Ten years ago China was in the midst of what was being touted as a remarkably predictable and peaceful transfer of power—proof that its authoritarian system of government was capable of implementing term limits and an orderly succession from one top leader to another. Chinese President and Communist Party Secretary Hu Jintao and Premier Wen […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/10/20/china-back-to-authoritarianism-ian-johnson/
Lucy Worsley is a popular British historian and the chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces. She is interested in women’s lives, the national obsession with murder, and the history of the British home, which makes Agatha Christie her ideal subject. Like Christie herself, Worsley is a prolific writer who aims to address a broad demographic […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/10/20/agatha-christies-nightmares-lucy-worsley/
Should outrage and atrocity always be denounced whatever the consequences? And will the answer be the same for a private individual, a political leader, and a spiritual leader? David Kertzer’s The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler examines the behavior of Pope Pius XII in the years from 1939 […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/10/20/the-popes-many-silences-tim-parks/
When, on October 23, 1922, T.S. Eliot assembled and dispatched to the New York lawyer and bibliophile John Quinn a packet containing drafts of The Waste Land as well as a notebook of early poems tentatively entitled Inventions of the March Hare and a selection of loose-leaf manuscripts of individual poems, he included in the […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/10/20/an-age-of-prudence-t-s-eliot/
One could be forgiven for thinking that it’s only Senator Joe Manchin who gets to decide these things, but here’s a little-known fact: precisely 201 individuals have an outsize say in the future of our energy system. That’s how many people sit on public utility commissions across all fifty states. These commissions, whose members are […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2022/09/30/the-groaning-grid/
Narrated by Anne Marie Carlson, Across the Green Grass Fields is the sixth story in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. Regan opens a door to a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines in this enlightening installment. Come, step into a world where humans are expected to be heroes….
Across the Green Grass Fields
by Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #6
Narrator: Anne Marie Carlson
Length: 4 hours and 3 minutes
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.3x
A young girl discovers a portal to a land filled with centaurs and unicorns in Seanan McGuire’s ‘ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS’, a stand-alone tale in the Hugo and Nebula Award-wining Wayward Children series.
“Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”
Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.
When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to “Be Sure” before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines – a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.
But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem. . .
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At just around four hours, Across the Green Grass Fields was a magical listen. I love the Wayward Children’s series and McGuire’s imagination.
Regan isn’t like the other girls in her class, and when she shares the truth with her friend, things go terribly wrong. On her way home, she stumbles upon a door and escapes reality through it. Regan arrives in Hooflands.
Hooflands is filled with centaurs, kelpies, and magical equines. When Regan arrives, she is captured by a herd of centaurs. Things are not perfect in this magical land, and Regan will need to step up and help. As she does, she will learn about friendship, herself, and more.
The world McGuire creates is well developed. Her imagery brought the lands and the creatures who dwell there to life. While it appears perfectly magical, like our world, there are issues from prejudices to vicious rumors and outdated traditions. McGuire creates realistic children with troubling problems and sets them into worlds, and the results are fascinating. I connected and loved seeing the growth as Regan finds herself and matures.
Like the rest of the series, this novel will stand on its own, but if you haven’t read/listened to the others, I encourage you to do. They are wonderful, magical, and imaginative stories.
Anne Marie Carlson does a splendid job with the narration. She captures everyone from the mean friend to the mystical creatures in the Hooflands. McGuire’s stories work well in this format and the narrators enhance her stories.
Amazon | Audible
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire takes us to a land filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines as a young girl finds herself. #WaywardChildren #AnneMarieCarlson #audiobookreview
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Seanan McGuire is a native Californian, which has resulted in her being exceedingly laid-back about venomous wildlife, and terrified of weather. When not writing urban fantasy (as herself) and science fiction thrillers (as Mira Grant), she likes to watch way too many horror movies, wander around in swamps, record albums of original music, and harass her cats. Seanan is the author of the October Daye, InCryptid, and Indexing series of urban fantasies; the Newsflesh trilogy; the Parasitology duology; and the “Velveteen vs.” superhero shorts. Her cats, Lilly, Alice, and Thomas, are plotting world domination even as we speak, but are easily distracted by feathers on sticks, so mankind is probably safe. For now.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/09/across-the-green-grass-fields-by-seanan-mcguire.html
The House of Spark by Luminita LaFlash is the story of Virginia, a university student in 1957 who grew up during the fall of the Romanian monarch. It was a time when many citizens of Romania experienced terror and fear, only to finally find a sense of peace following the fall of an empire. The House of Spark tells the story of struggle, love, and facing injustice. When Virginia begins dating Janica, a passionate and kind man, everything changes when he suddenly vanishes, without any clues or trace of his location.
As Virginia tries to find Jenica’s whereabouts, she grabbles with the possible loss. But, having already suffered through the death of close family members in a very uncertain era, Virginia demonstrates bravery in her fight for her love and finding out what happened to Jenica.
The author does an incredible job of portraying the uncertainty of Romania in the 1950s and how history makes a lasting impact on the lives of many, especially on a deeply personal level. The ripple effect of historical events and tragedy can teach us how to appreciate life and fight for a better day in the present, though it also leaves the scars of loss and trauma.
I found this book an emotional read, with a sense of hope amid despair. Will Virginia find Janica alive and well, or will she need to face yet another loss? If he is alive, how will Virginia and her friends find him, and how does a person continue living with the knowledge they may lose, or have lost, someone they love? The author describes the unsteady political situation, which is raw and bleak, as a backdrop to the beauty of humanity and the power of determination. When I read this book, I didn’t want it to end! The characters are well-developed and interesting.
The House of Spark by Luminita LaFlash is a historical fiction novel with suspense, mystery, and thrills. It has an excellent storyline and one woman’s fight for justice in an uncertain time makes this a must-read for those interested in political fiction of the 1950s.
Pages: 164 | ASIN: B09V3KC214
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/09/30/the-house-of-spark/
You’re the Cake: The Guy’s the Frosting by Marcia Lite-Braus is a self-help book that emphasizes the need for you to love and care for yourself first before seeking love from others. With ten chapters telling of Marcia’s experience dating different men, this book had enough coverage to point out the psychological and emotional reasons that influenced her and many women’s choice of men.
An invaluable attribute of this book is how Marcia, in bullet form, highlighted the problem with each choice in each story, what could have been done to avert it, and the affirmations that will help you do better. Furthermore, Marcia’s ability to find streaks of humor in her mistakes buffers the painful and, sometimes, alarmingly shocking mishaps she had dating different kinds of men. For every type of person out there, Marcia shared her experience dating them. From the kleptomaniac to the criminal, Marcia’s writing style makes her stories memorable, along with the lessons gleaned from ‘not shopping the inside’ of these men.
As a single, divorced mother of one, Marcia demonstrated how many women are inclined to re-enter the dating pool with a lot of anxiety and low self-esteem, bruised from the end or failure of their last relationship or marriage. This book reassures single women how that should not be the case. It provides copious examples of how love has been misrepresented and how not loving yourself can only attract the wrong kind of people. It is even worse when you project your past trauma or lapses into your future engagements. In this book, Marcia has succeeded in describing, in simple terms, how to be less critical of self. In this breakdown of one of the most complex aspects of human relationships – finding the right partner, Marcia made her writing relatable and easy to read. The burden of building a relationship should not be on you alone. If anything, it should not be a burden at all.
You’re the Cake: The Guy’s the Frosting is a real page-turner. On the last page, you’d be left desiring more of the writing and knowing that you have learned all it takes to value yourself and be that cake that deserves the best frosting.
Pages: 66 | ASIN : B0B72HMVM2
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/09/30/youre-the-cake/
When a couple of old friends reunite at a friend’s funeral after about 50 years apart, curiosity gets the better of them. So they agree on monthly meetups to catch up and reconnect, but things go differently than planned right from the first scheduled card game. Proceedings at the meetup threaten to unearth long-buried secrets, and each man finds himself faced with the uncomfortable need to confront their choices, pains, and secrets. Will these men face the truth about themselves or be consumed while trying to hide their failures and pains?
George R. Hopkins’ When Secrets Come to Light is a gripping novel that delves into a mystery with a tinge of the supernatural. It’s not some outright spooky deal; instead, it probes figments of the mysterious such as visions, miracles, and more that color everyday life. It’s stripped down, but not in an underwhelming way, in a clean, free-flowing manner that keeps the story skipping along yet remarkable enough to evoke images. One of my favorite writers says telling great stories requires you to withhold information strategically. Hopkins uses a deliberate build-up that ends in questions that will keep you turning the pages. I also like how the plot unfolds in the most unassuming way. One minute a couple of 70-year-olds are meeting for a card game, and before you know it, things begin to spiral. Hopkins also knows how to peel away the layers from his characters, revealing the elements that make them human and, thus, easy to resonate with.
When Secrets Come to Light: A novel of love and tangled friendships is a captivating psychological thriller that is easy to follow and makes for a quick and refreshing read. Readers will be hooked from the beginning of the friends’ story to the end as one unexpected event after another consumes the pages.
Pages 307 | ASIN : B09X4TDSJB
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/09/30/when-secrets-come-to-light/
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
MacGregor’s Final Battle by Joe Clark
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver #BookAwards Oct 2022
Join me in congratulating these #AwardWinning authors and their awesome #books. We are proud to recognize the hard work, dedication and #writing talent of these amazing #authors.#WritingCommunity #WritersLifthttps://t.co/sbHfeD5NxC pic.twitter.com/Fw4p6hla6h— Literary Titan (@LiteraryTitan) September 30, 2022
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/09/30/literary-titan-silver-book-award-october-2022/
