My thoughts
The premise of Judas the Apostle is intriguing. Did Judas Iscariot have different intentions than what is traditionally known in the Bible, and is there evidence of this in an earlier Gospel? I have to admit to being fascinated by these kinds of stories. I always find myself wondering, "what do we really know about history and the Bible?" These kinds of novels give insight into what could be...opening our minds to new or different possibilities. A thriller in the vein of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, this book could have been more heavy on suspense, but instead was a bit heavy on words. Too much description of every day actions like what they're eating, etc. However, in all, Judas the Apostle is a respectable entry in the vein of biblical thriller. I think books with this type of ideology are important to get us thinking and questioning what is commonly known.
About the book Title: Judas the Apostle Genre: Historical Suspense Thriller Author: Van R. Mayhall Jr. Publisher: iUniverse Pages: 300 Language: English
Ancient language expert Dr. Clotile Lejeune is happily living a quiet life in Seattle when her world is profoundly shaken. After she learns that her estranged father has been murdered, Cloe must travel with her soldier son, J. E., back to her Louisiana hometown to unlock the mysteries of a two-thousand-year-old oil jar her father has left her—a jar inscribed with the name Judas Iscariot. Anxious to find her father’s killer and dispel her own personal demons, Cloe has no idea that what she is about to uncover has the potential to set the international religious community on fire.
With the help of a mysterious cleric, her son, and a letter from her father, Cloe soon realizes the African oil jar her father unearthed during the war may be the most important relic discovered in centuries. But it is only the beginning. Across the globe, a billionaire arms merchant is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake in his pursuit of the jar and its contents.
In this biblical thriller, the race for answers takes a language professor on a dangerous quest across three continents in order to discover the identity of Judas Iscariot. Now only time will tell if Cloe can find out what the past is reaching out to tell her—before it is too late.
Purchase you copy:
About the author
Van R. Mayhall Jr. is the senior partner in a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, law firm where he practices corporate and business law and handles selected litigation. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, he was educated at Louisiana State University and Georgetown University. He and his wife, Lorri, have three grown children and enjoy boating on Lake Pontchartrain.
A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.
Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime
hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have
come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own
beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post
in the Mr. Linky below)
I first have to make note of what a bad cat mom I am. We totally forgot Alice's birthday, which was Monday. I know...we're terrible. And I don't even know when Arya's birthday is because I got her from my grandmother and she didn't know, or couldn't remember what the people told her. haha! So, we will celebrate Alice's birthday in the next few days and make Arya's the same, just to make things easier. I will post pics next week.
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Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime
hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have
come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own
beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post
in the Mr. Linky below)
So, I couldn't let the Olympics pass by without featuring them on Cat Thursday. I've been enjoying the figure skating immensely and I kind of like the bobsledding and skiing too. Now let's see what these kitties are getting up to at the Olympics...
Guess they had to go there about Russia and spying, huh? haha!
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Series: Joanna Stafford, Book Two
Genre: Historical Mystery
A curse to kill a king, a fight to save a nation. Follow young Joanna Stafford right into the dark heart of King Henry VIII's court in this stunning Tudor thriller.
England, 1538. The nation is reeling after the ruthless dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII.
Cast out of Dartford Priory, Joanna Stafford - feisty, courageous, but scarred by her recent encounter with rebellion at court - is trying to live a quiet life with her five-year-old charge, Arthur. But family connections draw her dangerously close to a treasonous plot and, repelled by violence and the whispered conspiracies around her, Joanna seeks a life with a man who loves her. But, no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the spreading darkness of her destiny. She must make a choice between those she cares for most, and taking her part in a mysterious prophecy foretold by three compelling seers.
Joanna embarks upon a testing journey, and, as she deciphers the meaning at the core of the prophecy, she learns that the fate of a king and the freedom of a nation rest in her hands.
Praise for The Chalice
"Expect treason, treachery, martyrs and more." — Choice magazine
"A time in which no one at all can be trusted and everyday life is laced with horror. Bilyeau paints this picture very, very well." — Reviewing the Evidence
"Bilyeau creates the atmosphere of 1530s London superbly." — Catholic Herald
"Bilyeau continues from her first novel the subtle, complex development of Joanna Stafford's character and combines that with a fast-paced, unexpected plot to hold the reader's interest on every page. — Historical Novel Society
"Joanna Stafford is a young novice caught up in power struggles familiar to readers of Hilary Mantel and C.J. Sansom, but with elements of magic that echo the historical thrillers of Kate Mosse." — S.J. PARRIS, author of HERESY, PROPHECY, AND SACRILEGE
"Second in this compelling and highly readable Tudor thriller series following the 16th century adventures of (now cast out) nun Joanna Stafford. Treason, conspiracies and a dangerous prophecy draw Joanna back from the quiet life she had made for herself after being cast out of Dartford Priory - but she isn’t prepared for the gravity of the situation she finds herself in or the responsibility she now holds. Nancy Bilyeau has followed up her impressive debut with an accomplished historical thriller perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, Philippa Gregory and S. J. Parris." — Lovereading UK
“Sharply observed, cleverly paced and sympathetically written, this book more than fulfils the promise of THE CROWN, itself named as last year's most impressive debut novel by the CWA Ellis Peters judges. If Joanna Stafford is to return to see out the final years of Henry's tempestuous reign and the accession of his Catholic daughter Mary, I am sure I will not be alone in waiting eagerly for her.” — crimereview.co.uk
“A stunning debut. One of the best historical novels I have ever read — ALISON WEIR
THE CHALICE offers a fresh, dynamic look into Tudor England's most powerful, volatile personalities: Henry VIII, the Duke of Norfolk, Stephen Gardiner and Bloody Mary Tudor. Heroine and former nun Joanna Stafford is beautiful, bold and in lethal danger. Bilyeau writes compellingly of people and places that demand your attention and don't let you go even after the last exciting page” — KAREN HARPER, bestselling author of MISTRESS OF MOURNING
“Rarely have the terrors of Henry VIII's reformation been so exciting. Court intrigue, bloody executions, and haunting emotional entanglements create a heady brew of mystery and adventure that sweeps us from the devastation of the ransacked cloisters to the dangerous spy centers of London and the Low Countries, as ex-novice Joanna Stafford fights to save her way of life and fulfill an ancient prophecy, before everything she loves is destroyed.” — C.W. GORTNER, author of THE QUEEN'S VOW
“Bilyeau paints a moving portrait of Catholicism during the Reformation and of reclusive, spiritual people adjusting to the world outside the cloister. This intriguing and suspenseful historical novel pairs well with C. J. Sansom's Dissolution (2003) and has the insightful feminine perspective of Brenda Rickman Vantrease's The Heretic's Wife (2010).” — BOOKLIST
“As in The Crown, Bilyeau's writing style means that the story reads almost flawlessly. The narrative really makes the reader throw themselves into the story, and makes it so the book is really difficult to put down. I was really very impressed with Bilyeau's writing (As I was in The Crown), and honestly can't recommend this book highly enough.” — LOYALTY BINDS ME
“THE CHALICE is a compelling and pacey time machine to the 16th Century. And when you're returned to the present, you'll have enjoyed an adventure and gained a new perspective on a past you'd wrongly thought to be a done deal.” — Andrew Pyper, author of THE DEMONOLOGIST
“The Chalice is a gripping, tightly-plotted mystery, with a beguiling heroine at its heart, that vividly conjures up the complex dangers of Reformation England. Bilyeau's deftness of touch and complete control over her complex material make for a truly exciting and compelling read.”— ELIZABETH FREMANTLE author of QUEEN'S GAMBIT
“THE CHALICE is brimming with sinister portents, twisted allegiances, religious superstition and political intrigue. It's a darkly fascinating Tudor brew that leaves you thirsting for more.” — PATRICIA BRACEWELL, author of SHADOW ON THE CROWN
Nancy Bilyeau has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Ladies Home Journal. She is currently the executive editor of DuJour magazine. Her screenplays have placed in several prominent industry competitions. Two scripts reached the semi-finalist round of the Nicholl Fellowships of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her screenplay "Zenobia" placed with the American Zoetrope competition, and "Loving Marys" reached the finalist stage of Scriptapalooza. A native of the Midwest, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan. THE CROWN, her first novel, was published in 2012; the sequel, THE CHALICE, followed in 2013.
Some earlier milestones: In 1661, Nancy's ancestor, Pierre Billiou, emigrated from France to what was then New Amsterdam when he and his family sailed on the St. Jean de Baptiste to escape persecution for their Protestant beliefs. Pierre built the first stone house on Staten Island and is considered the borough's founder. His little white house is on the national register of historic homes and is still standing to this day.
Nancy lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
I'm pleased to present the book tour for Rebecca Hazell's The Grip of God.
About the book Duncan, BC Canada: Award Winning Writer Rebecca Hazell Releases First Book in Trilogy of Historical Fiction Novels
Rebecca Hazell's The Grip of God, the first novel in an epic historical trilogy, is available on amazon.com and its affiliates and by special order through your local bookstore. The saga’s heroine, Sofia, is a young princess of Kievan Rus. Clear eyed and intelligent, she recounts her capture in battle and life of slavery to a young army captain in the Mongol hordes that are flooding Europe. Not only is her life shattered, it is haunted by a prophecy that catalyzes bitter rivalries in her new master's powerful family. She must learn to survive in a world of total war, always seeking the love she once took for granted.
Sofia's story is based on actual historical events that determine her destiny. Readers will delight in this very personal and engaging tale from a time that set the stage for many of the conflicts of today's world.
Praise for the trilogy “How deftly and compellingly Hazell takes the reader with her into that mysterious and exotic world, and makes it all seem so very close to hand!” – Peter Conradi, Fellow of Britain's Royal Society of Literature and author of Iris Murdoch: A Life, and of A Very English Hero.
"I enjoyed watching her morph from a spoiled sheltered princess with slaves of her own, into a tough, savvy survivor, with a new awareness of social injustice. The book is action packed. I couldn't put it down." -- from a review on Amazon.com.
"I got completely caught up in the characters and story and always looked forward to getting back to them. What a fully fleshed and fascinating world you developed and it was wondrous to learn so much about that time and the Mongol culture. Your gifts come out in your lush descriptions of place and objects. All very vivid and colorful." --author Dede Crane Gaston
The novel is available both in paperback and Kindle versions and through your local bookstore by special order. The subsequent two novels in the trilogy are scheduled for publication later this year.
About the author Rebecca Hazell is a an award winning artist, author and educator. She has written, illustrated and published four non-fiction children’s books, created best selling educational filmstrips, designed educational craft kits for children and even created award winning needlepoint canvases.
She is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, and she holds an honours BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Russian and Chinese history.
Rebecca lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1988 she and her family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in 2006 she and her husband moved to Vancouver Island. They live near their two adult children in the beautiful Cowichan Valley.
My thoughts
Jerome Charyn can always be counted on to put forth an interesting and entertaining work of historical fiction. Like its predecessors, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson and Johnny One-Eye, Charyn takes a novel told in first person to a whole new level. His first person point of view makes the reader feel as if they are the character...seeing and experiencing everything vicariously.
Abraham Lincoln is a historical figure that I have always greatly admired. In I Am Abraham, the man comes to life. He is not just the illusive and enigmatic figure of history, but a real, flesh-and-blood man with the same fears, worries and loves as other human beings. His stoic nature is ever present and yet he speaks with a sense of irony, seeing situations with an eye for the comedy amidst the ordinary and even tragic.
I am a fan of Jerome Charyn and always look forward to his latest work. His is a unique and important voice in the historical fiction genre. If you have not read his books, you're missing out. I Am Abraham would be a good one with which to start.
About the book Narrated in Lincoln’s own voice, the tragicomic I Am Abraham promises to be the masterwork of Jerome Charyn’s remarkable career.
Since publishing his first novel in 1964, Jerome Charyn has established himself as one of the most inventive and prolific literary chroniclers of the American landscape. Here in I Am Abraham, Charyn returns with an unforgettable portrait of Lincoln and the Civil War. Narrated boldly in the first person, I Am Abraham effortlessly mixes humor with Shakespearean-like tragedy, in the process creating an achingly human portrait of our sixteenth President.
Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln's life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley—the former slave, who became the First Lady's dressmaker and confidante—and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores.
We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man's-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln’s own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America’s bloodiest war.
Using biblically cadenced prose, cornpone nineteenth-century humor, and Lincoln’s own letters and speeches, Charyn concocts a profoundly moral but troubled commander in chief, whose relationship with his Ophelia-like wife and sons—Robert, Willie, and Tad—is explored with penetrating psychological insight and the utmost compassion. Seized by melancholy and imbued with an unfaltering sense of human worth, Charyn’s President Lincoln comes to vibrant, three-dimensional life in a haunting portrait we have rarely seen in historical fiction.
About the author
Jerome Charyn is an award-winning
American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned
a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler
of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him "one
of the most important writers in American literature." New York
Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac,"and the
Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among
American writers." Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel,
Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three
memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short
stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were
named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist
for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal
Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been
named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of
Culture. Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the
American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009. In
addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table
tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in
France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table
tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also
Rises of ping-pong." Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.
Welcome
to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of
cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come
across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved
cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)
The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and Cats Thursday. Each time I will feature an author and their cat(s).
In honor of Black History Month, and her birthday on February 9, I give you Alice Walker (1944 - ) with a feline friend.
Says the cat, "Hey you...don't disturb her..she's writing!"
Happy Valentine's Day...a day early! Isn't Pusheen just adorable!?
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The number was posted on the Classics Club website yesterday and it was 20. I lucked out and one of the shorter books was that number on my list...Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. This is a book I've been wanting to read and its shorter length will make it easier to finish since I'm reading so many others right now.
A bit late since this started on the 7th, but I'm signing up although it may be futile with how busy I've been lately. I do need to finish one book this week for review on Friday so maybe reading under the umbrella of a read-a-thon will get me motivated. I'll try to update a couple of times this week, but I'm not going to do a sticky post because it goes out every day in my MailChimp feed and I don't want to bombard everyone with the same post every day.
It's that time again...Classics Spin time! I probably shouldn't be doing this because I already have a ton of reading on my plate over the next two months, but I missed the last spin so I want to jump in again. I'm going to choose my list according to the Club's suggestion of five Classics Club books you are dreading/hesitant to read, five you
can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice
(favorite author, rereads, ancients — whatever you choose.) However, I'm adding Doctor Zhivago to one of the groups since I technically have not started it and I need to read it for Lit Collective. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will be the number chosen (fat chance, right?).
Five I'm kinda, sorta dreading
1. Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak
2. Sons and Lovers, D.H. Lawrence
3. Silas Marner, George Eliot
4. The Count of Monte-Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
5. Tom Jones, Henry Fielding
Five I just can't wait to read!
6. The Once and Future King, T.H. White
7. The House of Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
8. Perfume, Patrick Suskind
9. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
10. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Five I'm neutral about
11. Ben-Hur, Lew Wallace
12. Mansfield Park, Jane Austen
13. The World According to Garp, John Irving
14. 1984, George Orwell
15. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
Five...free choice, IOW...shorty books (wink)
16. The Lambs of London, Peter Ackroyd
17. The Plague, Albert Camus
18. Moravagine, Blaise Cendrars
19. What Maisie Knew, Henry James
20. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
My thoughts
This is a good book for anyone wanting to change their mindset. Glasser introduces choice theory which is basically that we have a choice in the way we treat others and ourselves. The proponent is that we have a 'picture' in our minds of the way we want to be or of how we want others to be and all we have to do is change that picture to change what's in our mind. This is choice theory. Basically, it's about learning to stop blaming external sources for the way our lives, or people in our lives, are and look on the inside to change the way we think about things. He gives examples of how the theory can be applied to relationship problems, parenting, and more. In all, this book is a useful tool for anyone looking to change their thinking and, ultimately, their lives.
About the book
Title: Take Charge of Your Life Genre: Self help/Personal Transformation Author: William Glasser, MD Publisher: iUniverse Pages: 255 Language: English
“A game changer for anyone ready to become the captain of their own ship.”
—Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the nationally syndicated series Dr. Phil
“Take Charge of Your Life urges readers to stop blaming and start accepting responsibility for choices.”
—Jeannine Chartier Hanscom, ForeWord Reviews
Are you seeking a happier and more satisfying life? In Take Charge of Your Life, author Dr. William Glasser explains choice theory—a science of human behavior and principles for regaining and maintaining a life you control—and how it can help you find personal freedom from relationship-destroying external control.
Take Charge of Your Life, a revision of his 1984 book Control Theory, explains choice theory using personalized examples and illustrative stories that allow you to learn how to improve your relationships and take charge of your actions. Topics include marital and relationship problems, parenthood, addictions, pain management, and psychosomatic disorders. For each situation, Dr. Glasser ties behavior to the pictures people create in their minds of what they want. He explains how the pictures got there and how people can choose new behaviors to get what they really want.
In Take Charge of Your Life, Glasser offers a real model of empowerment. He shows how you can become a part of the equation that adds happiness and connection to the world in which you live now and to the world of future generations.
William Glasser, a world-renowned psychiatrist who employs a nontraditional approach, has written more than twenty books, including Choice Theory and Eight Lessons for a Happier Marriage. Glasser is president of the William Glasser Institute and lives with his wife, Carleen, in Los Angeles, California.
