I was educated in a catholic school surrounded by family built on lasting love. My father and mother were married for 50 years. I longed for that type of forever love, but didn’t find it. So, I started thinking, what could prevent people from finding that one true love. Then it came to me, fate, spells, or gods and goddesses acting behind the scenes to create love gone wrong. Taking Latin in high school introduced me to Greek and Roman mythology. I became fascinated with that ideology. Since I grew up in New Orleans, I thought the swamp, as a backdrop, would add a bit of realism and mysticism to my storyline. Voila! Creole Moon was born.
I enjoyed this story because I believe in love and believe it can last forever given the right circumstance, in this case, immortality. As a little girl, I had hoped that I would find that happily ever after, but it wasn’t in the cards for me. So, reading about Bella’s feelings towards Edward allows me to experience those affections that I feel I was robbed of having.
The book creates a classic love triangle with the expected struggles of unrequited love and then sets the stage for an agreeable resolution between the three main characters with the introduction of the half-vampire, half-human child. It’s a win-win situation all the way around.
The value I got from the book was to fall in love and think it will be forever is a great idea. That doesn’t happen nowadays, and it appears that the only way for it to happen for this couple was to become immortal. Then the word “forever” truly has a more infinite meaning. So if you are into love stories with unlikely characters, this is a good book.
When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town.
But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella.
Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility…
I like this story because it focuses on a strong woman taking charge to challenge the evils of society, similar to a Joan of Arc character. Katniss is more concerned with saving her family and protecting her sister rather than being the heroine to unite the districts. However, during the entire ordeal, she realizes that her male companion, Peter Mellark, is not just another competitor representing their district, but he has a selfish interest in volunteering to compete in the games. He would do anything to be with her, including taking a beating from his family for sharing food with her all for the sake of love.
The best part of this story for me is when Katniss says “Peter, stay with me”, and he responds, “always”. This touching moment is done a couple of times during the series but it is very heart-wrenching for me. Because no matter how much adversity Peter encounters, he still loves Katniss and as he says, he will always be with her.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
Emmitt’s plans collapse when his wife, Mirai, suddenly backs out of purchasing their dream home. Disappointed, he’s surprised to discover her subtle pursuit of a life and career in Tokyo.
In his search for a meaningful life in Japan, and after quitting his job, he finds himself helping his mother-in-law…
I love, love period pieces especially when they include historical events along with a good story. Jane Austen’s stories tell of a time when women were treated almost as property or second-class citizens and the ordeals they had to endure for love or just survival. Women had to swallow their pride and sense of accomplishment if they wanted to survive. If they happened to marry for love, then they were fortunate, but most married out of duty, financial need, or some other loyalty.
I like the book because it shows that women can survive and make the best out of a bad situation. It’s not just a disadvantage for women here but as the story goes, Willoughby also lost the love of his life (Marianne Dashwood) in order to keep his family property. I also like this story because while things may appear to be worked out for everyone, It shows that not every story has a happy ending.
'The wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste' Virginia Woolf
Jane Austen's subtle and witty novel of secrets and suppression, lies and seduction, brilliantly portrays a world where rigid social convention clashes with the impulses of the heart. It tells the story of two very different sisters who find themselves thrown into an unkind world when their father dies. Marianne, wild and impulsive, falls dangerously in love, while Elinor suffers her own private heartbreak but conceals her true feelings, even from those closest to her.
I like this story because, like Romeo and Juliet, it is a love story that ends in tragedy. Heathcliff is this tortured and tortuous soul that struggles to understand his emotions and the persona he has adopted. He is a rake, by choice, and wanting to change that behavior and become a dutiful husband, as expected, creates all kinds of conflict. Love, in this book, is the enemy.
The reason I would recommend this book is for readers to see another side of love, that it is not all rainbows and roses. There is a dark side of love that makes people do, say, or become someone or something that isn’t good.
One of the great novels of the nineteenth century, Emily Bronte's haunting tale of passion and greed remains unsurpassed in its depiction of destructive love. Her tragically short life is brilliantly imagined in the major new movie, Emily, starring Emma Mackey in the title role.
Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition of Wuthering Heights features an afterword by David Pinching.
One wild, snowy night on the Yorkshire moors, a gentleman asks…
Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration
By
Mark Doherty,
I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee…
I love all of Stephanie Laurens’ books about historical London and high society during the Regency period or “the ton”, as it was called. The Bar Cynster series doesn’t disappoint. These books are fun to read and in keeping with the true romance books of boy meets girl themes and girl tames the cagy, self-proclaimed bachelor. Each book deals with a different brother or cousin in the Cynster dynasty and a specific event around their daily lives. The reader gets a sense of current events and the lifestyle of the rich during this period and how money and power can evade or remove any adverse effects on the family.
There are six books in this series and I highly recommend reading all six. They are fun, light-hearted, and easy to read. I even like their nicknames of “scandal”, “rake”, and “devil”. It makes them seem like the bad boys of their day. A great pick-me-up series. Sometimes I re-read them just for the fun of it.
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire town by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of England′s most eligible bachelor, Devil′s infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.
But Honoria wasn′t about to bend society′s demands and marry a man "just" because they′d been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young…
"I have stepped out of my “cozy” zone choosing to read the second book in the Creole Moon series, Book of Roots, a fantasy gem by S. T. Holmes. I worried I would be handicapped by not having read the first book, The Betrayal, but Holmes provided enough references to background and character connections to keep me engaged. It will be necessary to read book one because how the characters came to this point in their adventure undoubtedly is just as entertaining."
Kathleen C., Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2018
Fourth and Long is a novel written in the first person with dual POVs.
Ellie: When I meet Slater, an infamous quarterback trying to salvage his career, I know better than to form expectations. Our relationship starts out casual, but I can’t help falling for him. The problem is, that…
Ava Winston likes her life of routine in Lexington, Kentucky. Then a tornado blows it away. Ava is safe in the basement, but when she emerges, only one corner of her home stands. Rather than crumbling under the loss, she feels a load lifted. Maybe something beyond the familiar is…
