American author Alice Hegan Rice was born on this day in 1879 (d: 10 February, 1942). She is best known for her novel Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch which was published in 1901. Books by Alice Hegan Rice Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch was a thinly veiled social commentary, with memorable characters fighting enormous odds. The book was an immediate success and was translated to both stage and screen. Mrs. Hegan is also known as a life-long philanthropist. Among the author’s literati circle were Annie Fellows Johnston and Thornton Wilder. She was praised by President Theodore Roosevelt. Mrs. Hegan’s most known works are set among the urban poor in Kentucky. The author got to know those people while volunteering as a settlement worker. Alice Hegan Rice wrote a sequel to Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch called Lovey Mary (published in 1903) in which an orphan girl runs away from the orphanage and is taken in by Mrs. Wiggs. Hegan’s husband, Cale Young Rice, was a poet and dramatist. Hegan’s uncle was author Frances Little. Hegan’s works were translated to German, Swedish, French and Danish during her lifetime. Even though we remember Hegan for her novels, she was…

Article first published as Book Review: Cervantes Street by Jaime Manrique on Blogcritics About: Cervantes Street by Jaime Manrique is a historical-fiction novel about Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s journey to write Don Quixote. The book is peppered with literary references to Cervantes’ works as well as works of the time, while I didn’t get many I did enjoy learning about them. 320 pages Publisher: Akashic Books (September 4, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 161775126X My rat­ing for Cervantes Street — 5 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* Thoughts: As followers of my blog know, I am a big fan of Don Quixote, probably more to the nostalgia associated with the story from my childhood than anything to do with the classic story. However, when I did read the full length novel (both parts) I understood why the book has become such a literary classic. Unfortunately, many readers get daunted by the sheer size of Don Quixote. The stories in the classic tale need knowledge of the time’s pop-culture in order to fully enjoy the reading experience. However, the same could be said for Shakespeare and several other authors from the far and not-so-far past. For those readers who are overwhelmed by the size of the classic book, Cervantes…

The start of the buildup of the Gulf War (1990) is where the book takes off to relevancy not only when published, but today also since we are still facing some of those issues, as well as many others. General Schwarzkopf was assigned to Central Command not long before Iraq invaded Kuwait, in this book the General states that he prepared his troops for war in the Middle East since, to his estimation, a war in Europe is unlikely. As Bush 41 made it clear that Iraqi aggression will not go unnoticed, General Schwarzkopf realized that he might be at the center of fight.

Article first published as Book Review: The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy on Blogcritics. About: The Krautzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy is a novella written in 1889. At times this novella seemed like a rant that goes on page after page, but taken as a whole I can certainly see the genius behind it. 128 pages Publisher: Modern Library Language: English ISBN-10: 0812968239 Buy book in paper or elec­tronic format* More books by Leo Tolstoy Thoughts: I enjoyed The Krautzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy very much, it was a quick read, quite interesting but also a bit disturbing. I disagree with many of the themes the book represents and it seemed as if Tolstoy wrote this novella while being in an extremely foul mood, or extremely mad at his wife. The novella is pro-religion (Christianity), sexist, anti physical contact (sex), pro-life (or more accurately anti-birth control), and seems to justify murder. One of the characters (very few) feels justified at murdering his wife how might, MIGHT, have cheated on him. That being said, the book is very well written and can be appreciated even though one might disagree with almost all the opinions in the I guess the major disagreement I have with Mr. Tolstoy is that sex is evil and…

It can almost be said with certainty that I didn’t follow the path of the average writer. As a child, I never dreamed of writing a best-seller, never aspired to write the next classic novel, I wanted to be an NHL superstar…period. I was born in a small rural community in Western Quebec. Like every boy growing up in Canada, I aspired to be an NHL superstar. With the death of my mother in 1992, losing a battle to cancer she had fought so hard against for years, I sensed it was time to get serious about reaching my dreams, and moved away to pursue hockey. From 1992-1995, while playing for the Pembroke Lumber Kings in the Central Junior Hockey League, I noticed a shift in the game of hockey and realized that the odds of making it to the NHL were unfavorable for a kid who stood 5’9’’ and weighed 160 pounds. So, my goals shifted. I accepted a hockey scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology. If I couldn’t make a living playing hockey, at least I could achieve an education and open doors for my future. After four rewarding years at College, receiving a Bachelor of…

Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (known as Karl) of the Grimm Brothers was born on this day, 4 January, 1785 (d: 20 September, 1863) . The brothers are famous to this day and their name is practically synonymous with folk tales and fairytales. Books by Jacob Grimm 1 ) Jacob Grimm was the older of the two brothers. 2 ) Jacob is credited with establishing Grimm’s Law – a linguistic rule which ties in earl Germanic stops with other European languages. The law is the first non-trivial systematic sound change to be discovered in the study of languages. 3 ) Jacob was known for his thirst for knowledge. After his law studies, Jacob moved to Paris for help with his literary work. Jacob was very happy in Paris and spent much of his time in libraries studying literatures of the Middle Ages. Returning home he got a jobwith the war office, but in 1808, after his mother’s death, Jacob was appointed superintendent of the private library of Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia 4 ) The Grimm Brothers collected folk lyrics and published the collection as Children’s and Household Tales, later known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales. 5 ) Grimm’s…

Article first published as Book Review: False Friends by Stephen Leather on Blogcritics. About: False Friends by Stephen Leather is a fictional book in the Dan Shepherd series. This is the 9th book in the series, but can be read as a standalone book. 512 pages Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Language: English ISBN-10: 0340925000 My rat­ing for False Friends — 4 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Books by Stephen Leather Thoughts: False Friends by Stephen Leather (website | Facebook | @stephenleather | Blog) was my first Dan Shepherd book and it was a pleasant surprise. Even though I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, it did not interfere with this story. The author, through his characters, really doesn’t like the US, especially its politics and actions as a country. Those parts are not comfortable to read, but as a follower of current events I am well aware how the US is viewed in many parts of the world so it was no surprise to see so in print (again). The author also gives voice to several moderate Muslims, many which exist, to counter the extreme Muslim voices we hear on a regular base. The story moves along at a descent…

Article first published as Book Review: The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” by Alan Light on Blogcritics. About: The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” by Alan Light is a non-fiction book which traces the strange route of a song. That song, one of the most popular ones in the world, is “Hallelujah” by master wordsmith Leonard Cohen. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. 288 pages Publisher: Atria Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1451657846 My rating for The Holy or the Broken – 4 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* Thoughts: The Holy or the Broken by Alan Light is a fascinating book about the cultural phenomena known as “Hallelujah”. This is a song which I love but have never given much thought to it, the tune is simple and I’m positive that the first time I heard it; I believed that it was an old song I have heard before. Strangely, this marker of pop-culture is fairly new. Written in the 80’s, “Hallelujah” was on the only Leonard Cohen album rejected…

I was lucky enough to read many good books this year. I could not narrow it down to just ten of fifteen, it simply seemed unfair, too hard and frankly, not much fun. You’ll notice the list includes some classics, some older books as well as new ones; self-published indie books as well as ones by major publishing powerhouses; fiction, non-fiction and everything in between including a children’s book. Basically a list of books I read this year, not necessarily those that were published in 2012. So without further ado… Fiction The 100-Year-Old Who Climbed Out Through the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Pegasus Falling by William E. Thomas The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen Sikander by M. Salahuddin Kahn Prague Fatale by Philip Kerr The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada Shadows Walking by Douglas R. Skopp Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander Non-Fiction The Liberator by Alex Kershaw Andrew Jackson:…

The French army is hurt, moving out of Borodino, it advances towards Mosco. Kutuzov, realizing that the French momentum cannot be stopped, gives up Moscow without a fight or sacrificing lives to defend it. This move is very unpopular and meets with general disapproval of the populace. The “haves” evacuate Moscow.