Article first published as Book Review: Malinalli of the Fifth Sun: The Slave Girl Who Changed the Fate of Mexico and Spain by Helen Gordon Heightsman on Blogcritics. About: Malinalli of the Fifth Sun: The Slave Girl Who Changed the Fate of Mexico and Spainby Helen Heightsman Gordon is a historical fiction novel taking place in South America during Hernán Cortés’ time. Malinalli was an important person in Cortés’ entourage who have been vilified throughout the ages. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book— use the Raf­fle­copter form at the end of the post to enter. 672 pages Publisher: iUniverse (December 16, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 1462064930 My rating for Malinalli of the Fifth Sun – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format. More Books by Helen Gordon Heightsman Thoughts: Malinalli of the Fifth Sun: The Slave Girl Who Changed the Fate of Mexico and Spain by Helen Heightsman Gordon (blog | Facebook) aims to tell a story in history which many people are not aware of. Malinalli was a real person in Mexican history , known by several different names, who is often overlooked or vilified. The story is told through various view points, Cortés, Malinalli’s family, and acquaintances but mainly…

I really enjoy biblical fiction, especially about the Jewish bible. I think the stories are great, interesting and, I hear, even teach a lesson or two. Most of the biblical fiction books I read were pretty good, some took many liberties, others didn’t but I have to say I enjoyed most of them (it is unfortunate that most of the ones I enjoyed were never translated into English). Many people miss the point of the bible, in my opinion – they either view it as literal history (which is a recent phenomena of about 100 years or so), or as a comic-book type superhero drama, or both. That is too bad since these wonderful stories are the base of which we built our society on (whether you believe them or not doesn’t matter), however over the centuries they have been bastardized to support one agenda or another, when actually they support none. At the time of this post, the books below were free or $0.99 – please check before downloading. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. In the Beginning (Holey Hullabaloo) by Michael Goldsberry A humorous retelling of Genesis from Eve’s pole dancing to…

Article first published as Book Review: Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus on Blogcritics. About: Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus is a historical fiction novel which comfortably fits in the YA category. This is a well researchedand exciting book despite its intended audience. 304 pages Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 8-page insert of color photos edition Language: English ISBN-10: 1419704249 My rating for Shadow on the Mountain – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format More Books by Margi Preus Check out this & more World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus (website) takes place in Norway during World War II and follows the adventures of a boy named Espen. As any good historical fiction novel, the book combines actually historical events while exploring the emotional nature which these events caused. Norway was an important target for the Nazi regime, not because of it is strategically importance, but because of their Aryan look. Hitler clearly hoped to “marry” Germany and Norway in order to produce his vision of the ultimate master race (blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin). However, many Norwegians were against everything the Nazis stood for and resisted bravely. One interesting aspect of the…

Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion is the novel which continues the adventures of the son of Jim Hawkins, protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Stevenson’s book was originally published in 1883 and is considered a classic which has influenced many authors, readers and adventure seekers alike.

Article first published as Book Review: The Orchardist by Amanda Chopin on Blogcritics. About: The Orchardist by Amanda Chopin is a novel taking place in Washington State at the early part of the 20thCentury. This is Chopin’s first book and is a majestic debut, a new book which reads like an old friend. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book— use the Raf­fle­copter form at the end of the post to enter. 448 pages Publisher: Harper Language: English ISBN-10: 006218850X My rating for The Orchardist – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format Thoughts: The Orchardist by Amanda Chopin is a beautifully written and haunting novel, a mood not usually captured by first time authors. The prose is lyrical and the characters enchanting, even though they might not be likeable they grow on the reader and make one invest in their future. The reason I requested to be on the tour for this book is actually quite nostalgic. Many years ago, what seems like 100 years ago (and unfortunately, what seems like 100 lbs. as well) I walked along the Inca Trail in Bolivia(slightly less famous than its Peruvian counterpart which I walked several weeks later). After a few days we…

Dr. John Petrie, a physician and our narrator, meets his friend Denis Nayland Smith who served as British police commissioner in Asia. Smith seems to know all things Asia and the innate ability to get all the support he needs from British government officials. Petrie is, of course, knowledgeable in medicine, forensics, chemistry and an ace with a pistol – for good measure.

Article first published as Book Review: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva on Blogcritics. About: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva brings back Israeli spy Gabriel Allon in this seventh installment. This time we find Allon as a weary, tired agent ready to hang up his holster and, unwillingly, accept his fate in management. 385 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult Language: English ISBN-10: 0399154221 My rating for The Secret Servant – 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format More Books by Daniel Silva Thoughts: I found The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (web­site) to be a more current, at least in atmosphere, of the Gabriel Allon series. As usual with the rest of the series, the book is difficult to put down, a fast paced adventure and thriller which brings back familiar characters. The characters age with the books, which I like. None are superheroes, but people with issues and problems who only justify their acts to themselves by holding a high moral ground. However, this high moral ground must be broken from time to time which leaves them feeling confused and filled with regrets. The book is filled with many characters, bumbling politicians, Islamic extremists, non-extremists Islamic people and other hot button issues from current day world. However,…

Pierre is getting depressed more and more with the challenges life throws at him especially when he realizes that Freemasonry is not giving him a new meaning. He realizes that he doesn’t like the person he is becoming and tries to tell himself that this is not the case, he is not becoming “that” person. However, the questions still torture Pierre.

Buy this book in electronic format (free for Amazon Prime members) I am usually not a fan of romance novels. I mean, I enjoy a good Austen or even an action-romance, but historical romance? Eh, it didn’t sound like something I would really like. However, I had my new Kindle and no extra money to burn, so I was shopping through the free books. After passing over some real gems (yeah, right) I came to Loki’s Daughters by Delle Jacobs. It didn’t sound as terrible as the rest of them, and it was free, so I downloaded it. I have read it three times since then, at least. I’m not saying it is the best book I’ve ever read. I’m not even saying it is up there with the greats. But, somehow, it is very compelling. The story is one of Vikings and Celts. When every man of fighting age is dead, a Celtic village is left in the hands of a young woman, who is also trying to care for her sister with failing eyesight and her young nephew. They live in fear of Viking invasion, as the last one proved devastating to all involved. Then, one stormy evening,…

Article first published as Book Review: The Last Israelis by Noah Beck on Blogcritics About: The Last Israelis by Noah Beck is a short novel taking place mostly on a submarine. The doomsday scenario, a threat to the State of Israel, is the “ripped from the headlines” type of novel. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one eCopy of this book in PDF format— use the Raf­fle­copter form at the end of the post to enter. 263 pages Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Language: English ASIN: B008HEFVI2 My rating for The Last Israelis – 4 Buy this book in electronic format Thoughts: The Last Israelis by Noah Beck (website | Facebook) could be considered a military thriller, there are some plot twists and action, however the author approaches the story more on an intellectual side. The setting is a chance for the author to engage in intellectual debates between characters of different backgrounds. The novel does have good characterization; the author builds up each character so there is some background to the debates and the reader understands who each person formulated their ideology over a lifetime of various experiences and family history. What follows is a very interesting and balanced look at Israel…