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.

Today is the birthday of Argentine author Manuel Puig who was born in a small village in 1932 (d: 22 July, 1990) Books by Manuel Puig 1 ) Puig loved American pop-culture. 2 ) After graduating from the University of Buenos Aires, Puig wanted to become a screenwriter 3 ) Puig became a novelist once he re-wrote his failed screenplay into a novel. 4 ) That same book, Betrayed by Rita Hayworth, shocked the argentine establishment and was burned in Puig’s hometown of General Villegas. 5 ) Puig took on the popular Argentine serial novels with his next book Heartbreak Tango. 6 ) Puig, a gay man, was sent to prison for soliciting an undercover police officer. After his release, Puig went into a self-imposed exile. 7) Today Argentinean literature students learn that Puig belongs to the belongs to the Postboom and Post-modernist schools. 8 ) His book Kiss of the Spider Woman (El beso de la mujer araña) was made into a movie by the Argentine-Brazilian director, Héctor Babenco starring William Hurt and Raul Julia. The book was a Broadway musical as well. 9 ) In the movie Verde Tropical Puig is played by Fabio Aste. 10)…

This is a fun book. The action sequences are magnificent and exciting, the story borders on the ridiculousness but Burroughs embraces that and guides the reader with an expert hand throughout

Buy this Star Wars Book in paper or elec­tronic copy* Andrew: Orig­i­nally pub­lished at: http://www.rancorslovetoread.com/2009/01/andrews-review-of-jedi-academy-trilogy_30.html 2/5 Rancors – Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy Trilogy continues in this second volume, Dark Apprentice. At the conclusion of the first entry, Jedi Search, Luke Skywalker had laid the groundwork to start his new academy for training potential Jedi on the planet Yavin IV. Here Anderson explores the early days of the Academy itself, along with continuing the plotline of Admiral Daala’s exploits and also devoting a large amount of the story to a new storyline involving Princess Leia and Admiral Ackbar. There is a reasonably interesting story present in this book. Unfortunately, it is dragged down by pedestrian writing and Anderson’s inclination to directly spell out exactly what the characters are feeling and thinking. There’s not any room for subtlety and what drama there is gets undercut by passages that feel more like summaries than prose. The most engagingly written plotline in this book is the tragedy that befalls Admiral Ackbar on a trip to Vortex to visit the legendary Cathedral of Winds. In the aftermath of the Vortex disaster, Ackbar resigns from the New Republic government and returns home to Mon Calamari. Soon after, Chief of State Mon Mothma falls gravely…

Sir Benjamin Disraeli was a man of many interests but today he is known most as a statesman but he was a prolific author as well.