About: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a fictional book first published in 1869. The work is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature. The copy I read was translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. 1350 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; New edition ISBN: 0199232768 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Leo Tolstoy Thoughts: I started reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy in small increments. To be honest, this first part was a bit too slow and operatic for my taste. However, I understand and appreciate the need for character introduction especially in a complex story such as this. The complex relationship between war and peace is being established almost immediately. Even during peace time, at a fancy soirée the hawks are having their say. The hostess, Anna Palvona, runs the party like a military commander, knowing when to attack and even more importantly, when to withdraw. Tolstoy also sneaks in a few stabs at Russian aristocracy and their hierarchy which resembles that of the military. True to form, Tolstoy doesn’t hold back his thoughts about aristocrats. Marya Dmitrievna describes a…

The book is somewhat complex, reading it was like walking through a maze and the reader had to pay attention. Jones writes like an insider

Recently I read the novel Anna Karenina which, to my surprise, I liked. It is a complex novel and upon doing more research on the subject, I decided it merits its own Fun Facts post.

“Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy is a fictional book which was first published between 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Even though the complete novel was published to mediocre reviews, others consider it the best realistic-fiction story written.

Solomon Kugel moved is family to Stockton, New York, a town famous for nothing which is why Kugel likes it so much. Kugel hopes to begin again. However, Kugel gets something he didn’t bargain for, an elderly, foul mouthed Anne Frank living in his attic writing a sequel to her book and a lunatic burning down old farmhouses.

Today is the anniversary of Alfred, Lord Tennyson publishing his poem The Charge of the Light Brigade (read poem). The poem commemorates are the actions of British soldiers during the Battle of Balaklava, in the Crimea.

Tomorrow is the birthday of famed Polish author Joseph Conrad (December 3, 1857 – August 3, 1924). Reading Conrad’s work one could see his development of an author from adventure stories to sophisticated works.

Author Yona Zeldis McDonough (web­site) wrote The Cats in the Doll Shop (my thoughts) which not only did I like, but my daughter (who is turning 7 today) liked as well. My daughter had some questions for Ms. McDonough and here is the best Author Q&A ever – that of a proud father. Q.Why did you put cats in the book? A. Many years ago, my husband and used to watch the comings and goings of a stray, pregnant cat outside the back window of our apartment in NYC. The cat had her kittens in an unused dresser drawer that had been stowed on a terrace. When the owner discovered the kittens, she swept them off the terrace with a broom. Two died, and three survived; one of the survivors broke his leg in the fall. The broken limb atrophied and eventually fell off but the three legged kitten managed to get around anyway. We worried about how he would manage, and left food out for him. He became surprisingly agile for a three legged cat and we came to love him for his spirit and his resilience. He was the model for the cat in my story. | Q. I…

The Cat in the Doll Shop was not only a book that I enjoyed reading, but that my daughter enjoyed listening to – and times like those, my friends, are priceless

About: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller is a graphic novel originally published in 1986. The graphic novel, written and drawn by Miller, was originally released in a four-issue limited series called Batman: The Dark Knight. 224 pages Publisher: DC Comics; 10 Anv edition ISBN: 1563893428 My rating for The Dark Knight Returns – 5 Buy & Save on The Dark Knight Returns through the ManOfLa­Book affil­i­ate account on: Ama­zon | Book Depos­i­tory US | Book Depos­i­tory UK More books by Frank Miller Thoughts: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, a best seller and rightly so, is a story of ideologies and how they skew people’s perceptions of what is right and what is wrong. With those ideologies and perceptions comes the sense of justice and punishment no matter how they might not fit the crime. However, for me, the major point of the book was how we decide what our role in society will be. The book is a scathing commentary on the political system at large. How boobs elected into office are being handled behind the scenes, wielding unimaginable power (nuclear warheads and Superman in this case) and how the idiotic talking heads on TV shape public…