Thoughts on: War & Peace: Book 4 Part 2
Fiction , Historical Fiction , Latest Posts / March 30, 2013

Tolstoy does not understand how historians refer to Napoleon as “great” as he does not live up to the standards of humanity and goodness, neither as a military commander, emperor, leader or even in exile. As a conqueror / enemy / ally Napoleon constantly mislead the Russians and destroyed their economy. When he gives the order for the French to retreat, Napoleon already made sure he’s the first one to withdraw.

Book Review: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
5 Stars , Fiction , Latest Posts / March 28, 2013

About: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is one of the author’s most famous novellas. The work was published after his death. 76 pages Publisher: Tribeca Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1936594005 My rat­ing for The Metamorphosis — 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* More Books by Franz Kafka Thoughts: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a dark and disturbing tale. The story captured me from the first line “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in his bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug”. We know nothing about Gregor, who are what he is, and this strange opening simply breeds curiosity. The story is relevant even today, which is why I believe this simple tale became a classic. The feeling of helplessness, escaping things which are difficult and /or beyond our control and make our humdrum lives easy and simple. It is difficult to face the truth, and why would you want to unless you absolutely had to do so? Kafka’s world (in this case a room) is dark and foreboding, with situations beyond anyone’s control. The individual battles against the powers-that-be (be they government, Kismet, G-d or just chance) is lost from the beginning and even if you’d…

Book Review: Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt

Article first published as Book Review: Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt on Blogcritics. About: Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt is a historical fiction book taking place in 17th Century Spain. This book was the 2012 finalist in the International Book Awards for Historical Fiction. 408 pages Publisher: Raven’s Wing Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1618070150 My rat­ing for Rocamora — 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* More Books by Donald Michael Platt Thoughts: Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt (website) is based on the life of Vicente de Rocamora a poet, fighter and Dominican priest who was thrust into the scheming court of King Philip IV. Rocamora became the confessor for the king’s younger sister, the beautiful Infanta Doña María and was considered as a strong candidate for Inquisitor General. I found this book to be a first-rate historical novel; I learned a lot of history from the book, about life in Spain and the Inquisition, as well as following the story in vivid detail. Mr. Platt weaves his story around the history and doesn’t change the facts to fit his story (at least I couldn’t find any glaring cases of such). The novel certainly let’s the reader feel the glory of Spain fading during the reign of Philip IV, while Count Duke Olivares acting as…

Book Review: Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them by Betsy Prioleau
4 Stars , Latest Posts , Non-Fiction / March 25, 2013

Article first published as Book Review: Swoon by Betsy Prioleau on Blogcritics. About: Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them by Betsy Prioleau is a non-fiction book which tries to analyze what makes a ladies’ man. The book makes an interesting read and I only wish I would have read it when I was single and still looking for a mate for life. 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: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English ISBN-10: 0393068374 My rat­ing for Swoon— 4 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* Thoughts: Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them by Betsy Prioleau (website | Facebook | @BetsyPrioleau) has bad news for us guys – being a ladies’ man cannot be learned, one has to be born with “it”. The author found out that there is no template for being a Casanova, it’s neither money nor attitude but complex, and sometimes distinct, personalities. Ms. Prioleau analyzes the great lovers of our time and from ages long ago from Casanova to Ashton Kutcher and those who aren’t famous but get the ladies, the schmos down the street which…

Man of Steel Books and Artwork
Latest Posts / March 20, 2013

Arti­cle first pub­lished as Man of Steel Books and Artwork on kalel.com The Man of Steel Fan Page on Facebook has some cool pictures of new official merchandise. The books caught my eyes of course not only because I’m a known bibliophile, but also because they give cool hints about the costume and the movie. Frankly, while I do think that elimination the red outerwear in the movie looks good, it does not translate into comic pictures. Man of Steel: Reusable Sticker Book – Purchase Here Man of Steel: Superman Saves Smallville – Purchase Here Man of Steel: Friends and Foes (I Can Read Book 2) – Purchase Here Man of Steel: Superman’s Superpowers (I Can Read Book 2) – Purchase Here Man of Steel: The Fate of Krypton – Purchase Here Man of Steel: The Early Years: Junior Novel – Purchase Here

Tightwad Tuesday — Affordable eBooks — International Cookbooks
Latest Posts , Tightwad Tuesday / March 19, 2013

I suddenly developed an interest in cooking. Not your everyday variety, but a few things which are a hit in our house and in parties. I make a great BBQ eggplant sandwich, decadent pear with bacon appetizer (goat cheese and honey … it works) and am the master of all omelettes. Being raised outside of the US usually means that you get used to unheard ingredients like “fresh vegetables” and “crap free meat” and such other hard to find items. My beloved wife (may she live a long life) is a most excellent cook and baker and is always on the lookout for new, healthy recipes. Which means that her cheapskate of a husband is always on the lookout for free cookbooks. Being kind-hearted-cheap-man I am sharing some of my great finds with you today. At the time of this post, the books below were free — please check before downloading. 50 BEST Middle Eastern Recipes: Kebab, Chicken, Fish, Meat, Soups, Salads, Deserts and A LOT more! by Egor Sosin Ever wanted to try the best Middle Eastern recipes? This book is just for you! This ebook contains the best recipes for the best dishes, as chosen by the chefs. * More than 50 BEST recipes!…

Guest Review: Desperation by Stephen King
Guest Posts , Latest Posts / March 18, 2013

When it comes to science fiction, fantasy, and horror, stories are expected to embrace the absurd of what our imaginations can produce. With talented artistic abilities, an author can put grotesque images in our minds and make us see what he or she does when they write a novel. Stephen King is one such individual with his novel “Desperation” having the ability to allow readers to embrace the absurd and be drawn into a story-line that may seem inconceivable, yet can get our adrenalin pumping anyway. Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Books by Stephen King In “Desperation,” we introduced to a demonic element calling itself Tak. This demon of sorts is able to inhabit human hosts but is only allowed a limited time as the host begins to disintegrate. This leaves the create having to find a regular supply of hosts, and creatively possesses a deputy sheriff in order to obtain unsuspecting individuals and detain them for later use. If not for the efforts of a boy who communicates with God, Tak would have succeeding in killing everyone. 1. Characters – One of the most endearing abilities of Stephen King his is ability to write details that involve you in…

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