Category Archives: Books

August 7, 2013 · 5:18 am

The Heretic Queen: A Review

The Heretic QueenThe Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is another of Michelle Moran’s historical fiction works following the lives of women we have heard about in a history text book,mbut may not know every much about. This time it’s Ramesses II’s wife Nefertari. Readers are given a look at her younger years, so it feels a little like a YA novel. (We also get a YA feeling in Moran’s Cleopatra’s Daughter). But,the story is good– all big ingredients: love, power, death. And, the writing flows every well. There are a few palace intrigue moments that seem like high school. But then, who said people ever really grow up? All and all, a good summer easy read.

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August 1, 2013 · 6:13 am

Child 44: A Bookymom Review

Child 44Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith follows the story of a simple Russian mad caught up in the times. He is a normal guy trying to make his way in Stalinist Russia where everyone is waiting to turn in the their neighbor, best friend or sister to the officials. People never come back and Leo is the reason why. Until one day, when the shoe is on the other foot. Wanted as a traitor, Leo and his wife set off to discover who is killing Russia’s children.

What I really loved about this story, is that it is more than mystery. The mystery is used to drive the plot but the life and experiences of the characters are center stage. We are drawn into Leo’s somewhat complicated marriage. We are made to see what like in Stalin’s Russia might have been like. We see Leo’s office politics and how they play out with life and death consequences. There are so many interesting things happening the story that the mystery is more of a background story.

I will say, the ending is a little over the top for me. If the ending, were a little different this would have been a 4 star read for me. Still, there are so many good things going for this book, I think you should take the time to read it!

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July 28, 2013 · 10:30 pm

Carthage! A book review

Carthage: Uncovering the Mysteries and Splendors of Ancient TunisiaCarthage: Uncovering the Mysteries and Splendors of Ancient Tunisia by Howard David Soren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book. I have found it somewhat difficult to find books about ancient Carthage that don’t focus heavily on the Punic Wars. This book examined Carthage before and after the wars and looked at religion, the child sacrifice issue and the Carthaginians love of the sea and exploration. For anyone who wants some readable non-academic history about Cathage I recommend this book.

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July 21, 2013 · 2:13 am

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: A Bookymom Review

Having read Gone Girl, I decided to give another of Gillian Flynn’s novels a try. It is, of course, another mystery-suspense novel. Those of you who know my reading tastes, know mystery-suspense is probably my least favorite genre. Still, when I read Gone Girl with my book club I loved it so much that simply had to give Dark Places a try.

So what’s it about? A farming family that suffers from one day unexpected events that lead up to a night of unintended consequences which results in three deaths, a son in jail and a young daughter being sent from foster home to foster home. Cherry right?

As in Gone Girl, Flynn treats readers to different view points in the novel by switching from present day to the long-ago-past. By playing with both time and point of view, Flynn keeps readers guessing until the bitter end.

I listened to the audio version of this story and it presents listeners with several readers for the book, which enhances the story and the listening experience. This is one of those books that is propelled forward by the audio narrators. The added level of interest helped me finish this book quickly.

I would recommend the book in both its written and audio versions.

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July 19, 2013 · 1:40 am

The Norsemen!

The Modern Scholar: The Norsemen - Understanding Vikings and Their CultureThe Modern Scholar: The Norsemen – Understanding Vikings and Their Culture by Michael D.C. Drout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The lecture series on the Vikings by Michael Drout does not disappoint. I have listened to several of his other lectures including The Anglo-Saxons and his lecture series on fantasy literature. As always, Drout does a great job. However, his Anglo-Saxon lectures are still my favorites!

The Viking series spends a lot of time on the Norse and Icelandic literature of the period. Drout is knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. His understanding of the material is helpful to listeners. Unlike other lectures dealing with the sagas (For example, Shutt’s Celts and Germans), Drout offers both a summary of the saga and explains the meaning of the story in Norse society. Other scholars do a fair job explaining the plot of the stories but do not take the extra step of explaining what the stories mean and why and how they were important to the culture.

Another aspect that makes Drout fun to listen to is his passion for the subject. I have only read The Saga of the Volsungs and while I enjoyed it, it was at times a little dry. But Drout makes the stories come alive and I finished the lectures with a desire to go and read some of the other sagas. He makes them sound so entertaining–if they aren’t!

If you like Drout’s other lectures or you have an interest in the Vikings and the people of Northern Europe I suggest this series.

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July 15, 2013 · 11:47 pm

Berlin 1961: A Review


Wow. I really loved this book. Berlin: 1961 by Fredrick Kempe details the establishment of the Berlin Wall. The first section offers a look into the leaders who played key rolls in the Berlin crisis. Then readers are treated to a by-by-play account of creation of the wall and the western response (or lack there of). Finally, the epilogue takes readers through a critique of Kennedy’s actions and how the aftermath of Berlin was linked to Cuba. I will say the last 1/3 of the book provides the real action! So, if you’re pressed for time, skip to the end!

In addition to the barebones facts of history, Kempe offers small vignettes offering readers a look at the real occupants of Berlin. Many of the compelling stories of escape from East Berlin are featured– and I am very interested to follow up with a book of life behind the wall. Kempe uses these stories to illustrate the heart-braking elements of the wall.

As a reader, I was left feeling that JFK really abandoned the German people and betrayed the cause of freedom through his weakness. Furthermore, I am left wondering if there would ever even had been a wall if Nixon were elected the first time.

I highly recommend this book. It provides an interesting, thoughtful, well-researched point of view of a time and place critical to the American-Soviet Cold War.

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July 14, 2013 · 3:24 am

The Marshal Family Saga: A Place Beyond Courage– A Review

A Place Beyond Courage (William Marshal, #1)A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chadwick delivers another solid historical-fiction account of the period during the English Anarchy. This time she follows the life of John Marshal a strong-willed and clever supporter of the Emperess Matilda. John Marshal is best known for two rather striking historical incidents. First, in a heated battle, he retreats to a church. His enemies set it on fire and rather than be captured, John stays in the burning building and suffers the scaring loss of one eye. Second, he is known for offering up his son William Marshal to King Stephen as a hostage. John then breaks the truce and as a results, forfeits William’s life. The soft-hearted King Stephen does not allow his followers to kill the child (and William grows up to a power force at the court of King Henry).

These two episodes define John Marshal in the eyes of history. Modern followers of the Marshal family history can’t help but wonder at what John was thinking! But, Chadwick does an excellent job of painting a strong-willed, brave, and determined man. John Marshal deals in a world of realpolitik where difficult situations require him to make even harder choices for survival.

Chadwick attempts to flesh out the emotions behind the choices and offer one potential view of John Marshal. By adding emotion to the historical narrative of John’s life readers can TRY to imagine how and why he made his famous choices.

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June 30, 2013 · 10:11 pm

The Fault in Our Stars: Review

The Fault in Our StarsThe Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How do you deal with death when you have barely begun to live? That is the question that John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars tackles as readers experience a small glimpse into the life a teenage cancer patient. The book is the story of a girl battling terminal cancer and her daily struggles and joys. Readers grow fond of Hazel Grace as she meets her true love (another teenage cancer patient) and attempts to come to terms with death and the lives of those left behind.

While some may narrowly view this work as a Young Adult “cancer kid” book, I believe it offers something for older readers as well. The themes of life (and a life well lived) as well as death (its impact on us as well as our loved ones) are issues that are not unique to “cancer kids”. They are the universal issue of being human. How do we make peace with the universe? How do we define ourselves in our space in the universe? Addressing these issues from the POV of a teenage girl with cancer makes the reader pay more attention and offers a more intense emotion connection (both b/c of the “unfairness” of a short life and the emotional vibrancy of the teenage years and first love). Still, as I read (or rather listened) to The Fault in Our Stars I found myself relating Hazel Grace and caring about where her journey would end.

Hazel Grace’s voice is masterfully written by Green. But he also crafts fully realistic character’s with their own emotional challenges to surround her: Her friend Isaac– who looses his sight but keeps his life: Her mother– who “think” is defined by the cancer and her role as caregiver; and of course, Augustus–the boyfriend who is dealing with his own cancer issues.

Green weaves these characters together around the center, Hazel, without making it all about Hazel. He also uses literature and symbolism and dialog that are very engaging.

I would recommend this to old and young alike.

PS. As a mom, I am not s big fan of teenage sex in books for teens. But, I get it in this case.

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June 28, 2013 · 3:01 pm

Dan Brown’s Inferno: A Review

Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4)Inferno by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Inferno we are treated to the latest installment of the Robert Langdon series. Langdon finds himself in an Italian hospital with what he thinks is a gun shoot wound and missing memories of the last few days. Over the next several hundred pages we follow Langdon and his female sidesick, Siena Brooks, on whirlwind adventure featuring the woks of Dante’s Inferno. The two are set out to figure out just what Langdon was doing in Italy and start tracking a life-altering plague.

In the “PULP FiCTION” category I give this book four stars! But, it is certainly not a book that is going to stand the test of time.

I think this my favorite of Dan Brown’s books. After all it has so many of my favorite things, Venice, Constantinople, literature and plagues, what could be better? (Maybe a vamp or two, but let’s not get CRAZY!)

All and all, it was typical Dan Brown lots of running around Europe with twists and turns–nothing is as it seems. You know the drill. I must say the twists and turns got to be a little much me around chapter 80. But, by that time I was committed to finishing it.

One thing, wouldn’t Langdon get sick of this? Or at some point wonder why its always him? Or is he just too jaded to care any more. How many top secret adventures can a mild manner professor really have???

I also have to admit I have never read Dante and now I think I really must! So thats going to be a project in and of itself.

Anyway, its a good summer read, so go for it.

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June 27, 2013 · 2:27 am

Mom Camp Day 10: The Wonderful World of Winnie the Pooh

Keeping up with the Mom Camp blog, Cinco and The Princess, as well as the house work has been a challenge this summer! It turns out that I have over planed activities for some of the Mom Camp theme days, so we may have some spill over onto other days. Mom Camp Day 10 was dedicated to non-other than the adorable characters create by A.A. Milne in his Winnie the Pooh books. The Princess is a huge Winnie fan and listens to the stories all the time so she requested a Mom Camp Day for the little bear and his pals.

Hundred Acre Wood

Hundred Acre Wood (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I found a map of the Hundred Acre Woods online and printed out a copy. We pretended each room in the house was a different place on the map and did an activity in the room.

  • Pooh Bear’s House was the kitchen and we started by baking multigrain biscuits and smothering them with honey.
  • Kanga’s House was the family island where we keep the computer. We did some online coloring pages and mazes.
  • The Bee Tree became our kitchen table and we made our own bee trees out of paper towel rolls. We cut out a small oval in IMG_1984each ‘tree’ and covered the rolls in green paper leaves. We also added a few green sparkle leaves for a little flair.

IMG_1983A little more flair was added when we made lady bugs with google eyes and pasted them to the tree as well.

IMG_1981Of course, what would a bee tree be without a bee? We also created our own bees out of pipe cleaners and added google eyes to the bees. We mounted the bees on pipe cleans and hung them from the trees. The kids then made the kids buzz in and out of the tree’s whole. We added a cut out and colored Winnie-the-Pooh complete with a red balloon. Pooh was mounted on a pipe cleaner as well and they kids chased him with the bee.

  • Owl’s House was the library and we completed a Winnie-the-Pooh puzzle I purchased at the Dollar Store.
  • Where the Woozle Wasn’t  was a dance party around the family island.  We played Winnie-the-pooh music and went round and round in a dancing/marching circle to look for a Woozle.
  • Robin’s House  was my bedroom. We cuddled up and read some stories.
  • Rabbit’s House was back in the kitchen for a little lunch of carrots and peanut butter and honey sandwiches on whole wheat.
  • Piglet’s House 
    was back in the family room where we watched a movie.

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