not that one! You cannot use him as prey!īluestar flung herself down the slope. He was keeping a good distance between himself and the pack, but the lead dog was breaking away and closing fast on the ThunderClan deputy. Fireheart’s orange pelt flashed like flame through the greenery. Below, the ferns shook as dark shapes swarmed through the gully. Bluestar skidded to a halt at the top of the slope the stench of dogs hit her throat. 5/11/2023 0 Comments Sword bearer jennifer robersonHe assumes the weather worker wants to take the magic from his bones. Tiger soon believes that the source of the weather-working magic is actively following him and luring him somewhere. Del recognizes it immediately as a northern type of magic, weather-working. The plot of Sword-Bearer is to figure out the source of foreign magic that has caused snow storms in the desert. It’s a Sword Dance that results in the death of one of the dancers. One consequence is that almost every time he bumps into another student from his old Sword Dancer order they challenge him to a “death dance.” You can probably guess what that is. At some point, Tiger broke all his oaths on behalf of Del and that earned him a banishment from the Sword Dancer order. She hired Tiger to help her manage the desert environs, and they fell in love. Del is a powerful Sword Singer from the north, who ventured into the south on a mission alone. Tiger was the most powerful acolyte from a Sword Dancer order in the south. After reading it, I feel compelled to pick up the first Sword Dancer novel and get reading.īecause it’s so late in the series, the premise is pretty complex. Sword-Bearer is the eighth novel in the Sword Dancer series by Jennifer Roberson. All proceeds go to helping us pay for original stories and to support writers of speculative fiction. Some articles may include Amazon affiliate links. 5/10/2023 0 Comments Cry wolf briggsThis is not always easy, especially given Anna’s history. So, throughout the story, Charles and Anna get to know each other better and build their relationship. Because it normally works the other way, with two people falling in love and their wolves eventually accepting the match, it’s a bit odd to have this intense bond without the human emotions as a foundation. So, they are now a mated pair, but their human sides still barely know each other. When Charles met Anna, his wolf immediately claimed her as his mate, as did hers. Omegas are prized because they automatically bring a calming effect into a pack. The three years of abuse were bad enough, but Anna is a very rare type of wolf – an Omega – which makes her abuse that much harder for Charles to bear. So, when Charles goes to stop some wolves who’ve crossed some lines, he meets a much-abused Anna. If a wolf steps out of line, Charles takes care of it. As his father’s enforcer, he is basically the assassin for all the werewolves in North America. I’m so glad that I started reading Briggs’s works she consistently impresses me and if you’re a fan of the paranormal, I bet she’ll impress you too.Ĭharles found Anna when he went to investigate a pack in Chicago. There isn’t much backstory found in this book, so I would recommend getting a hold of that short story to make things less confusing, as the story picks up right where it left off. Cry Wolf is the first novel of the Alpha and Omega series, though the series starts with a short story that is included in the On the Prowl anthology. 5/10/2023 0 Comments The shadow wand laurie forestWe’ll switch between Yvan, Vyvian, Thierren, Sparrow (an Urisk woman)’s, Tierney and Elloren’s POV. The beginning of The Shadow Wand was interesting yet frustrating. That series is hugely underrated! And now that I binge read the three books, I wonder how I will survive until the next instalment! And to forge onward through the most devastating loss yet. With just weeks to train to become a warrior, and no control over her magic, Elloren finds unexpected allies among those under orders to kill her. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel…the holder of the all-consuming Shadow Wand. Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to the last person she can trust-her fastmate, Commander Lukas Grey. HER WORLD-ALTERING SECRET CAN’T BE HIDDEN MUCH LONGER Elloren Gardner hides the most powerful secret in all Erthia-she is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph…or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction. 5/10/2023 0 Comments The vanishing half goodreadsMallard, where the Vignes twins grow up, is described as ‘a strange town’. Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programmeįirstly, I have to thank Waterstones in Reading for choosing The Vanishing Half for their October book club and for finally making me pluck from it from my TBR pile! Publication date: 17th June 2021 Genre: Historical Fictionĭisclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from, whose fees support independent bookshops What will happen in the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect?įormat: Paperback (366 pages) Publisher: Dialogue Books Still, separated by many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. The other secretly passes for white, and her husband knows nothing of her past. One sister lives with her black daughter in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. Years later, everything about their lives is different: their families, communities and racial identities. Stella and Desiree are identical twins, growing up together in a small, Southern black community. |