e protagonist of the book, an art dealer named Giovanni Fabrizzi, finds an old painting of an Italian Count that starts talking to him. The picture tells Giovanni that it was painted by famed artist Sandro Botticelli and its history from the 15th Century to the 20th Century when it was stolen from a Jewish family by the Nazis.
In fact “Inferno” has gathered all necessary conditions for good edition: cine plot, fashion for medieval, religious theories, Robert Langdon. Filmmakers are going to screen the book and of course it will be interesting to watch. “Inferno” is really interesting, fascinating and worth reading, if you like mysteries, puzzles and unexpected plot twists.
On this day in 1712 Genevan philosopher, composer and writer Jean-Jaques Rousseau (28 June, 1712 – 2 July, 1778) was born. Rousseau’s political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and modern politics.
About: Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva is the eighth in the Gabriel Allon series. Even though there are numerous references to the previous books, I thought this novel was still a good read and could be read independently. 352 pages Publisher: Signet Language: English ISBN-10: 0451227387 My rating for Moscow Rules – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* Thoughts: Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva (website) is another solid, well-written and dependable adventure in the Gabriel Allon chronicles. After reading the 8th book in the series it is obvious that Silva has created a character that is strong, subtle and conflicted with an interesting background story and engaging future. At this point in his life, Allon and the readers aren’t really sure what he is. Allon is too old to be the James Bond style agent, too young to retire, too cynical to take a desk job but he is a patriot in every bone in his body and is still able to contribute. Silva realize that he can’t keep his spy young forever and basically ruined his spying career in several books prior by having his face splashed across newspapers and European agencies not allowing him entry…
Joining the Army to get away from the depression, 25 year-old Felix Spars arrives in Italy as a captain in the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Division – the Thunderbirds. Sparks proves to be a natural leader and a man of high intelligence, moral and respectability leading his men in 4 amphibious invasions, through the rough mountainous terrains of Italy and France and winter combat against the SS on the German border.
Article first published as Book Review: The Good Pope: John XXIII & Vatican II–The Making of a Saint and the Remaking of the Church by Greg Tobin on Blogcritics. About: The Good Pope: John XXIII & Vatican II, The Making of a Saint and the Remaking of the Church by Greg Tobin is a biography of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the Pope. John XXIII is credited with helping modernized the Catholic Church even though he only served as Pope from 1958 to 1963. 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: HarperOne Language: English ISBN-10: 0062089439 My rating for The Good Pope – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More Books by Greg Tobin Thoughts: I wanted to read The Good Pope: John XXIII & Vatican II, The Making of a Saint and the Remaking of the Church by Greg Tobin because I am very unfamiliar with the Catholic dogma and beliefs. Being brought up Jewish I can also not comprehend the elevated status to the Pope in the eyes of mortal men as well as the whole idea of elevating a man into the status of “saint”. I…
Vernon Lee (17 August, 1856 –1935) was a British writer of supernatural fiction. Ms. Lee was also a prolific essayist who wrote on art, music, and travel. 1 ) Vernon Lee is actually a p[pseudonym, the writer’s real name is Violet Paget. 2 ) One of her childhood friends was artist John Singer Sargent (who painted the portrait above). 3 ) Even though the author mainly wrote in English, she spent the majority of her life in Italy. 4 ) Ms. Lee was an early feminist and dressed like a man. 5 ) She was a lesbian and had long, passionate relationship with two women. 6 ) During her life, Lee was considered an authority on Italian Renaissance and wrote two works on the subject. 7 ) When writing travel essays, Lee tried to capture the psychological effects of places rather than conveying information. 8 ) Another favorite topic for Vernon Lee was the relationship between authors and readers. 9 ) She also pioneered the idea of critically assessing art in relation to the audience’s personal response. 10) After her death, Lee’s library was left to the British Institute of Florence and can still be visited today. Zohar – Man…
The Seven Wonders: A Novel of the Ancient World by Steven Saylor is a collection of short stories starring the youthful, wise cracking Gordianus.
Like every other bookish person, I like bookends as well, especially ones that goes nicely with the books they hold in between even though, most likely, I’ll be the only person to ever notice. I was looking for bookends, not to buy but just to imagine when I noticed how many bookends of people there are. To be honest – they look good but I like the “Reading Sophisticates” one especially. Here are some of my favorites – which one is yours? Sterling Home Child Games Bookend Trio, 7-1/4-Inch Tall by Sterling Homedj 7-1/4-Inch tall bookend trio features young children playing hide-and-seek Makes a great gift for a teacher, parent, child care provider, or grandparent Crafted from durable composite material for long lasting beauty Antiqued finish Bookends can decorate a table or shelf or even use to hold up books Bey Berk Lady Justice Bookend by BEY BERK Dimensions: 4 inches x 3.75 inches x 8.5 inches (per side) and 9.5 pounds Blind justice guards the innocent daily in the court, now let her protect you books Cast in solid bronze and set upon solid marble Sterling Home Pair of Children Swinging Not Too High Bookends by Sterling Home Pair of not too…
Even though The Day Before Happiness is not a long book, it is full with details about life in Naples, people behavior and well developed characters
