Kate’s 2¢: “The Cruel Ever After” by Ellen Hart

“The Cruel Ever After” by Ellen Hart

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

    I started this book, but found I didn’t want to spend my time with these characters. I didn’t finish the book… just not my cup of tea.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The cruel ever after DBC27185

Hart, Ellen. Reading time: 8 hours, 45 minutes.

Read by Joy Fogarty. A production of Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Jane Lawless’s ex-husband Chester comes back to Minneapolis after traveling the world. Now broke, he intends to make his next fortune selling an artifact from a Baghdad museum. But he wakes up next to the dead body of his potential buyer. Adult. Some descriptions of sex. Some violence and some strong language.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Missouri’s murderous matrons: Emma Heppermann and Bertha Gifford”

by Victoria Cosner; Loretta Broker; Lorelei Shannon

“Missouri’s murderous matrons: Emma Heppermann and Bertha Gifford”

by Victoria Cosner; Loretta Broker; Lorelei Shannon

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Emma Heppermann and Bertha Gifford were the main characters; however, several men and other women were mentioned. Kind of amazing that Emma Heppermann and Bertha Gifford could get away with their murderous ways for so long.

Victoria Cosner has been involved with museums and historic sites for over thirty years. She holds a master s degree in American studies, specializing in cemetery landscapes and is a member of the Association for Gravestone Studies. She currently works for Missouri State Parks and lives in the St. Louis area.

Lorelei Shannon has been Victoria s friend for thirty-five years and counting. They share a love of dark history and co-authored a book on the life of Madame Lalaurie.

Titles

Missouri’s Mad Doctor McDowell: Confederates, Cadavers and Macabre Medicine

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Missouri’s murderous matrons: Emma Heppermann and Bertha Gifford DBC19408

Cosner, Victoria; Broker, Loretta; Shannon, Lorelei Reading time: 4 hours, 48 minutes.

Loretta Broker A production of Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library.

Drama

True Crime

Women

As the 19th century drifted into the 20th, Missouri produced two women who made arsenic a part of their lives — and of the deaths of many people. The women were Bertha Gifford, whose last home was just outside Eureka, and Emma Heppermann of Steelville. Adult .

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 Kate’s 2¢: “Brilliant blunders: from Darwin to Einstein – colossal mistakes by great scientists that changed our understanding of life and the universe:

By Mario Livio

“Brilliant blunders: from Darwin to Einstein – colossal mistakes by great scientists that changed our understanding of life and the universe:

By Mario Livio

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   This is a long story and, at times, it over-whelmed my little pea-brain; however, it was interesting. I suspect, the take-away is to never give up.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Livio was born in Bucharest in Romania, and lived with his grandparents when his mother and father were forced to flee the country for political reasons.[16] He left Romania at age five with his grandparents, and the family settled in Israel. He served as a paramedic with the Israeli Defense Forces in the 1967 Six-Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the 1982 Lebanon War.

Livio and his wife Sofie, a microbiologist, have three children.

Books[edit]

• The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos. John Wiley. 2000. ISBN 0-471-39976-0; foreword by Allan Sandage.[17]

• The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World’s Most Astonishing Number. Broadway Books. 2002. ISBN 0-7679-0815-5.[18]

• The Equation That Couldn’t Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry. Souvenir Press. 2006. ISBN 0-285-63743-6.[19]

• Is God a Mathematician?. Simon & Schuster 2009. 6 January 2009. ISBN 978-0-7432-9405-8.[20]

• Brilliant Blunders. Simon & Schuster. 2013. ISBN 9781439192375.[21]

• Why? What Makes Us Curious. Simon & Schuster. 2017. ISBN 978-1476792095.[22]

• Galileo and the Science Deniers. Simon and Schuster. 2020. ISBN 978-1501194733[23]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Brilliant blunders: from Darwin to Einstein – colossal mistakes by great scientists that changed our understanding of life and the universe DB100246

Livio, Mario Reading time: 14 hours, 21 minutes.

J.P. Linton

Science and Technology

Author of Accelerating Universe (DB 51106) illustrates that the road to scientific breakthroughs is not all successes by highlighting the blunders of some of history’s most famous scientists including Charles Darwin, Linus Pauling, James Watson, and Francis Crick. Discusses the age of Earth, the Big Bang, and the Theory of Relativity. 2013.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Desperation in death” by J. D. Robb

“Desperation in death” by J. D. Robb

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Maybe it’s the way Susan Ericksen is reading this story  with harshness, but I’m not enjoying “Desperation In Death”. I understand that the potty-mouth language is from the author and the narrative arc is fraught with tension and sensitive issues of child sex trafficking; however, everyone sounds so angry, up-tight, and rude to each other. Lt. Dallas comes across as a true bully, yet, as the boss, everyone just takes it.

   Of course, Eve has her tender moments with Roarke, who is naturally a sensitive kind of guy…and rich, to boot.

J.D. ROBB is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 200 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

   Going under the pseudonym of J.D. Robb, the author Nora Roberts  (born on October 10, 1950).  , born Eleanor Marie Robertson, is an American writer of fantasy, romance and suspense novels, as she holds a both long and illustrious legacy behind her with over 209 books under her belt and counting.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Desperation in death DB109830

Robb, J. D. Reading time: 13 hours, 15 minutes.

Read by Susan Ericksen.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate. Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene. Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried abou

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Kate’s 2¢: “Into Thin Air” by Thomas Zigal

“Into Thin Air” by Thomas Zigal

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Interesting concept: to return stolen children to their families by DNA testing.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zigal was born in Galveston, Texas. He grew up in Texas City.[1] He attended high school in Lafayette, Louisiana and lived in New Orleans for four years in the 1980s and 1990s.[2] Zigal was a victim of Hurricane Carla, which destroyed the family home in Texas City when he was a child.[2]

As of 2014, he lived in Austin, Texas.[1]

In 2014 Zigal won the Jesse Jones Award given by the Texas Institute of Letters in the fiction category for his 2013 novel, Many Rivers to Cross.[1][3] Judges cited his “keen ear for the language of Hurricane Katrina victims, most of whom were African-Americans.”[1]

Many Rivers to Cross is the story of two grandfathers trying to find their common grandchildren in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[2]

Zigal is the author of the Kurt Muller Mysteries, a series of crime novels set in Aspen, Colorado, and of a literary thriller, The White League.[4][5] The White League is the first of his projected series of New Orleans novels. Many Rivers to Cross is the second novel in the series.[2]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Into thin air DBC26791

Zigal, Thomas. Reading time: 9 hours, 0 minutes.

Read by Bill McLean.

Mystery and Detective Stories

When Kurt Miller, ex-hippie sheriff of Aspen, Colorado, finds a body in the Roaring Fork River, he plunges into a complex case involving Argentinian terrorists, local politics, his own marital problems, and doubts about his suitability for the job. Descriptions of sex, strong language and violence.

Downloaded: October 8, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “Copy Boy” by Shelley Blanton-Stroud

“Copy Boy” by Shelley Blanton-Stroud

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   This story gives you a better idea of what the ‘Oakies” had to endure during the depression. Pretending to be a boy was a survival skill Jane honed to a ‘T’.  Her transformation back to being a young women was very believable and in character with her persona. 

   I enjoyed this book and April Doty did a good job reading the story for NLS.

Shelley Blanton-Stroud: I grew up in California’s Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. I recently retired from teaching writing at Sacramento State University and still consult with writers in the energy industry. I co-direct Stories on Stage Sacramento, where actors perform the stories of established and emerging authors, and serve on the advisory board of 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing nonprofit for children. I’ve also served on the Writers’ Advisory Board for the Belize Writers’ Conference. Copy Boy is my first Jane Benjamin Novel. Tomboy (She Writes Press 2022) will be my second. The third, Working Girl, will come out in November 2023. My writing has been a finalist in the Sarton Book Awards, IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award, the American Fiction Awards, and the National Indie Excellence Awards. I and my husband live in Sacramento with an aging beagle, Ernie, and many photos of our out-of-town sons and their wonderful partners.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Copy boy: a novel DBC26681

Blanton-Stroud, Shelley. Reading time: 9 hours, 22 minutes.

Read by April Doty. A production of Braille and Talking Book Library, California State Library.

Historical Fiction

In the midst of the Great Depression, Jane Benjamin escapes her murderous father by fleeing to San Francisco, changing her identity, and getting a job selling newspapers as a copy boy. But when a girl resembling Jane is beaten into a coma only one block from the newspaper offices, Jane fears that her father has caught up with her, and she’ll do anything to avoid detection. Unrated. Commercial audio book.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Spies lies and exile the extraordinary story of Russian double agent George Blake”

by Simon Kuper

“Spies lies and exile the extraordinary story of Russian double agent George Blake”

by Simon Kuper

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Amazing what a clever person can get away with!  I suspect it happens everyday and is still happening.

   Doug Tisdale did a good job of narrating this story.

From the web:

Simon Kuper is a South African-British author. He writes about sports “from an anthropologic perspective.” Kuper was born in Uganda of South African parents, and moved to Leiden in the Netherlands as a child, where his father, Adam Kuper, was a lecturer in anthropology at Leiden University.

Born: Simon Gad Kuper, Kampala, Uganda

Known for: Sports journalism

Nationality: British

Occupation: Journalist

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Spies lies and exile the extraordinary story of Russian double agent George Blake DB104226

Kuper, Simon; Tisdale, Doug Reading time: 7 hours, 3 minutes.

Doug Tisdale Jr.

True Crime

Social Sciences

Government and Politics

Journalist profiles Cold War British intelligence agent turned Soviet spy George Blake (1922-2020). Topics include Blake’s work as a teenager with the Dutch resistance during World War II, working with British intelligence services, conversion to Communism, life as a double agent, criminal sentencing and jail escape, and life in Russia. Some strong language. 2021.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Keep The Home Fires Burning” by Simon Block

“Keep The Home Fires Burning” by Simon Block

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   When you open a book, you are allowing the author to draw you into the historical fiction of his tale.   You suspend your own ideas and embrace those of the author’s making. I think the author did a good job of bringing these strong women and their village of Great Paxford to life, demonstrating the microcosm of a small rural village’s complexities.

   I didn’t like the ending though. There seemed to be numerous loose threads, perhaps, there will be a sequel. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Simon Block is a British screenwriter and producer best known for his work on the Julie Summers inspired ITV series Home Fires.[1]

Block wrote on several popular dramas, such as Lewis, New Tricks and Hotel Babylon, being a recurring writer with his writing credits appearing Series 3 Episode 1,[2] Series 2 Episode 8[3] and Series 2 Episode 2.[4] Block wrote the first episode of Series 1 of Home Fires alongside Julie Summers who inspired the show with her book. It is about the life of Women’s Institute members on the Home Front during the Second World War. The first series is set between September 1939 and early 1940. However following the first episode Block became the main writer, writing 10 episodes to date.[5]

He co-wrote the historical drama The Physician, based on the novel of the same name by Noah Gordon. The film stars Tom Payne, Ben Kingsley (as physician Avicenna), Stellan Skarsgård, Olivier Martinez and Emma Rigby. In 2015, Block wrote three episode for the historical TV drama A.D. The Bible Continues: “The Tomb Is Open”, “The Body Is Gone” and “The Spirit Arrives”. In 2020, he wrote the Second World War television film The Windermere Children.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Keep the home fires burning DB110013

Block, Simon. Reading time: 15 hours, 45 minutes.

Read by Terry Donnelly.

Historical Fiction

“In Britain’s darkest hour, an extraordinary community of women strives to protect the Home Front. When an enemy plane crashes in the village, every one of their lives will change forever… Return to Great Paxford or join us for your very first visit. Join Frances Barden, Sarah Collingborne, Pat Simms, Miriam Brindsley and the women of the Great Paxford Women’s Institute as calamity hits their beloved village and they prove once again that when women work together they can surmount almost any challenge. Frances struggles as her factory is shut down and her husband’s secret child arrives at her door. Pat received a respite when her abusive husband went to cover the war, but now he’s home. Newlyweds Teresa and Nick come under tremendous pressure due to the secret Teresa hides. Meanwhile, the life of the Campbell family is turned on its head as a serious illness runs its course, and Alison finds new purpose in helping the influx of strangers to the village.Through it all the Women’s Inst

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