![]() ![]() The dictator of his unnamed country is called the Leader, "also known as the Boss", but best of all "the Inspirer of the Nation and the Compass of Humanity, as they put it". If despots wanted to rule with an iron fist, they needed a correspondingly vainglorious sobriquet.Įarly in Nihad Sirees' excellent novel, The Silence and the Roar, we discover that in the 21st century little has changed. But then this was the 20th century, civilisation's bloodiest to date, and one which gave us Der Führer, Il Duce and the Supreme and Dear Leader. Even his wife had to be addressed as the Bountiful First Lady by social chroniclers. Not content with just the Chief, Vargas Llosa informs us that Trujillo was also the Generalissimo, the Benefactor, and the Father of the New Nation. In The Feast of the Goat, Mario Vargas Llosa's 2000 novel about the tyranny of the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, we learn that the dictator went by a variety of grandiloquent titles. ![]()
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6/24/2023 0 Comments Mary queen of scots by john guy![]() Overall Performance: Narration Rating: Story Rating:.Making her imprisonment and death by the hand of her cousin and another female monarch, all the more horrifying." Well worth it! It brings Mary Queen of Scots into the realm of human being. "I've had this on my bookshelf for years and have finally gotten around to it this summer. ![]() Guy's investigation of Mary's storied downfall throws sharp new light on questions that have baffled historians for centuries, and offers convincing new evidence that she was framed for the murder for which she was beheaded. We come to see her as an emotionally intricate woman and an adroit diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions who sought to control or dethrone her. John Guy draws on sources - many previously unstudied - as varied as the secret communiques of English spies and Mary's own letters.ĭispelled is the ingrained popular image of Mary as a romantic leading lady, achieving her ends through feminine wiles, driven by love to murder, undone by passion and bad judgment. Queen of Scots, the first full-scale biography of Mary in more than thirty years, offers a singularly novel, nuanced, and dramatic portrait of one of history’s greatest women. ![]() An intimate, myth-shattering new biography of Mary Queen of Scots by a premier historian that draws on a trove of newly discovered sources. ![]() 6/24/2023 0 Comments Don t count on it john bogle![]() ![]() ![]() Entrepreneurs or international conglomerateurs, or large financial institutions buy or create mutual fund management companies to create a return on their own capital. Vanguard happens to be the only exception to that rule-we can talk about that a little later on, maybe. Bogle: Well, let me start off by saying that's the reason that in the subtitle of the book, I have the word mutual in quotation marks, and a lot follows from that. His senior thesis in economics laid the groundwork for his investment career, exploring the concept of making low-cost index funds available to individual investors.Ĭhris Barth, Forbes: One of the topics you cover in your latest book is "What's Wrong With Mutual Funds." That seems like a strange idea to push, given that you are the founder of one of the world's largest mutual fund companies. Before founding Vanguard, Bogle worked at Wellington Management Company.īogle earned a bachelor's degree at Princeton University. ![]() 6/23/2023 0 Comments Risky Behavior by L.A. Witt![]() ![]() Not only is the story of Andreas and Darren irresistibly romantic, it portrays the day-to-day difficulties and dangers and general aggravation of life as a police officer quite well. These authors succeed spectacularly with this series. I want to see real men leading real lives, and dealing with the missteps and misadventures of attempting to forge a relationship through it all. I love romance, especially M/M, but give me a story to go along with it, specifically, a story with some grit, and some teeth, and a good dose of reality. As IA puts the squeeze on Darren to give up the man he’s falling for, he has to wonder - is Andreas the only cop left in this town who isn’t dirty? But their investigation is heating up as quickly as their relationship, and Darren has no choice but to go along with Andreas’ unorthodox - and borderline unethical - methods. ![]() Not even if that partner is easy on the eyes.Īs Darren gains Andreas’ hard-won trust, they both realize there’s more than just mutual suspicion simmering beneath the surface. ![]() ![]() With bodies piling up and a list of suspects who are way above his pay grade, the last thing he needs is a wet-behind-the-ears kid for a partner. Internal Affairs needs proof, and Darren gets to be their eyes and ears whether he wants to or not.ĭetective Andreas Ruffner doesn’t play by the rules, and he doesn’t play well with others. It’s day one of Darren Corliss’ career as a detective, and not only has he been assigned a notoriously difficult partner, but the guy might also be a pill-popping dirty cop. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Due to the comic book format and the scope of the project, most of the history is very abbreviated and simplified to fit in the space available. The series is best enjoyed as an introduction to history, a way to familiarize young readers with major historical facts and characters. ![]() Parental oversight and discretion are advised! Parents should be aware that the series does not shy away from harsh historical facts and includes (cartoony) depictions of nudity, gore, and adult topics. Ideal for early teen and sophisticated tween readers. This friendliness and engagement factor make it easy for the series to grab and hold the attention of young readers, and Gonick does an excellent job of bringing distant historical events to life. The stories presented within are brought to life through Gonick’s approachable, easy-to-read cartooning style and sense of humor. This first collected paperback of Larry Gonick’s broad-strokes introduction to human history features the initial seven volumes of the series, covering the Big Bang, evolutionary history of life on Earth, the beginnings of human history from early hominids to the creation of agriculture, and the rise and fall of the Sumerian, Egyptian, biblical Hebrew, Persian, and Classical Greek civilizations. ![]() 6/23/2023 0 Comments Phil knight nike book![]() ![]() He details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream - along with his early triumphs. ![]() Candid, humble, wry and gutsy, he begins with his crossroads moment when at 24 he decided to start his own business. Now, for the first time, he tells his story. In an age of start-ups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today.īut Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year. ![]() In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Phil is a very wise, intelligent and competitive fellow who is also a gifted storyteller' Warren Buffett 'The best book I read last year was Shoe Dog, by Nike's Phil Knight. ![]() Click here to purchase from Rakuten Kobo 'A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. ![]() 6/23/2023 0 Comments Something borrowed book characters![]() ![]() The movie did have a few funny spots, such as the physical humor during the badminton game on the beach. Also, although I have not read the book, based on reviews and synopsis, the movie remained faithful to it’s source material. Ginnifer Goodwin was Rachel, and Colin Egglesfield was Dexter. I particularly liked John Krasinski’s performance, who played Ethan. Let’s begin by talking about the strengths of this movie, because there were so many things wrong with it. Something Borrowed is based upon a book with the same name by Emily Griffin. They explore their potential relationship and wrestle with what they should do about Darcy and the wedding. Rachel drunkenly confesses her feelings to Dexter just months before the wedding, and is shocked to hear that he returns her feelings. Rachel has been in love with him since college in fact, she accidentally introduced him to Darcy. Part of Rachel’s reasons for being single is Darcy’s fiancé, Dexter. They are turning thirty Darcy is getting married, and Rachel is still single. ![]() ![]() Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since childhood, and they have remained as close as sisters. ![]() 6/23/2023 0 Comments Nothing but the blackened teeth![]() ![]() When the gang gets back together for one last haunted house to celebrate Faiz and Talia’s nuptials, something isn’t right. But something changed they grew apart and lived their own lives while Cat was left to wallow in her worsening mental health. ![]() Once upon a time, Philip, Lin, Faiz, and Talia were her best friends-always seeking thrills together by chasing down ghosts and cavorting in abandoned buildings. If you’re looking for a horror story to eat like candy on Halloween, grab Nothing But Blackened Teeth when it comes out next Tuesday, October 19.Ĭat pretty quickly gets the feeling that coming to the manor was a mistake. And then I devoured this bite-size novella in just a few sittings. ![]() I had the pleasure of interviewing Khaw last month to get their thoughts on haunted houses and the horror genre. “It gets lonely down in the dirt….” Five young adults make the mistake of partying in a haunted, Heian-era manor in Cassandra Khaw’s hotly anticipated horror novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth. Paula Cappa on Folk Horror in Literature.TheGothicLibrarian on Folk Horror in Literature.victoriagrimalkin on Folk Horror in Literature.The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses Review. ![]() Review of Book of Night-Crime and Shadow Magic. ![]() 6/22/2023 0 Comments Murder at the cathedral![]() The play begins when Becket returns to Canterbury from exile, although he knows that his life is in danger. He refused to submit to the King's secular power and, as a result, tensions arose between the two men, forcing Becket to go into exile in France for seven years. However, when Henry II appointed Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury, he left his former life behind. He was appointed Chancellor of England, making him one of the most powerful men in the realm, although he always obeyed the King's authority. In his younger days, although he was already an ordained priest, Becket had been a close friend of King Henry II of England and lived a purely secular life of pleasure. The play is inspired by the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170. ![]() It was first performed in Canterbury Cathedral on Jas part of the annual Canterbury Festival. Murder in the Cathedral is a historical fiction play with strong Christian themes by the American-born British writer T.S. 1868 illustration by Joseph Martin Kronheim depicting the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket. ![]() 6/22/2023 0 Comments Cutting for stone author![]() ![]() Verghese carefully (and sometimes rather unbelievably - he is unapologetic about coincidences) interweaves their story with that of Ethiopia's past half-century. Their father, a British surgeon called Thomas Stone, cannot bear the loss and flees, so Marion and Shiva are raised by two Indian doctors in the hospital where their parents worked both become surgeons. ![]() Their mother, a nun from Madras, does not survive the birth. Some of the best passages in all three books are those in which he reads the language of the body - its colours and betraying odours, its telltale pulses - and the emotions that obscure and interrupt that language.Ĭutting for Stone - the phrase is from the Hippocratic oath - is about twins born joined at the head, in a mission hospital in Addis Ababa half a century ago. ![]() ![]() This first novel was preceded by two non-fiction books: The Tennis Partner, about his distressing friendship with a drug addict and fellow doctor, and My Own Country, a memoir of working with Aids patients in a conservative southern US town. A braham Verghese, an Indian, grew up in Addis Ababa, has lived in Madras and various cities in America, and thus, regardless of temperament, would always have felt something of a watchful outsider. ![]() |