Although this novel got off to a slow start, I loved discovering the courage, heroism and leadership of a couple of characters I had never heard of before. King Baldwin IV of […]
THE LAND BEYOND THE SEA by Sharon Kay Penman
MBS by Ben Hubbard narrated by Robert Petkoff
Ben Hubbard knows how to tell a good story, and starting his book about MBS (Mohammed bin Salman, the current Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia) by conveying his tutor’s impressions of him […]
Lawrence Durrell’s THE ALEXANDRIA QUARTET: JUSTINE, BALTHAZAR, MOUNTOLIVE and CLÉA
It is easy to see that Lawrence Durrell started life as a poet, for his prose is magnificent. But his strongest suit is his brilliant evocation of time and place, in recreating […]
PICTURE PERFECT by Jodi Picoult, narrated by Brian Hutchison & Amanda Cobb
As a professional writer myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Jodi Picoult began this tale. What better way to introduce a character and her situation by having her lose her memory? […]
HARVESTING THE HEART by Jodi Picoult narrated by Cassandra Campell
Author Jodi Picoult writes with such empathy and this novel was well supported by Cassandra Campbell’s superb narration. Here is the tale of a young woman who marries up into a family […]
SONGS OF THE HUMPBACK WHALE by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult’s debut novel is not a particularly easy read. It doesn’t help that we have FIVE point-of-view characters, and that one of those characters – teenager Rebecca Jones – is telling […]
A fascinating account that explains today’s troubles: (AMERICAN NATIONS by Colin Woodard narrated by Walter Dixon
I don’t normally read non-fiction, but my husband raved about this book and so I picked it up. It was absolutely fascinating. Mr. Woodard’s thesis is that far from being a confederation […]
HAMLET’S MILL by Giorgio de Santillana & Hertha von Dechend
As many have noted, HAMLET’S MILL is not an easy read. It is written by scholars who are fluent in many languages (French, German, Latin and Greek) and because this was published […]
Graham Anderson’s FAIRYTALE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
Did the familiar children’s fairytales of today exist in the ancient world? Were there ancient Cinderellas, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauties and Pusses in Boots? The answer: Maybe. In FAIRYTALE IN THE […]
BABYLON: Mesopotamia & The Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek
I found this book both fascinating and inspiring. As someone who is NOT an expert on Mesopotamia, but looking for background material for a possible forthcoming novel, I found this volume to […]
WHORE OF BABYLON by Azaria Frost
I really didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. I hated the title, but loved the cover (designed by the author herself.) One thing I was curious about […]
She could write…3,800 years ago (SHE WROTE ON CLAY) by Shirley Graetz
It is approximate 1,800 BCE. We are in the city of Sippar on the banks of the Euphrates in ancient Sumeria. In those days, people who needed to communicate wrote cuneiform characters […]
THE SHIELD RING by Rosemary Sutcliff
This is the story of the last stand (or shield ring) that the Vikings made (with their Saxon friends) against the Normans who’d conquered England in 1066, and now wanted to make […]
THE ORACLE by William J. Broad
William J. Broad’s THE ORACLE is a fascinating look at the science behind the Delphic Oracle. Blending ancient history, recent modern history and the scientific disciplines of anthropology, geology and archeology, the […]
THE HORSE GODDESS by Morgan Llywelyn
It is 700 BCE. We are in what is now Hallstadt in what will become Austria. We are in a wealthy village of weapon-makers, traders who acquire luxury goods from what is […]
An unusual woman…(RIVER OF STARS by Guy Gavriel Kay, narrated by Simon Vance)
This story starts gently, so gently that I had to replay it to remember what actually happened. It is Autumn. There is mist, temple bells, maple leaves falling. There is talk of […]
When women could be warriors…(UNDER HEAVEN by Guy Gavriel Kay, narrated by Simon Vance)
It took me a while to understand that UNDER HEAVEN was set in an alternate version of Tang dynasty China, so realistically was it told. Guy Gavriel Kay is not afraid of […]
The story of a disappeared state (TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay)
I love Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing. I loved the way TIGANA started with such a moving & provocative prologue, which segued into a day in the life of a talented 19-year-old singer, […]
