![]() There is a great deal to be learned about, and from, James Madison. Madison was also involved in one of the most unique, powerful, extraordinary and remarkably interesting friendships and political alliances in the history of the United States, with Thomas Jefferson. He was the Sponsor of Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the second Rector (President) of the University of Virginia, the founder of one of the earliest political parties and Secretary of State. Madison was the author, co-author and/or primary “champion” of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, The Federalist Papers, the Virginia Declaration of Rights (the section on religious freedom) and the Virginia Resolution of 1798. But while he is the least well-known among this group, he was in no way the least accomplished. After four books and almost 2,000 pages, I still find Madison as enigmatic as any of the presidents before him. ![]() James Madison may have provided the fewest biographies for me to read among the first four presidents but he certainly offered no less mystery. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Kelly's rich images and setting, believable relationships and a touch of magic take this story far. Calpurnia lives with her parents, grandfather and her six brothers. She is a middle child born between 6 brothers. She is the only girl among seven children. The story begins in hot summer of 1899, a few decades after the Civil War, when Calpurnia Virginia Tate, Callie Vee, is about to turn twelve. ![]() ” Callie's transformation into an adult and her unexpected bravery make for an exciting and enjoyable read. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly follows the above mentioned young lady through her eleventh year in 1899. ‘The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate’ is a historical novel written by Jacqueline Kelly for young adults. Callie follows her passion for knowledge, coming to realize her family “had their own lives. Together they dream up experiments and seek answers to backyard phenomena, discovering something new about the invisible world each day. ![]() She spends most of her time with Harry, “the one brother who could deny me nothing,” slowly befriending her Granddaddy, a mysterious naturalist who studies everything from pecan distillation to microscopic river bugs. “I would live my life in a tower of books,” she thinks to herself. To her family's dismay, Callie is stubborn, independent and not interested in darning socks or perfecting her baking skills like a lady. ![]() Kelly's first novel presents spirited heroine Calpurnia (Callie) Virginia Tate, a middle child with six brothers, growing up in the isolation of Fentress, Tex., in 1899. Life at the turn of the century is not easy for a girl who loves books and science. ![]() ![]() ![]() This book grates on me because it beats you over the head with its moral lessons about beauty and recycling while ignoring other important lessons like speaking kindly or sympathizing with those who are in trouble. *A good host collects guests' paper cups for recycling before they are done with them so they will have to waste another paper cup. *Even after doing a day's worth of slave labor, a good slave should have a side business. (Didn't we hear this already in the antebellum South?) *If one finds one's self enslaved, one is expected not to mind it. *It is okay to say rude things to a shallow, unintelligent brother, even though his "amazingly stupid" plan gets results sooner. Marrying someone after knowing her for only one evening is advisable if based on mutual unattractiveness and sense of humor. *Marrying someone after knowing her for only one evening is shallow if based on mutual physical attraction. *Good-looking people are obviously stupid. *Frumpiness is a virtue called "practicality" showing up under-dressed to a formal ball is NOT a sign of ineptitude, contrary to popular belief. ![]() ![]() ![]() Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. It inspired me as a writer and still remains hugely inspirational.” -Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich AsiansĪmy Tan’s beloved, New York Times bestselling tale of mothers and daughtersįour mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. For me, it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime reading experiences that you cherish forever. From the moment I first started reading it, I knew it was going to be incredible. “ The Joy Luck Club is one of my favorite books. ![]() ![]() ![]() As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.įeaturing what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. ![]() The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. ![]() ![]() There was just so much weirdness, and I think it had to do with not knowing these Tales of the Hinterland, though Melissa is rumored to be writing that book too! I still can't put my finger on what exactly makes this world so hard for me to grasp, I really chalk it up to not knowing much about these other fairy tales that the story surrounds itself around. On top of that, I remembered struggling with that one too. ![]() I'll admit, my memory of The Hazel Wood was dicey. Finch is determined to bring her back to the home she knows. Yet when he realizes something has happened to Alice, that she's in fact, Alice-Three-Times, a being of the Hinterland. This is basically Finch's shortened version of the story as seen from his perspective.įinch sees a lot of crazy things in this world. ![]() While the Goodreads description says this takes place after The Hazel Wood, it seemed to me that it more so took place DURING the first book. The Boy Who Didn't Come Home is Melissa Albert's short little story about Ellery Finch, the boy who believed in the Hinterland and the tales that came from there. ![]() My review is completely and honest and voluntary, I was in no way compensated for this review. I received this short little story from the publisher as a gift for preordering The Night Country. Readers will find out what Finch has been up to since The Hazel WoodĮnded, and before The Night Country begins. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Guest Cat is a short book, but descriptions like these often have allusions. In addition, there was a smaller cobalt-blue Chinese porcelain planter farther away from the veranda, at the edge of the pond, filled with the same black water and more water lilies. Hiraide handles this by focusing on minute detail:Ī pond, which received water cascading over a waterfall, was located in the center of the garden a little to the east, and there were two planters for water lilies–embracing more than one variety of the aquatic flower–embedded in the earth a short distance from the pond and near the veranda. ![]() Rather, it meditates on the normal gifts of life, and, as you should expect from Japanese literature, how transient they can be. This isn’t a romance novel or anything of the sort. The couple gets along well, with only normal, small arguments. The work-from-home couple then has to find a new apartment, one away from Chibi. When one of the couple’s elderly landlords dies, the widow decides to sell the property. The main drama of the story centers around everyday events. She hunts insects in the gardens of the neighborhood and makes herself at home when given a chance. Chibi doesn’t do anything a cat wouldn’t normally do. It’s hard to believe that is over 30 years ago! The author isn’t familiar with cats, so Chibi’s antics surprise and delight him. The novella offers a detailed slice of life set in the late 1980s. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide focuses on a childless couple who is adopted by the neighbor’s cat. ![]() ![]() ![]() So here's what you absolutely need to know about Beloved. But since the author is none other than the esteemed, Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, you better believe that the book is way more than that story. Yep-this is one of those "based on a true story" books. She would have killed her other children and herself, too, but she was caught before she could complete the deed.Īnd there you have the starting point for Beloved. It's actually a true story: back in 1856, a runaway slave named Margaret Garner killed one of her kids-a two-year-old girl-with a butcher knife, in order to keep her away from slave catchers. Sounds like one of those crazy mothers who ends up on the evening news, right? Close. Toni Morrison's Beloved: Novel Study Guide IntroductionĪ mother slits her baby girl's throat because she has this deranged idea that she's saving her daughter from a fate worse than death. ![]() ![]() ![]() My History is a heartfelt memoir that is also a love letter to a British way of life that has all but disappeared. Her memories of holidays spent at Dunsany Castle and Pakenham Hall, a stint as "Miss Tony" selling hats in a London department store, and her early days working in publishing are all told in her singular, irresistible voice. The relocation had profound effects on her life, not the least of which was her education at a Catholic convent and her eventual conversion from the Protestant faith to Catholicism. ![]() The book made such an impression that it inspired her to write Mary, Queen of Scots thirty years later.īorn into British aristocracy, the author's idyllic early childhood was interrupted by a wartime evacuation to North Oxford. ![]() Marshall as a Christmas present in 1936, Antonia Fraser's deep love of history has been a constant in her remarkable life. The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author shares vivid memories of her childhood and recalls the experiences that set her on the path to a writing life.Įver since she received Our Island Story by H. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.įresh off of Anger Is a Gift's smashing success, Oshiro branches out into a fantastical direction with their new YA novel, Each of Us a Desert.Īt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match. One night, Xo's wish is granted-in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town's murderous conqueror. Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enigmatic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes. Xochitl is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village's stories into its arid winds. From award-winning author Mark Oshiro comes a powerful coming-of-age fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life ![]() |