October 14 1822, the anniversary of poet Victor Hugo & his childhood sweetheart Adèle Foucher. The marriage survived infidelities, children and scandal.

The dark, brooding and punishing interactions between the complex characters are a mastery of storytelling. The characters are also part of this complex plot

Victor Hugo was a French author best known for his novels Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He was also a human rights activist

Favorite book quotes from this week, including Michael Willrich, John Grisham, Emma Donoghue,Steven Pressfield, Adam Levin, Victor Hugo, & Philip Kerr

Algernon Charles Swinburne was a poet, playwright, and author from England. He is known for his book Poems and Ballads, a collection of poetry.

Jules Verne was born on this day, 8 February, 1828 (d: 24 March, 1905) in Nantes, France. Verne is considered the father of general Science Fiction

When Madame Bovary was serialized in a newspaper, the French government sued the author and publisher on charges of immorality. The government lost.

About: Seduction by M.J. Rose is another novel in the Reincarnationist series. This is the fifth book in the series and deals with past lives as do the other books. 384 pages Publisher: Atria Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1451621507 My Rating for Seduction – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More books by M. J. Rose Thoughts: Seduction by M.J. Rose (web­site) is a detailed and somewhat haunting novel. This Gothic tales touches on reincarnation (as do the other books in the series), love and loss, pain and family secrets. Half the book takes place in present time, the other half in the past in which author Victor Hugo is a major part of. While I do enjoy Ms. Rose’s work and writing style, the fact that Hugo was in the book was a major draw for me. While there is some romance in the book, as well as a few paranormal elements (not the normal genre I read) they are sub-stories to the main narrative. As the other books in the series, this one also deals with finding about past lives and how they affect individuals to this day. While the book can be read as a…

Two goats are rumbling through the trash at the back of the MGM lot in Hollywood. One of them, eating a reel of film, looks up and says: “This movie is good”. The other one, eating paper, replies: “You should try the book”. The movie industry has always looked for literature for inspirations, non-fiction, novels and comic books have all helped Hollywood make quality features and bring the stories to the masses. This year is no exception, many movies are from well known best sellers. Unforgettably I haven’t gotten to see any, but if you liked the movie, give the book a try. Life of Pi (paper | electronic) Director Ang Lee adapted Yann Martel’s Life of Pi even though the movie was was known as “unfilmable”. The movie was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Best Cinematography, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Music (Original Song). Les Misérables (paper | electronic) Victor Hugo’s classic is nominated in six categories (among them Best Picture and Best Actress). The book shows Paris in its grittiness during the tryng times of the French Revolution. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (paper | electronic) Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book inspired Steven Spielberg to direct Lincoln. Even though the movie is only a small part of the book, it shows Lincoln’s way…

Author and futurist Jules Verne was born on this day, 8 February, 1828 (d: 24 March, 1905) in Nantes, France. Verne is considered the father of general Science Fiction and recently been credited with “fathering” the steampunk genre. Verne wrote some of the most famous books in the worked, such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey To The Center Of The Earth, and Around The World In 80 Days. Image from http://www.stars-celebrites.com/ Books by Jules Verne Verne is the second most translated author in the world (the first is Agatha Christie). Jules Verne wrote more than 70 books (54 of them compromising the Voyages Extraordinaires) In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Captain Nemo travels the world in a giant electric submarine, the Nautilus. Several modern submarines are powered by electricity, granted they’re not as huge as the Nautilus (with formal dining room, library, etc.) but they are not that different from the one Verne described. In 1886, the first electric powered submarine was name The Nautilus. One of the weapons described in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a gun which shoots balls in which “electricity is forced to a very high tension” and delivers a strong electrical jolt. A…