Literary Criticism
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Review: Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie, Jr.
Here is a post modern novel after my own heart. In his latest novel Ron Currie, Jr sets out to tell the capital-T Truth about his life, career, and his tumultuous love affair with a woman no one could ever hold a candle to, Emma. He has been in love with Emma since the moment he met her in eighth grade, after a short romance in their teens, Ron and Emma went their separate ways. Emma married another man while Ron tried desperately to escape Emma’s ghost by finding comfort in the arms of many other women. Later in life their paths cross and they begin their romantic relationship again, even…
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Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1) by Stieg Larsson
Financial journalist, Mikael Blomkvist’s, life is falling apart. Not only is he being sued for libel and facing jail time and mounting financial losses, his boss (who happens to be his sometimes lover) is forced into accepting his resignation. When he is at his lowest point, Blomkvist is approached with a curious offer of employment. Henrik Vanger is a wealthy, retired CEO of a major Swedish company, Vanger Cooperation. Vanger wants Blomkvist to use his trained journalists eye and find out what happened to his niece who mysteriously disappeared in the 1960’s. Blomkvist doesn’t really have a whole lot of options….he needs the money Vanger is offering but Vanger also…
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Review: The Cross and the Dragon by Kim Rendfeld
Under Charlemagne’s reign, Francia was no stranger to war. War was just part of every day life in 773, but so were romance and chivalry. Alda’s brother, Count Alfihar of Drachenhaus, is starting marriage negotiations for her to wed the wealthy and good looking, but cruel Count Ganelon of Dormagen. Alda has no desire to marry Ganelon at all, she would rather wed another….Prince Hruodland, heir to the March of Brittany but alas he is of royal blood and far above the reach of a Countess. But yet Alda and her uncle can’t help but sense Hruodland is more than interested in Alda’s hand. Ganelon is jealous of the friendship between…
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Review: A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George R. R. Martin
Not all men were meant to dance with dragons…but Daenerys Targaryen can!In the fifth book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, we find ourselves across the Narrow Sea waiting to see if Daenerys Targaryen will ever make it back to Westeros and reclaim her birthright! In A Feast for Crows, we met a lot of new characters along with a few familiar favorites. Since AFFC and ADWD were supposed to be one long book, I expected to see some overlap in the timeline and more of our fav characters in this book….and I was right, many of my fav characters were back! I will try to make…
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Review: Celebrating Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen’s Masterpiece by Susannah Fullerton
Unless you have been living under a rock since your inception….odds are you have probably heard of the world’s most infamous romance novel….Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It is a universally acknowledged truth that every literary major is in want of Mr Darcy. What is it about P&P that still captivated audiences 200 years after its publication? Susannah Fullerton explores what makes P&P so memorable for readers. Is it the characters: the dashing Mr Darcy or the unconventional Elizabeth Bennet? Or is it something more mechanical, say the literary style and use of ‘free indirect speech’ (FID) that sparks your interest? Perhaps you love P&P for an entirely different reason:…
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Review: The Darlings by Cristina Alger
The economy is in a downward spiral and no one knows this better than those in the world of high finance. On Wall Street on of the leaders in the world of hedge funds and wealth is billionaire Carter Darling. The Darling family is well known in the powerful circles of New York City’s elite upper class….a world where a house in the Hamptons, offshore bank accounts, hedge funds, corporate corruption, tabloid gossip, and extra marital affairs are all a common part of the society. When attorney Paul Ross married Carter Darling’s daughter, Merrill, he knew what he was getting into but what he didn’t know was he would…
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Review: Quickies by Ollie Levy (Short Story Collection)
In this collection we meet a wide variety of people from all walks of life….some are married, single, engaged…..some have high flyer careers, and some are average Joe’s, but they all have one thing in common….they all love a good quickie. Why fuss with a marathon love making session when a quickie will get the job done? That’s the question that Ollie Levy explores in her series of short stories appropriately titled Quickies. What I loved about this collection was each randevú was short and sweet. There wasn’t a lot of back story and the characters literally got right down to business. It made for a fast and steamy read. It wasn’t overly graphic…
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Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Will Traynor has everything going for him–he’s rich, good looking, powerful, adventurous, cultured, vibrant, and successful. Until one day, a tragic accident takes all of that away leaving him with nothing but memories of a previous life. Will is now a quadriplegic who must rely on others to fulfill his basic needs. Naturally he is depressed and hates that his once fulfilling, active life is now nothing but a series of doctor appointments and catheter changes. He simply wants to die. After the accident, Will moved from his posh London residence to his parents house near Stortfold Castle in the English country side. He is miserable. Louisa “Lou” Clark has…
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Review: The Lady of Secrets (The Dark Queen Saga #6) by Susan Carroll
In Edinburgh 1591, Maidred Brody is being executed. Found guilty of being a witch, she is sentenced to die by fire along side another well known witch names Tamsin Rivers. Everyone in town has turned out to watch the execution, including the king himself, James I. Maidred’s brother, Robert Brody, plans on appealing to the king and begging his sister’s pardon. When James refuses, Robert watches unable to do anything but watch her die. At that moment he vows his revenge on King James….someone will answer for this miscarriage of justice. As the witches burn, Tamsin Rivers calls out a curse on the House of Stuart forever striking fear in…
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Review: The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift
When Ella Appleby’s employer turns up dead, she knows what will be come of her….she will be out in the cold without a second thought unless she thinks of something quick. Ella wakes her sister, Sadie, and together the loot her employers mansion and head for the glitz and glamour of 17th century London. But when they arrive, they are met with anything but opportunity. Work is hard to find and the sisters are forced to take any employment they can get. Luckily they both find work at a wig shop and are able to rent a small room. Though their loggings and income are meager, Sadie is simply happy…