The happiest refugee picture book6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() ‘Four,’ the answer came back, and that was it. Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60-hour a week corporate job. His mother’s sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh and he worked hard during his teenage years to help her make ends meet, also managing to graduate high school and then university. Things got harder when their father left home when Anh was thirteen - they felt his loss very deeply and their mother struggled to support the family on her own. ![]() But there was a loving extended family, and always friends and play and something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back-breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make-do everything. But nothing - not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days - could quench their desire to make a better life in the country they had dreamed about. ![]() His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. Synopsis: Anh Do nearly didn’t make it to Australia. ![]()
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Leviathan book ww16/29/2023 ![]() At the start of our story, our two heroes live in two different worlds, with Alek’s life turned upside down by the assassination of his father, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, while Deryn is forced to hide her gender to enlist in the British military. Our story opens up at the onset of World War I, following the perspective of two protagonists: Prince Alek of Hohenberg and Deryn Sharp. Sound interesting? If so, you’ll definitely want to seek out Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy. ![]() More specifically, an alternate history of WWI set in a world much like our own, but filled with genetically engineered beasts of war pitted against steampunk mechs ripped from the fever dreams of Nikola Tesla. Today, we’re bringing you a particular brand of geekdom that’s near and dear to my own heart: history. ![]() Greetings, dear readers, and welcome to another installment of Books Without Panels, where we try to highlight novels of the non-graphic variety that belong on the shelf of any self-respecting nerd. ![]() Schweblin little eyes6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() Implanted in the kentuki is a camera that sees through the animal’s eyes. Part Furby, part hacked webcam, a kentuki is a small artificial animal – a crow, rabbit, a panda – on wheels. By contrast, the imaginary technology at the heart of Little Eyes feels all too real, and Schweblin persuasively elaborates its operations and implications. The events of these earlier works hover between the surreal and the supernatural, with neither the reader nor their characters ever fully knowing what is happening or why. ![]() A woman discovers that a malevolent spirit has taken over the body of her young son. Hundreds of grooms abandon their brides by a road in the middle of the night, each man disappearing alone into the darkness. A teenage girl starts eating live songbirds, crunching their bones and letting the blood drip down her chin. In Fever Dream and Mouthful of Birds, the first two of her works to have been translated into English, strange transformations, vanishings and violence take place in spare and unspecified settings. Samanta Schweblin, the Argentinian author of four story collections and the novel Fever Dream, is a master of the unsettling. ![]() The Witches by Stacy Schiff6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Most lived lives of routine Puritan rectitude. At least one accused witch died as the result of being imprisoned, with dozens of others, in a deplorable jail whose conditions caused one observer to liken it to “a suburb of Hell.” It’s difficult to keep all these people straight. Nineteen people were hanged, and one man, a stubborn holdout who refused to register a plea in a hearing he regarded as illegitimate, was pressed to death under a gradually increased weight of stones by authorities trying to force him to comply. ![]() Fifty-five people confessed, spinning demented but repetitive yarns about infernal hoedowns where the devil served up red bread and red wine. Some were arrested, released and arrested again. By the end of the craze, as many as 185 people had been named as witches or wizards in 25 villages and towns. To be fair, it’s hard to keep track of all the players. ![]() Camryn garrett books6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() It’s OK if you call yourself a lesbian even if you haven’t been with any women yet. I think we realize this as we get older, but even with the way people talk about these things online, it may seem like there are boxes to check off or a test to pass and there simply aren’t. I really want people to realize there’s not one perfect way to be queer. What do you hope young queer readers take away from it? I love that this book really celebrates the joy and messiness of coming into your identity as a teen, even as you’re still figuring yourself out. You mentioned in the introduction for this book that went out with the advance reader copies that, in the past, you struggled to write a sapphic story due to feelings of impostor syndrome surrounding your own queerness. Picking it up a few years later, I was much more confident in my messy identity and also have read and seen so many women loving each other, whether in fiction or in real life, that it really worked. I didn’t feel queer enough or like I had seen enough gay women in relationships to be writing what I was, so it always fell apart when I did. I think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I had a really hard time writing F/F relationships in books at the time. When I first wrote it, the story was a bit of a challenge to myself. ![]() Cs lewis autobiography surprised by joy6/29/2023 ![]() If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be? If you haven't read it already, your next title to follow this one should be, Mere Christianity, Lewis's Apologetics book! It makes great reading and is Christianity for intellectuals. What other book might you compare Surprised by Joy to, and why? I had only intended to read a couple of chapters tonight, instead I read the whole book! Impressive how he gained his acceptance of God through his extensive perusal of the classics! This book, Surprised by Joy, is a semi autobiographical telling of how Lewis went from a childish belief in God, to Materialism, Atheism, the Occult & other isms, to Christianity. Of course, I was minded to enjoy it anyway, being a Christian myself, but he was an intellectual Christian - a novelty to me - and I was amazed! I would highly recommend that book to everyone, Theists and Atheists alike. The title, Mere Christianity, was both an eye opener and a mind opener. I was first introduced to C S Lewis by 2 friends, separately. ![]() ![]() ![]() What did you like most about Surprised by Joy? ![]() ![]() "No one writes historical romance better."-Cathy Maxwell "Adventure, passion and pure reading pleasure!"-Jo Beverley "Putney's endearing characters and warm-hearted stories never fail to inspire and delight."-Sabrina Jeffries ![]() "Intoxicating, romantic and utterly ravishing."-Eloisa James Praise for Mary Jo Putney and the Lost Lords series Yet when Kiri's quick thinking reveals a deadly threat to England's crown, Damian learns that she is nowhere near as prim and respectable as he first assumed-and the lady is far more alluring than any man can resist. How can she not fall in love?īut Damian Mackenzie has secrets that leave no room in his life for courting high-born young ladies-especially not the sister of one of his oldest friends. But to Lady Kiri Lawford he's a hero-braver than the smugglers he rescues her from, more honorable than any lord she's ever met, and far more attractive than any man has a right to be. He's a bastard and a gambler and society's favorite reprobate. Mary Jo Putney's riveting Lost Lords series unleashes a high stakes royal plot-which may prove easier for Damian Mackenzie to handle than his own unruly desire. ![]() The New York Times bestselling author of Never Less Than a Lady " will draw the readers into a world of espionage and danger" ( Fresh Fiction ). ![]() The Auditions by Stacy Gregg6/29/2023 ![]() ![]() Her own ponies and experiences at her local pony club provided the inspiration for the Pony Club Secrets and her later years at boarding school were a catalyst for Pony Club Rivals. Formerly the editor of fashion website, Stacy writes exclusively for HarperCollins. Stacy Gregg is the author of successful pony adventure series Pony Club Secrets and Pony Club Rivals. ![]() With all the glitz and glamour of international eventing and the daily dramas of high school life, ‘Pony Club Rivals’ is a sure-fire hit! Friendships are quickly made, but with rivalries hotting up inside AND outside the arena, who will stay focused and outshine the competition? The hopefuls must battle for a place against the most talented riders from around the world. The Blainford ‘All-Stars’ Academy is the most elite horse riding school ever and it’s auditions time for next year’s new students! Competition is fierce at the All-Stars Academy in the USA can the new girl, Georgie, outshine her rivalsA brand new pony adventure series from the author of the bestselling pony series, Pony Club Secrets.The Blainford ‘All-Stars’ Academy is the most elite horse riding school ever and it’s auditions time for next year’s new studentsThe hopefuls must battle for a place against the. Competition is fierce at the All-Stars Academy in the USA – can the new girl, Georgie, outshine her rivals?Ī brand new pony adventure series from the author of the bestselling pony series, Pony Club Secrets. ![]() ![]() Magnus wanting to know even more about this saint that I’d never heard of. I found it so compelling and interesting that when I finished the book I began researching St. This teen book is equal parts geography, history, and theology lessons in a thoroughly engaging fictional story. I especially loved Magnus, his brother Aerling, and their relationship. Magnus into a wonderful story that makes him real and relatable while dropping the reader in the middle of a dramatic period of history. ![]() Susan Peek did a masterful job of bringing to life this saint from the early 1100’s, and giving the reader an exciting look into the Viking way of life. First of all, where were these books when my own kids were learning about saints? This is just such a great idea, sharing the stories of little known saints in exciting novels based on their lives. Magnus is one of three books in Susan Peek’s series – Gods forgotten friends. ![]() 10 Problems in the Traditionalist Movement ![]() Scissor Link by Georgette Kaplan6/28/2023 ![]() ![]() She works hard, plays hard and is super cool. She’s a fem for work but a baby butch in her free time. Wendy Cedar is LIFE! If I could be like her when I grow up that would be great. Recently divorced and nothing to lose, Janet decides to see if she can turn Wendy’s wet dreams into a reality. ![]() “Subject: my big gay sex dream about my lesbian crush on my boss.” Until Janet stumbles upon an email about a wet dream Wendy has been having. Everything seems to check out and it’s looking like Wendy is a model employee. Janet decides to extend an employment opportunity at Savin to Wendy, which she accepts.Ī possible information leak leads to Janet having to read through Wendy’s emails. Wendy Cedar has been interning at Savin Aerospace when a higher up, Janet Lace, discovers her. I generally steer clear of romance because I get tired of the plots near the end but Scissor Link kept me engaged the entire time. Scissor Link by Georgette Kaplan was the exception to the rule for me. ![]() |