What's Been on my Kindle? - July 2014
Ever wonder how the story of Robin Hood developed into the one you all know and love today? Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, tells the tales of Robin and his band of merry men. It tells of how they battled with the Sheriff of Nottingham and played pranks and celebrated with feasts. What is interesting is that Maid Marion does not appear in the book. So if you are looking for their love story, you will not find it here. Otherwise a fun book made up of a collection of stories about the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest.
3 snaps for me.
I had wanted to see the movie but felt I should read the book first. while not as sweeping or beautifully Written as a Steven Ambrose book on ww2, monuments men does give faces and names to how our culture as we know it was saved. When we speak of Hitler now we most often speak of his military tactics and mass extinctions, but very little is said about how he almost wiped out our culture as we know it. An avid fan of art he stole and hid works from all the major museums across Europe. And when the war was coming to an end how it was almost all destroyed to keep anyone else from getting it back. This is how individuals spread Across the us army raced to save history.
3 snaps for me.
The most recent offering from Bill Bryson lives up to his name. He is again witty while remaining true to history. He always finds a nugget previously unearthed in common discussion and fines a humorous way to tie to the facts.
4.5 snaps for me
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The story of three sisters in Paris in the late 1800s, the painted girls is narrated by two of the sisters, Antoinette who was kicked out of L'Opera ballet before passing her exam and Marie who becomes a dancer at L'Opera and a model for degas ballerinas. The story is a true reflection of the time and is seeped in history. Fans of ballet, degas or France will love this story.
4 snaps for me.
The first novel from Kimberly McCreight puts her in a class of suspense tales with Gillian Flynn. Reconstructing Amelia tells the story of Amelia and her mother, Kate. Kate is a single mom and lawyer at a high powered NY firm. Amelia her daughter attends Grace Hall in Brooklyn, a prestigious private school. Amelia is a typical high achiever, excelling at sports and academics. One afternoon Kate is called by the school asking for her to come pick up Amelia who has been suspended. Only when Kate arrives she is informed that her daughter has committed suicide by jumping from the roof. This is the story of what led to Amelia's death and her mother's struggle to prove it was anything by suicide.
5 major snaps for me.
The 9th book of the Oz series, the story follows Trot and Bill as they travel from the seas of California through many different lands, ultimately arriving back in Oz. Finding danger in a land called Jinxsland, on the outskirts of Oz, they are met with great assistance from the Scarecrow. This story is not a typical Oz story in that it spends little time in Oz itself, but is instead mostly about the journey.
2.5 snaps for me.
The second of the century trilogy from Ken Follet, winter of the world picks back up with our families from fall of giants. Babies born are all grown up now and Europe is facing its greatest challenge, the rise of Hitler and World War Two. Following characters from Germany, Russia, the US, the UK, and Austria, Follet is able to find sympathy in all his characters and weave a tale that shows the reader just how complex and difficult relationships were for family and friends across Europe. He gives a face to soldiers and citizens from all nations and forces the reader to think in shades of gray rather than black and white.
The final book Will be released in September and I already have it on pre-order.
5 enthusiastic snaps for me!
Many of my faithful readers know F.Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite author, so I always find myself drawn to stories about Scott and Zelda. This story tells the life of the famous couple from the viewpoint of Zelda herself. I found myself completely engrossed in the story and time flew by without noticing. The story reads as if Zelda told it herself.
5 snaps for me!!
