Marie Antoinette: The Journey

Marie Antoinette: The Journey
By Antonia Fraser
038548948X

Wonderfully written. The author obviously loves her subject here and also has great respect for her. Understandable, as Marie Antoinette seems to be a fascinating persona. I cite the recent movie, but also the abundance of parties recently where the theme is Marie Antoinette. Now if the corsets would just come back into style because of the movie, I would be happy! (Full disclosure: I have not seen the movie yet, I like to read the books first. But I will soon, I hope) I really liked this book, which let us look at this flawed and interesting individual without romanticizing or vilifying her. Well balanced, doing it's bit to chip away at the fake stories that have sprung up about her ("Let them eat cake", anyone?)
9/10

The Sugar Camp Quilt

The Sugar Camp Quilt
by Jennifer Chiaverini
1419339001 (book on CD)

I didn't realize this was the 7th in a series. Glad I didn't, for I may not have picked it up, and it doesn't really follow the series. You don't have to read any of Ms. Chiaverini's other books to understand this one. Dorothea is a young girl asked to make a quilt by her stern uncle. She cannot imagine that his bizarre quilt will end up having such a huge impact on her life. But when he is killed, she is told the real story of the quilt- they are directions to the next stop in the Underground Railroad, which she never knew her uncle and their farm was a part of. She and her parents decide to keep up his work. The main part of the book, however, is Dorthea's story. Not the slaves and their trials. She has to learn about herself, what she's capable of, who her real friends are. She makes mistakes, she laughs at herself, and she is not perfect. I liked her. I figured out the ending just a few minutes in, but that didn't make it any less gratifying when it came about!

9/10

The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England

The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England
By Barbara A. Hanawalt
0195045645

Of course, read for research on my thesis. But it ended up not helping and I finished reading it for fun instead. Very nicely segmented and logical, it runs through different segments of society in regards to age, gender, and family vs. friends. I liked the writing, informational without being too dry or preachy.

8/10

This is Your Life

This is Your Life
By John O'Farrell
080214134X

Cute book. A guy is ready to go onstage for a television performance. He's a comedian and this is to be the biggest audience of his career. The twist is, it's the only performance of his career. Up until now, he has managed to grow his reputation through lucky twists, sly secrets, and simply being in the wrong place at the right time. A famous comedian dies, reporters mistake out hero for a friend of the dead man, an invitation to the funeral appears (after all, you'd invite their friends to the funeral, right?), and it spirals out of control from there. I'll admit I saw part of the end coming, but most of it was a shock. Keeps you guessing how it and he will turn out, very nice.
8/10

Ride the Wind

Ride the Wind
By Lucia St. Clair Robson

Two amazing books in one day! Doesn't get much better than this! This book is a true story of a little girl who is kidnapped by Indians in the 1800's and grows up as one of them. Historically accurate, apparently, and wonderfully moving. It's horrible to read on one hand because we all know the history of the Indian tribes, their ultimate end. So you root for this girl and her family, knowing it won't matter in the end. Knowing that it can't turn out how you want it to. One jarring thing, wonderfully jarring however, is the points of view. When we are with the Indian families, we see their majesty and goodness. But then the whites come in and we see the Indians through their eyes also. We see how wrong they were in thinking of these amazing people as dirty savages, but brainwashing goes deep. You are almost willing the good whites to see, for their eyes to be open to the truth, all the while knowing it won't happen. There is no way to avoid the future that is rushing towards then. Heartbreaking but amazing book.
10/10

The Stolen Child

The Stolen Child
by Keith Donohue
1419389246 (book on CD)


Wow! Amazing story, amazing concept. This is the story of two boys. Or rather, one boy and a changeling. Or two boys and two changelings. Take your pick, they all fit. Henry Day is an ordinary young boy, until he runs away one day. Then he is switched for a changeling in the woods. He is forced to live in the woods, while the threads of his life are taken up but altered by a changeling who has been waiting for a century for his chance to be human again. Both boys deal with their own struggles, internal and external, as the chapters go back and forth between them. I was never sure who to root for! I only had two nit-picks, tiny ones. The penultimate chapter had a better ending than the ending chapter. I liked it better, I think it should have been switched. But I'm not a best selling author!! Another thing, at one point Anaday says that the lady in the red coat is the last human he'll ever talk to but then years later he talks to another woman in a car. Doesn't make a big difference, I still absolutely adored this book!

10/10

Hollywood Urban Legends

Hollywood Urban Legends by Richard Roeper
1564145549
8/10