![]() ![]() ![]() The Fires of Heaven was at times a terrible mess of a novel to wade through. ![]() Although I recall enjoying this volume almost the same as the previous one when I first read it in 1997, a decade away from reading it has reminded me that time might have the ability to remove bad memories and to enhance the few positive ones that remained. Here in The Fires of Heaven, my complaints about the previous volume probably can be multiplied by at least a factor of ten. ![]() I noted in my previous commentary that I believed Jordan tried to cover too much, to explain more than what was vitally essential to the main plot of the series, that of the Dragon Reborn being readied for the upcoming Last Battle. However, by the fourth volume, The Shadow Rising, my interest began to waver. The narrative was relatively straight-forward and although the prose never was anything to write home about, enough interest was generated in the characters to make the first few novels at least bearable to read and on quite a few occasions, enjoyable. The earlier novels were easier in that the number of subplots were very few and generally no more than a few chapters separated any bunching of each subplot. Five volumes into the Wheel of Time series, I find myself struggling more and more to pay close attention to all the details. ![]()
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![]() ![]() “The 2022-23 school year has been marked to date by an escalation of book bans and censorship in classrooms and school libraries across the United States. Other renowned titles on the list include Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” which is also among the most challenged books in Canada, Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel.” We all find comfort in literature that reflects our experiences,” Kaur said in a social media post. “I remember sitting in my school library in high school, turning to books about sexual assault because I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. ![]() While some parents believe certain books deal with subjects that are not suitable for high schoolers, educators say they are vital to making schools more inclusive. The report shines a light on the debate around the book-banning movement in American schools, which saw a resurgence in recent years and hit record highs in 2022. ![]() ![]() ![]() In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel's darkest secrets. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront Julianne about the subject of her presentation - research that conflicts with his own. And he's eager to become a father.īut Julianne's graduate program threatens Gabriel's plans, as the pressures of being a student become all-consuming. Together, he's confident that they can face any challenge. Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. From the author of the New York Times best sellers Gabriel's Rapture and Gabriel's Inferno comes the epic conclusion to the captivating romantic trilogy. ![]() ![]() ![]() After three days of battle, Lee retreated towards Virginia on the night of July 4. Casualties were high on both sides: Out of roughly 170,000 Union and Confederate soldiers, there were 23,000 Union casualties (more than one-quarter of the army’s effective forces) and 28,000 Confederates killed, wounded or missing (more than a third of Lee’s army) in the Battle of Gettysburg. Meade) in Gettysburg, some 35 miles southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Lee’s Confederate Army clashed with the Army of the Potomac (under its newly appointed leader, General George G. From July 1 to July 3, 1863, the invading forces of General Robert E. ![]() ![]() ![]() Meanwhile, the growing turmoil in Jerusalem threatens to tear apart not only her beloved city, but also her own family. Yet she is torn between her family duties and her own desires. Esther dreams of so much more than the marriage her parents have arranged to a prosperous silversmith. An aristocratic young woman, she comes of age during the Jewish revolt against Rome. The few Latin words chiseled into the ancient stone, proof of a very unlikely romance, shocked and intrigued scholars around the world. ![]() ![]() This stunning tale of family, love and resilience was inspired by a major archaeological discovery in southern Italy: the 2,000 year-old gravestone of Claudia Aster (Esther). Rebel Daughter transports the reader to one of the most dramatic and momentous events in human history – the destruction of Jerusalem in the 1st century. Winner of a 2021 National Jewish Book Award For fans of The Red Tent and The Dovekeepers! ![]() ![]() Yet almost no one in his village, St Mary Mead, likes him Vicar Leonard Clement endures his public insults while setting up an evening meeting to discuss irregularities in the accounts, and Protheroe's 16 year old daughter Lettice cannot bear him. ![]() (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)Ĭolonel Lucius Protheroe is wealthy, active in the church and a magistrate. The vicar and his wife, Leonard and Griselda Clement respectively, who made their first appearance in this novel, continue to show up in Miss Marple stories: notably, in The Body in the Library (1942) and 4.50 from Paddington (1957) So when Protheroe is found murdered in the same vicar's study, and two different people confess to the crime, it is time for the elderly spinster Jane Marple to exercise her detective abilities. Even the local vicar has said that killing him would be doing a service to the townsfolk. Mary Mead, no one is more despised than Colonel Protheroe. ![]() ![]() ![]() And aside from the ending being a little fast, I thought it was a great story to settle in with. There is some element of overstepping but it’s not quite stalking. (Jae's note to self: OCD + socks + mouth = BAD.)Īgree with other reviewers that the blurb does this story no justice. Warning: This book contains large Korean men Will, the houseboy, factotum, and all-around slut hot sexy manlove including oral sex, and serious ass play. And pushes the stakes that much higher, into a zone that could get way too personal. Except now he has an online stalker, one who always seems several steps ahead of him in their online duel for information.Ī chance meeting reveals more than hidden identities - it exposes a mutual magnetic attraction that can't be denied. Satirizing his own work, as far as he can see, is his own damned prerogative. ![]() He's hidden his authorship of Doorways behind layers of secrets and several years' worth of lies - until he loses a bet. There's also that crippling case of OCD that makes it virtually impossible for him to leave the house. Kelly Kendall likes his anonymity and, except for his houseboy, factotum and all-around slut, Will, he craves solitude. ![]() He's determined to use his Internet skills and his job as a tabloid reporter to out the author as the fraud and no-talent hack he's sure she is. Someone has taken the seminal coming-out, coming-of-age novel Doorways and satirized it. ![]() ![]() ![]() She folds history lessons into the story, illuminating everything from the Poor Laws to the Luddites and back again. They realize the whole system is built on the extraction of resources and exploitation of people, and they are pushed into doing something about it. Robin and the three other teens in his cohort start out in love with all that the college has to offer. Without the translators who create it – the process has to do with the resonance between similar words in different languages – several different kinds of hell will break loose and the Empire will likely fall. What comes out is the silver work (read: magic) that the British Empire is built on. Lovell’s connection to the boy is one that becomes increasingly clear as Robin finds his footing in his new city – and his fluency in both Mandarin and English is what seals his entry into Babel, the translator’s college. ![]() Robin’s deliverance wasn’t a random lucky break. ![]() Her story about colonialism and its collapse revolves around Robin Swift, a soon-to-be Oxford student plucked from his dead mother’s arms in Canton by Oxford’s Professor Lovell and brought to London. Kuang travels to 1830s Oxford University to build a tale about a tower built on languages whose fate is all but guaranteed. With Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, the multi-award nominated R.F. Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, R.F. ![]() ![]() The increased technology service of always-on communication and telegraphic speed has changed the rules of social engagement among young people. ![]() ![]() Turkle organized her interviews and findings into subcategories: “Degrees of Separation,” “The Collaborative Self,” “The Avatar of Me,” and “Presentation Anxiety.” Immediately, this chapter was opened with the many experiences of young people who expressively need to feel connected with others at all times, urgently, and at all costs (whether it is to risk their own lives to check text messages while driving, getting into accidents when walking, or interrupting a phone call to answer an ‘unknown’ phone call) (171). In Sherry Turkle’s book, Alone Together, I was especially intrigued with chapter 9 “Growing Up Tethered.” This chapter emphasized the shifts in adolescents’ behavior, attitudes, and feelings of the self and social relationships while growing up with an increase use in technology.ġ) Description: In this chapter, Turkle explored the networked life through the perspectives and psychological lens of adolescents and its effects on intimacy, solitude, emotions, autonomy and identity formation. ![]() ![]() How well can one keep the physical desire and platonic love boxed together in one relationship forms the crux of this book. Paulo Coelho deals with the complex and taboo issues of sexual awakening, love and a combination of both. Maria is not alone in this experience and many of us share it at some point or the other. You cannot categorize this as an erotica, rather it will stir your soul and will force you to think and look within. The descriptions are vivid and yet leave a lot to the imagination. At this strange time, love has found her door, will she let it in? Or will it be another sexual adventure for her? This honest tale of a woman's journey to understand her physically and emotionally is bound to keep you hooked till the last page. There is a chance that she might fall in love. ![]() She is instantly smitten by his charm and he is captivated by Maria too. ![]() While she is living a life of a prostitute, trying to understand herself sexually, she comes across a man. The quest for physical pleasure leads her into some interesting situations, where she tries to find her own body desires. It is during one of her walks down a street that she feels a sexual awakening inside her. She has accepted her life in this way and keeps on going with it displaying great strength. She is poor and has to do menial jobs to survive in Geneva. This novel is based on a fictional account of a woman named Maria who lives in Rio, but moves to Geneva. ‘Eleven minutes’ is the masterpiece of Brazilian bestselling author Paulo Coelho. ![]() |