So what are the singularities of beauty? The development of knowledge of some other kind of beauty, maybe, beauty in the soul or in a memory, or maybe how one small happening can relate to another quite by accident and yet cause an event that is very much on purpose. This is the theme here, and with eight stories that somehow feel connected […]
Derry, Ireland, 997 A.D. One stormy midday, a black-hulled ship moors near the local monastery, setting down the towering Bishop Adémar, three priests, and a small army of Frankish soldiers and vicious dogs. The black-robed bishop tells the assembled monks he’s here to find a murderous heretic in their midst. Suspicion soon falls on the freethinking brother Dónall mac Taidg who studied in Reims and has long been the guardian of an orphaned boy – Ciarán, now a twenty-year-old monk and scribe. Ciarán can scarcely believe his mentor is involved in the kind of villainy alleged, but he soon uncovers […]
Do you believe in second chances? Megan Thomason’s novel, daynight, The Second Chance Institute (SCI) not only believes in second chances, but works diligently to provide them. However, what are their true motives and who is behind the organization? Are they simply altruistic or is there evil involved? Thomason’s young adult dystopian novel weaves a complicated tale together seamlessly that sucked me instantly.
Kira Donovan is a 17-year-old who witnesses a terrible tragedy right before her senior year in high school. After her boyfriend and best friend are blown to smithereens, Kira signs up with the SCI to assuage her […]
A curse unites Princess Annaliessa to five princes. She has to marry one of the five, even if she doesn’t love any of them. Her duty is to produce an heir to the throne. The curse complicates matters for a young woman who wants to marry […]
Wilson Weatherford turned down a college football scholarship to marry his high-school sweetheart, Doris, and settle down to a quiet life of farming. However, by the time the Weatherford’s children are grown, the tranquility of the countryside that so appealed to the young Weatherford has been challenged by a local crime syndicate and celebrity-obsessed, materialistic townsfolk.
One morning Wilson finds a strange young woman in his barn. She looks weak and frail and seems to have lost her memory. Wilson and his family (a wife and two children home from college for the summer) take the stranger into their home […]
Nine Princesses: Tales of Love and Romance by Sheela Word brought back to life a time long gone. In each story, a princess has an impediment blocking her path to happiness. How each one overcomes their obstacle makes for some entertaining reading.
Normally I like to give a brief synopsis of a novel before giving my thoughts. However, since this collection contains nine different stories, I find that going right to my commentary makes it easier. One of the enjoyable aspects about reading is visiting new worlds, or in this case, a different time period. These stories transported me back […]
I studied quite a bit of Anglo Saxon poetry at school, and especially enjoyed the verse Beowulf, an alliterate […]
Ryan feels very guilty about the death of his friend, especially when he discovers Michael had a secret – one that Ryan feels he must now be […]