The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith was my first Isabel Dalhousie novel (but the sixth in the series), a philosopher who pontificates about the mundane and lives in her own private hell where every word, gesture and movement has to be thought about, absorbed and dissected.
Midwife Elspeth Howell returns to her home after spending a few months away working. Elspeth can’t wait to get back; she has gifts for each of her five children and her husband.
What Elspeth finds, however, is a bloodbath. Her husband and children are murdered and one son, 12 year old Caleb, is missing. But Caleb is hiding and is so startled that he shoots his mother.
Mr. Riggs certainly is a talented writer with an eye for strange and wonderful characters. Much like the first book, the author uses weird and mesmerizing photographs to compliment the story.
A novel following the life of a Spanish woman’s journey from her humble beginnings as a poor seamstress, to an English spy during World War II.
Victor Dimitrov, Russian head of state, is suffering from leukemia. Not trusting the doctors in Russia to keep his secret from his political enemies, he requests an American doctor to treat him. Dr. Alex Cousins is hand picked for the job by the President, however Dr. Cousins discover that Dimitrov is planning to go out with a bang and strike China with nuclear weapons before he dies.
Rose Manon is an American journalist, born in Nevada, living in New York trying hard to deal with the attitudes of the 1930s. Rose has been posted to Paris with a looming global war on everyone’s radar.
During her time Rose will deal with a lover, a country which doesn’t know what each day will bring, anti-Semitism, and her hidden identity of a Jew. Before she leaves Europe, Rose will have to make some difficult decisions which will follow her throughout her life.
Amanda Brown, a young missionary from South Carolina, travels to the Belgian Congo in 1958 in order to oversee a missionary guest house in the town of Belle Vue. Belle Vue is a diamond mining town in which the race by the Belgian occupiers to get as many riches as they can before the forces of independence takes over is a major concern.
The bookish world has been abuzz for several month regarding Stoner by John Williams. I’ve read several good reviews from my fellow book bloggers and decided to buy myself a copy.
A deeply moving, well plotted fictional book has many themes: forgiveness, redemption, belief, justice and the role of organized religion are among some of them.
Man of Steel: The Official Movie Novelization by Greg Cox is exactly what it claims to be, a novel of the summer blockbuster. Mr. Cox has written other novelization, including several in the superhero genre.
