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by kate
Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “A Royal Murder” by Verity Bright
Kate’s 2¢: “A Royal Murder” by Verity Bright
“A Royal Murder” by Verity Bright
I enjoyed this light-hearted and spirited story with its twist ending.
From the WEB:
Verity Bright is a pen name for a husband-and-wife writing team who write cozy mystery novels. They write the Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries series. The duo has written together for over a quarter century, writing everything from high-end travel articles to self-improvement and humour books before beginning the Verity Bright pen name.
They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s. The first book in the series is “A very English Murder”.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
A royal murder DB109184
Bright, Verity Reading time: 10 hours, 9 minutes.
Madelyn Buzzard
Mystery and Detective Stories
“At the royal boat race there are beautiful barges, plenty of bunting, a handsome prince and…is that a body in the water? Lady Swift is on the case! Spring, 1923. One-time adventurer and now amateur sleuth Lady Eleanor Swift is attending the annual royal regatta with her new pal Tipsy Fitzroy. Tipsy has Eleanor trussed up like a debutante in a new dress, determined to turn her into a proper society lady. Even Eleanor’s favourite companion, Gladstone the bulldog, has a new outfit for the occasion. But the sparkling prize-giving ceremony is interrupted when the devilishly handsome host gulps his glass of champagne on stage and collapses to the floor. The victim is none other than the king’s cousin, Lord Xander Taylor-Howard. He was rumoured to be entangled in a rather dubious gambling ring, but did someone kill him instead of collecting his debt? Or was this simply an ill-timed tragic accident? Either way, a right royal scandal is afoot…. Sir Percival, the head of the royal police, asks Eleanor for her help investigating. He’d do anything to keep the story under wraps. She knows it will get her into hot water with a certain dapper Detective Seldon, but she’s determined to see justice done. However, as she digs deeper, she learns Lord Taylor-Howard was hiding more than one murky secret. It isn’t until she takes a closer look at the unfortunate royal’s shattered champagne flute that she stumbles upon just the clue she needs. But can she reel in the killer before her ship is sunk too?” — Provided by publisher. Some strong language.
Download A royal murder DB109184
Kate’s 2¢: “Disgraced: by Ayad Akhtar
“Disgraced: by Ayad Akhtar
Well, I don’t appreciate listening to adults arguing about religion and yelling at each other like children, plus the immoral behavior of those adults. I did not enjoy this story.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayad Akhtar (born October 28, 1970) is an American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter of Pakistani heritage, awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His work has received two Tony Award nominations for Best Play, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters[1] and the Edith Wharton Citation for Merit in Fiction.[2] Akhtar’s writing covers various themes including the American-Muslim experience, religion and economics, immigration, and identity. In 2015, The Economist wrote that Akhtar’s tales of assimilation “are as essential today as the work of Saul Bellow, James Farrell, and Vladimir Nabokov were in the 20th century in capturing the drama of the immigrant experience.”[3]
Background and career[edit]
Akhtar was born in Staten Island, New York City, and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His interest in literature was initially sparked in high school.[4] Akhtar attended Brown University, where he majored in theater and religion and began acting and directing student plays.[5] After graduation he moved to Italy to work with Jerzy Grotowski, eventually becoming his assistant.[6] Upon returning to the United States, Akhtar taught acting alongside Andre Gregory and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in film directing from Columbia University School of the Arts.[7]
In 2012, Akhtar published his first novel American Dervish, a coming-of-age story about a Pakistani-American boy growing up in Milwaukee. The book was met with critical acclaim, described by The New York Times as “self-assured and effortlessly told.”[8][9] American Dervish has been published in over 20 languages and was a Kirkus Reviews best book of the year. Akhtar’s narration of the audio book was nominated for an Audie Award in 2013.[10]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Disgraced DB107354
Akhtar, Ayad Reading time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Geoffrey Arend
Drama
Amir has left his Pakistani heritage behind in an attempt to make partner at his corporate law firm, but his wife encourages Amir to help with the case of a controversial imam. A dinner party leads to the unraveling of their carefully constructed lives. Live recording of full-cast dramatic performance. Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2012.
Download Disgraced DB107354
Uncategorized
by kate
Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Huck Out West” by Robert Coover
Kate’s 2¢: “Huck Out West” by Robert Coover
“Huck Out West” by Robert Coover
I think authors should leave the classics alone. The reason they are classics is because they have passed the test of time. Let authors use their creative muse to develop their own voice and story.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Lowell Coover (born February 4, 1932) is an American novelist, short story writer, and T.B. Stowell Professor Emeritus in Literary Arts at Brown University.[1] He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction.
Background[edit]
Coover was born in Charles City, Iowa.[2] He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, received his B.A. in Slavic Studies from Indiana University Bloomington in 1953,[3] then served in the United States Navy from 1953 to 1957, where he became a lieutenant.[4] He received an M.A. in General Studies in the Humanities from the University of Chicago in 1965. In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.[5] Coover has served as a teacher or writer in residence at many universities. He taught at Brown University from 1981 to 2012.[6][7][8]
Coover’s wife is the noted needlepoint artist Pilar Sans Coover.[9][10][11] They have three children, including Sara Caldwell.[12]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Huck out west DB108429
Coover, Robert Reading time: 9 hours, 30 minutes.
Eric Michael Summerer
Adventure
“At the end of Huckleberry Finn, on the eve of the Civil War, Huck and his pal Tom Sawyer “light out for the Territory” to avoid “sivilization.” In Robert Coover’s vision of their Western adventures, Huck and Tom start by joining the famous but short-lived Pony Express. Tom becomes something of a hero and decides he’d rather own civilization than escape it, returning east to get a wife and a law degree. But Huck stays alone in the Territory; he guides wagon trains, scouts for both sides in the war, wrangles horses on a Chisholm Trail cattle drive, joins a bandit gang, finds an ill-fated pal in an army fort and another in a Lakota Sioux tribe, and eventually finds himself in the Black Hills just ahead of the 1876 Gold Rush. In the course of his adventures, Huck reunites with Tom, Jim, and Becky Thatcher and faces some hard truths and harder choices.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.
Download Huck out west DB108429