Clubs Books

Elizabeth Bear's duology featuring an alternative version of the Shakespeare and Marlowe we know from history definitely one the best books I've read this year.

Imagine Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe in an Elizabethan setting paired with fairies and then add to that the appearance of Morgan Le Fey and her son as well as recurring references to both Shakespeare's and Marlowe's plays. Honestly this made me do two things: a) want to re-read my favorite Shakespeare works (mostly the tragedies) and b) switch classes for the coming semester from British Modern Literature to Renaissance. That really doesn't happen all too often, but those books totally motivated me to study the Elizabethan era closer.

In her extended author's note at the end of Hell and Earth, Elizabeth Bear calls this duology a 'disservice to history', but honestly I couldn't imagine re-vamping Shakespeare and Marlowe in any better way. She works with some popular theories concerning the two poets' lives and portrays her characters in a way that make them very realistic and complex. She states that the Marlowe-Shakespeare relationship she creates in The Stratford Man is almost entirely fictional, but then again it really does make you wonder "What if?" and I think that's been the intention of the book.

The other thing that really intrigued me about those books what its realism and how accurately Bear worked with the historical context such as society and political background. Of course the work is fictional in the end, but she manages to have to write about homosexuality, politics and the entire concept of the Prometheus Club very 'in context', which makes the story rounder and the fantasy elements fit into the concept without jarring.

These two books are definitely not quick reads for entertainment only. It took me about two to three days to get through each, not because of the size, but because of the content that's very heavy on history and politics and last but not least on the language. Bear doesn't use 100% accurate Elizabethan language in her dialogue (no 'here sitteth' etc. no worries), but it's more or less the speech characters would have used at that time.

Ink and Steel and Hell and Earth are chronologically set before the other two Promethean Age books Blood and Iron and Whiskey and Water. I'm just starting Blood and Iron, but had no problems getting into the story and the whole concept of the Prometheus Club, even though the Stratford Man duology came out after the two aforementioned books. It's definitely a good starting point if you haven't read any of Bear's books yet. Definitely go for it :D

P.S.: This so made Kit Marlowe my favorite hystorical fantasy crossover character of all time :D I can't wait to read more!

The adventures of Marlowe and Shakespeare (begun in Ink and Steel) move from the Faerie court back to London as they begin to deal with devils and angels as well as the Fae. As Will struggles with the traitor Prometheans' machinations, Kit has to explore his painful history with them in order to find the key to their undoing.

I can't recommend these books highly enough. They're elegant and tragic, but chock-full of the clever wordplay and bawdy wit that make Shakespeare and Marlowe such fun to read.

This book will break your heart, over and over, and then put it back with superglue. It's a book about intrigue, doing the right thing, the wrong thing, the morally ambiguous thing. It's about caring for another person and trying to find a way to care about yourself. It is an amazing, amazing, novel.

Two kingdoms in two different worlds but tied together as both ruled by queens bound by magic but each in jeopardy of seeing their regime end. For England's Queen Elizbath I, Prometheus Club playwrights Will Shakespeare and Kit Marley risk their lives to keep her safe and on the throne; Faerie Queen Mab's only wordsmith is Kit who crosses the veil between the two realms, but has other supporters too.

However, now even the prominent Prometheus Club members feel the curtain is closing on their Queen. Fearing for England, they argue over whether it is time for a regime change rather than wait for nature to do the inevitable. Kit believes both worlds need their queens to remain in power and seeks allies from both sides to insure this happens as dark magic has surfaced; Will is beginning to show his age as he enters the fourth act of life. Humans, faeries, and malevolent monsters want to end the Promethean Age and begin a new eon of darkness.

The latest Promethean Age historical fantasy thriller continues the exciting The Stratford Man saga, but series fans need to read INK AND STEEL before HELL AND EARTH to learn how events got to where they are. The story line is fast-paced from the onset yet also contains intriguing references to the real Marlowe and Shakespeare, which in turn makes the magic of their words seem even more genuine as well as their relationship. Elizabeth Bear's terrific two-book entry is the Promethean Age at its seditious best with treachery threatening to destroy the reigns Queens Mab and Elizabeth.

Harriet Klausner

Oh. My. God. These are not the books for you if you are intolerant of literary wankery. I would also like to point out that I suspect they will make more sense if you have a grounding in the changing nature of God. If you do love literary fiction, this is an excellent example of the genre.

Oh, the heartbreaking beauty of this book. I devoured it in a day. Which, given that it's a 400-pg book and it was a work day, you can see that I did pretty much nothing else. And political intrigue! And delicious foreshadowing! And the lovely conceit that all stories are true, somewhere, and that they affect the reality of Fairie. I mean, that's been touched on before, but this one is deliciously effectively used.
----
"No," Kit answered. "He could have been forgiven. Anyone can be forgiven, who repents. Faustus had opportunity, time, and chance to repent, again and again and again. But he never meant to. Never meant to repent, my lord [spoiler]."
:Then what was his fatal flaw, Sir Poet?: Lucifer's eyes sparkled. He tilted his head aside, lovelocks drifting against the exquisite curve of his neck. Enjoying the game.
" 'But Faustus' offence can ne'er be pardoned,' " Kit quoted. "The serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus.' Faustus' flaw was the sin of Judas, who deemed his transgression too great to repent of, and thereby diminished the love of God, who can forgive any offense, so long as the sinner wishes forgiveness. Faustus sinned by hubris."
---
That! That right there! That's what made me twitter that I was crying, because it is so perfectly correct, so true, so chewy in the intersection of theology and literature. Believing you are unforgiveable is to diminish God's love. :waves arms madly.

Um, yeah. Start with Ink & Steel. Don't blame me if you have to take a day off.

Take this one to the beach but put on a lot of sun screen before you go. The plot will grab you and the afternoon and pages will fly by. Wall does a great job of keeping the narrative moving while evoking the beauty and unique culture of the coastal South Carolina lowcountry.

Arriving on the island (Hilton Head) for one of my quarterly visits, I stopped at the book store and was attracted to the "Local Authors" table. I picked up In for a Penny and took it to my villa.

I got so involved in the plot, and taken by recognizing the settings, that I read well into the night and straight through the next day. I enjoyed everything about this book, including the wonderful quotes from Bartlett's.

On day 3 I went back to the book store and bought the second in the series. I did force myself to do things in addition to reading for the remainder of my stay, but I am now hooked and will savor reading all of the Bay Tanner mysteries.

Excellent plot with interesting characters! This is a great mystery with lots of twists and turns - has excellent and accurate descriptions of the South Carolina coast and its people. A great "beach" read, perfect for anyone who loves a good mystery or wants to escape in an engrossing story...

The package had arrived by the time I got home from work on Friday. I tore into the package and then tore into the book. Didn't stop until I finished on Saturday! The book may be called "In for a penny", but you will be "In" for a great read!

In for a Penny was a good solid read with well-drawn characters that had believable relationships between them. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Not only did I write it, but I am just in love with the book because of the pure and raw passion that it has.

This book is filled with a love that is raw, but forever sweet. The poetry is natural, well written and very easy to understand. As the reader, you can feel how the love begins between Zeta & Mesiah and it leaves you wanting more.

Excellent!!!!! Great Job!

This is a very unique book of communicative poetry letters between Zeta and Mesiah. With each prose, the two exposure their affections and pour their souls onto each page! The love within these pages is pure, open and honest!

I commend the two for allowing us a glimpse of how true love begins! Award potential! -LC

The poetry is this book was captivating and sensual. I fell in love with the poets and I felt as if I was apart of their relationship. The love and passion they conveyed to one another from one poem to the next was a delight. However, you really don't know which poet is writing what, unless they state a gender. I really enjoyed the book.

The poets are in-depth in their expressions of love for one another. You instantly feel the love, passion and vibe they share in their relationship. This is an excellent book of poetry that examines internet dating from an African American couples perspective.

My friends and I (all women) just recently started an investment club and this book was just great. It provided useful forms, guidelines and warnings on how to setup your club and who should be in your club. A lot seems like common sense and lot isn't. We took this book with it's nice forms, etc. and ran with it. Today we have a bonafide investment club, filed our taxes and have been making investments that make us happy (not necessarily rich).

Like some of the others I bought other investment club books but you really don't need them. This one will do just as well and it's entertaining to boot.

My friends and I at my work place were interested in starting an investment club but we were not sure how to do it until one of the women said: "Aha, Motley Fool has put out a book about it!" So, we ordered the books, highlighted everything, and got excited about starting a club. And we did it all because of this book.

My sister and I were looking for info on starting an investment club for our family and we turned to the Motley Fool book. It was great for everyone in our family as we are all novices to the investing game. It was easy to read and everybody got through it before our first meeting. A big, big help!!!!

In starting an investment club it's important that everyone involved has a good idea of what to expect from a club. In signing agreements and feeling as though you are going to be bound to a group for a long term endeavour, this book helps to ease the anxiety that goes along with the club forming experience.

As with any other Motley Fool book this one has a reasonable balance of good, clear concise information, and foolish humor.

As a primer for beginners, this book is the best I've seen. It has lots of samples of forms and the agreements and by-laws. It is written at a level that any investor should understand what is going on.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in starting an investment club.

I have read both Starting and Running a Profitable Investment Club: The Official Guide from the National Association of Investment Clubs and The Investment Club Book in addition to this book.

While the other two books are very thorough and very well done, this one is the easist to read and understand.

I recommend all new Investment Club members to try this book.

I have this coobook. It is the best! The recipes are explain so nice and are easy to make. I love this history that is given. It's nice when someone tells you how wonderful the recipe is, and then you can tell them the history to the recipe. I found the bread section very helpful. After trying many recipes for baking bread, I finally read what I was doing wrong. Now my bread is extra good. I have dinner guests from time to time. I have made several recipes from this cookbook and I always receive great reviews on my cooking. I can hardly wait for her next cookbook to come out. I met the author on line in a food chat. She is a wonderful person and is willing to give tips, help or suggestions. I know she is doing another cookbook and I will be there to buy it.

I have been in the restaurant business for 22 years have purchased many cookbooks. This one is outstanding and will use it in my restaurant everyday. The dishes for fabulous and the variety of recipes are wonderful. The different desserts she offers are unreal. Everything you could ever ask for in a cookbook.

I love to cook and collecting cook books is a hobby of mine. I have about 200 cookbooks. I love this book because it is good for those just learning to cook and those who have been cooking for years. Most importantly, everything that we have tried so far has tasted great, from cakes to pies, to the pastas and chicken to pancakes and brownies. Both new and experienced cooks will find recipes that tempt and satisfy. I love the history of foods and dishes that are included in this cookbook. With my huge collection of cookbooks the author told so many things about the history and origin of many foods that I never knew. The holiday section is wonderful and so many dishes to choose from. This cookbook is a must have in any kitchen,

I found a new cookbook which is actually good. I ordered it through Amazon.com called Just Me Cookin. I love to cook, but hate having so many different cookbooks. One for cakes, one for cookies. Not to mention another for your main meal. This cookbook has it all. For the main meal right down to the dessert. Also international and holiday meals. I was rather surprised to see its content. My husband was surprised that I actually made a good cake for a change....lol...lol...

I didn't know much about cooking and looked through many cookbooks. I picked this one because it told everything I ever wanted to know - it tells how to do dinners, desserts, cakes, icecream and every type of food you can think of. What amazed me even more was the rich background information about the origination of several foods, about holidays and so much more. I am very glad to have Just Me Cookin' in my bookshelf - although the book spends most of its time now in the kitchen with me.

This is definitely one of Ann M. Martin's best mysteries. Ireally like this book because it's so well written. A mansion has beenrobbed in Stoneybrook and the BSC is on the case. This book has aninteresting plot and a very surprising ending. END

This is one of the top five! Kristy is walking home one day and hears glass breaking. What could it have been? Kristy(of course) has to investigate. She finds out that a buglary has taken place. Kristy and the BSC begin to investigate, and find out they are dealing with pros. Then the police arrest a VERY surprising person. To find out more read the book.

Kristy and the BSC have done it again. They've stumbled into another mystery in the sleepy (not!) little town of Stoneybrook. I think that Kristy might make a great detective. I don't want to spoil anything about the book, so I'm not writing it down. It was a weird booked, that kept me hooked 'til the very end! I would really recomend it!

I think this was a GREAT book! I don't particularly like mysteries, so I was very glad when this book came out. Kristy and the Cat Burglar kept me wondering who the culprit was until the very end! You should DEFINATLY read this book!

There is a burglar loose in Stoneybrook. And Kristy must catch him. the burglar was really familiar to Kristy when she unmasked it!

Kristy is going to baby sit for lou McNally, a foster child from the Papadakis. But when the Baby sitters baby sit for her, lou hates them. She is treated like baby and says she doesn't need a sitter!

Lou is going to Stoneybrook. But the Baby sitters are very surprised that she turns out to be a terror. hen Dawn baby sits for Lou, she found out that Lou was very sad because his father died, his mother left her and her brother, Jay is with another foster family.

Lou is coming to Stoneybrook. the baby sitters are very excited. But on the very first day, Lou acts like a holy terror! Kristy must feel sorry for Lou because she misses her family. But she is sorry for herself that she has to baby sit for Lou!

the Papadakis are taking home a foster child named Lou. Lou acts like a terror and no one wants to play with her. But all the kids and the Baby sitters are all wrong, Lou is just sad because her mother left her and her father died.

The Papadakises our bringing home a foster child, Lou. When Kristy baby-sits for them, louacts like a terror. But suddenly, Lou is just very very sad.

Mr. Hill has penned a tremendous novel. Beautifully written. Heartbreaking at moments. Well worth the time. I'm looking forward to more.

This is a book that is hard to put down. It is a story that pulls you through to the end, making the reader feel as if you yourself are along for the ride. Truly worth the time, a very good read. I suggest you take this book with you while traveling, it's certain to help pass the time on an airplane or long car ride. A great escape. You'll love this author, too!

I really enjoyed being placed in turn of the century France. What except romance and frivolous personalities could come of blending this period with French Artists. Guilbert has the strong-will of a master who wants not to please the museums but himself. A selfish man with his possessions but also generous enough to give his last penny away. He teams up with Verchard, a troubled soul who doubts his own skill as a painter, but remains a steadfast confidant of Guilbert. There is love, betrayal, promiscuity and ignorant loyalty played out in this work. One will be longing to view the actual paintings and photographs of Guilbert, to stroll into the café and drink with he and his cronies. Hill is highly expressive, bringing together the sights, smells, and sounds of Paris. Mais oui, I will look for his future works.

What is the point of artistic genius, if no one other than the artist can see it? And what if the artist is not some publicity-seeker like Picasso, but instead a starving scavenger who on the one hand produces art that is revolutionary and brilliant, yet on the other would burn his work rather than sell it? The Last Decadent, by Jeffrey K. Hill, explores this and many other themes. The story of Andre Guilbert is seen through the eyes of others--a hopelessly insane painter, a cynical journalist, and the scandalous courtesan who devours men with her sexuality. Through these eyes, we see a man at once generous and narcissistic, brilliant and clumsy, a man who loves yet discards the women who are burned by the flame of his genius. Do not read this story expecting any Hollywood endings--the happiness the characters find is much like Guilbert himself: enigmatic, and tinged with sadness and tragedy. A monumental work.

I am pulled into the fascinating lives of Guilbert and Verchard. Their follies, exploits, and sexual adventures delighted me until the end. The characters are so real, I yearned with them, laughed with them , and my heart broke for them at times. Jeffrey K. Hills "The Last Decadent" is a book that befriended me and carried me on it's journey and I was begging for a sequel when I turned the last page.

A well told story and lovely art work. It is a favourite in our home and we often give this book as a gift to friends who have small children. Beautiful, charming and touching.

This is one of those rare finds, a beautifully illustrated book with a story that is just as good as the pictures. I fell in love with this book years ago before I had kids of my own and gave it to my godchildren who all adored it. Now I have a three year old daughter who loves it and I am buying it for her nursery school.

I really enjoyed the story "Little Beaver and the Echo." The story had a very cool and creative story line that made it interesting and fun. The pictures were also really neat. They were very detailed and colorful. The story is about a young beaver who is search for someone accross the lake ,that ends up being his echo. On the way he pickes up a variety of friends. For example, he finds a duck, an otter, and a turtle. This book , in my opinion, was excellent. I highly suggest this to you.

This heart-touching picture book about a beaver's search for a friend isn't just for kids (although my nieces and nephews love it, too!). The story-line is clear and the full-color illustrations are EXCELLENT. Readers will have fun catching little details in the pictures.

We've owned this book since my oldest daughter (who is now 12) was a toddler. It continues to be a family favorite, especially for reading aloud. It's one of the few stories that my 2 year old will listen to all the way through, he especially loves the echo element. This is a lovely story with lovely illustrations and I highly recommend it!

Melissa Michaels' "A Look Within" is a powerful punch to your head and heart. I recently saw her perform spoken word and was blown away. I don't know what is more beautiful Melissa or her poetry. She is the sexiest poet alive.

Melissa Michaels' "A Look Within" is captivating, brillantly written. The booking is stunning as she. I highly recommend "A Look Within".

I highly recommend this wonderful book of poetry. It is exquisitely written and is filled with experiences we all encounter on our journey of life. Melissa's poems are hip and brilliantly written. Her words capture you and hold your attention. Her poems are little gems of wisdom.

I found 'A Look Within' to be a very honest journey through one woman's experiences, and one that is impossible to let go without reading in full. Melissa manages to be both poetic and direct in her style, drawing the reader in fully. Excellent.

Melissa Michaels truly expresses those emotions which are in all of us, and clearly articulates the experiences we all share.
This is a journey to enlightenment for any who wish to follow.