In a list of Top Ten Novels Ever Written, ANNA KARENINA has to be in there. Tolstoy's compassionate insight into the human condition, our inner thoughts and motivations, is unmatched. And he gets women! Yes, the Levin parts about politics or improving farming techniques get boring, but everything else is so, so compelling.
In 1872 the mistress of a neighbouring landowner threw herself under a train at a station near Tolstoy's home. This gave Tolstoy the starting point he needed for composing what many believe to be the greatest novel ever written.
In writing Anna Karenina he moved away from the vast historical sweep of War and Peace to tell, with extraordinary understanding, the story of an aristocratic woman who brings ruin on herself. Anna's tragedy is interwoven with not only the courtship and marriage of Kitty and Levin but also the lives of many other characters. Rich in incident, powerful in characterization,…
I'm a sucker for books on exploration, Polynesia, seafaring, and the Royal Navy, so this book checks all the boxes. I can't wait to visit the Big Island of Hawaii, to see where Captain Cook met his end. I've read several books by Hampton Sides and have never been disappointed.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW • A “thrilling and superbly crafted” (The Wall Street Journal) account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day.
“Hampton Sides, an acclaimed master of the nonfiction narrative, has taken on Cook’s story and retells it for the 21st century.”—Los Angeles Times
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest…
If you think you don't care for romantasy, try THE CROWN'S GAME! It had me at St. Petersburg because I have dearly loved CITY OF THIEVES and THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD. The setting alone means magic. This tale of two wizards reads like a fairy tale, and I've got the sequel on my to-read list.
The New York Times bestseller The Crown's Game is a thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy about two teenagers who must compete for the right to become Russia's Imperial Enchanter-or die in the process-from debut author Evelyn Skye. Perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone and Red Queen. Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters-the only two in Russia-and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side. And so he initiates the…
She craves respectability. He’s honorable to a fault. When their hearts harmonize, can they avoid a scandal to form a perfect pairing?
Florence Ellsworth reluctantly lives in the shadow of her family’s notoriety. Mortified that her widower father is on the hunt for his fourth wife, she accepts an engagement to a staid clergyman in the desperate hope for propriety. But she’s unprepared when her sire’s newly hired attorney proves to be young, sincere, and handsome.
Robert Fairchild feels a bit awkward in society. Aware of how his modest background is perceived, the humble lawyer is surprised by his longings when he gains the confidence of his client’s lovely daughter. But with her already betrothed to another, he dares not be dishonorable by confessing his interest and losing her respect.
Disturbed by her growing feelings for the charming solicitor, Florence works all the harder to find the appeal in her sober intended husband. Meanwhile Fairchild is inadvertently pulled into a lady’s schemes and fears any chance with the object of his affection has been forever lost.
Will they find a way out of their tender traps to capture happily ever after?
Tempted by Folly is the delightful first book in The Ellsworth Assortment clean Regency romance series.
