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Pulitzer prize winning American author Willa Cather (7 December, 1873 – 24, April, 1947) s associated with the pioneer spirit, she lived most of her life in NYC
Article first published as Book Review: Michael Douglas: A Biography by Marc Eliot on Blogcritics About: Michael Douglas by Marc Eliot is a biography of the famous actor/producer. Mr. Douglas is an award winning actor and producer who had his share of ups and downs yet always managed to capture attention. 352 pages Publisher: Crown Archetype (September 18, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0307952363 My rating for Michael Douglas: A Biography – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More Books by Mark Eliot Thoughts: Michael Douglas by Marc Eliot (website) highlights the accomplishments in Mr. Douglas’ professional and personal career as well as what influenced and drove the man to achieve such levels of height and fame. Mr. Eliot concentrates on Douglas’ competitive nature as well as his relationship with his parents, especially his famous father. The relationship between Michael and Kirk Douglas is the cornerstone of this book. The author even encompasses a mini-biography of Kirk Douglas, from his defining childhood as a son to Jewish Russian immigrants and his success as a movie star to his recent stroke. Once the reader understands Kirk, we can understand Michael and the love/hate relationship which defined much of young…
Article first published as Book Review: Black Fridays by Michael Sears on Blogcritics. About: Black Fridays by Michael Sears is a novel which capitalizes on the author’s Wall Street experience providing interesting insights on financials capers. This is a first book by Mr. Sears and seems to be the first of a series. 352 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult Language: English ISBN-10: 0399158669 My rating for Black Fridays – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format Thoughts: Black Fridays by Michael Sears (website | Facebook) is a novel about financial schemes, murder and greed but mostly about the meaning of fatherhood. While I couldn’t begin to understand the complexity of the scam which Jason Stafford, the protagonist, pulled over his Wall Street bosses, I liked the other aspects of this book. Jason has a son which he is fighting for. After spending a couple of years in jail Jason certainly wasn’t up for the “Father of the Year” award, but neither was his white trash ex-wife, her fixation with abusive men and her way of dealing with autism (locking the kid in a room at his grandmother’s house so he won’t hurt himself). I enjoyed the financial aspect of the book and the…
About: The Bookie’s Son by Andrew Goldstein is a coming of age novel set in the 1960s. This is the author’s debut novel and I hope he will pen a few more. The publisher is giving away one copy of this book— use the Rafflecopter form at the end of the post to enter. My rating for The Bookie’s Son – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format Thoughts: The Bookie’s Son by Andrew Goldstein is an intelligent and funny novel about a somewhat dysfunctional, yet loving family in the 60s. Part a family story, part a coming of age story, the book grabs the reader’s attention on almost every page. The strength of the novel is on its use of dialogue, the author manages to capture the style of the Bronx and the rhythm of the language with a few Yiddish words to spice it all up. The author manages to capture the sounds of the streets and families in a very human sense. I admired the way Mr. Goldstein encapsulated how kids talk differently on the street than they do at home. Ricky becomes a man during these turbulent times. He learns his limitations but also what can…
Clark Rockefeller has never existed, yet he was the pinnacle of success of a con man. Born in a small village in Germany, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter came to the United States on a student visa and began his voyage of trickery.
About: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger is a fictional book which deals with online marriages of US citizens to mail order brides. As with any marriage, this one is also fraught with challenges on a day to day basis. My rating for The Newlyweds – 3 Buy this book in paper or in electronic format. More books by Nell Freudenberger Thoughts: The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger is a well written book and a first rate drama. The author created a rich world and some thought provoking instances in the narrative. This is one of those books that I’m on the fence about (much like Jane Eyre). While I certainly appreciate the quality, the story didn’t speak to me nor could I identify myself with anyone of the characters except George, the American husband, which is basically a set piece. As someone who is not unfamiliar with cross cultural / cross religious marriages, as well as immigration and culture shock, I thought this book would speak to me more – but it didn’t. I really liked the premise of a Bangladeshi woman coming to the United States to marry an American. Amina is not some dimwit, but an intelligent (far more intelligent than her husband),…
Article first published as Book Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose on Blogcritics. About: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose is fictional book in the Reincarnationist series. This is the fourth book in the series, however they are all standalone books. 384 pages Publisher: Atria Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1451621302 My rating for The Book of Lost Fragrances – 4 Great price on this book in paper or electronic format through the Man of la Book Affiliate Account More books by M. J. Rose Thoughts: I have read the previous three books in M.J. Rose’s (website) Reincarnationist series but I have to say that I enjoyed The Book of Lost Fragrances the most. While many people don’t read fiction, and I was one of those, I changed my mind with the condition that I’ll learn “something” from the book. That something could be about history, human condition, or anything else. I especially appreciate the Author’s Note at the end of such books which tells me what is real and what isn’t. Actually, if there isn’t an Author’s Note I might not even bother reading it. The Reincarnationist series deals with certain objects which help people remember past…
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.
There are four hand written copies of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas known to exist. Three are in museums while the fourth was sold in 2006 for $280,000
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
