Water For Elephants: Mystery and Mayhem at the Circus
Posted by Cami Eslick on
September 2, 2008
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
PLOT
The circus comes to town right next door to 93 year old Jacob Jankowski’s nursing home setting off a string of memories. When Jacob was 21 his parents were killed in a car accident and he ended up running off and joining the circus. Jacob’s memories give the readers a behind-the-scenes peek at the greatest show on earth. Like any workplace the circus Jacob works for is full of politics, a pecking order, backstabbing and fighting. When Jacob falls in love with his boss’s wife, he learns that the circus he joins has dark secrets.
SCOOP
This is the first book I’ve ever read that involves the circus. It is not the circus I remember going to. Gruen does a great job researching the circuses that travelled the country on trains back in the 1920’s and 1930’s. This story has great twists and turns and chracters to root for. Guren does a great job describing the acts, I was able to picture the acts in my mind easily. Although the story has some dark parts, it is a fun book to read.
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series: International Fun
Posted by Cami Eslick on
July 27, 2008
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith
PLOT
There are currently 9 books in this delightful series set in the African country of Botswana. In the first book, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Precious Ramotswe inherited a large sum of money when her father passes away. Mma Ramotswe using her inheritance and armed with a book on private detection, she opens The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Each book in the series is filled with intriguing mysteries Mma Ramotswe is hired to solve. Along the way we see her personal life grow as her business prospers. And each book offers a uniquie look at the culture and way of life in Botswana.
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This is a fun series. it is great to have a woman as the lead character, and she’s a detective as well. Mr. Smith was born in Africa and lived in Botswana so he has first hand knowledge of the culture he incorporates into the story. The stories are fun, the other characters are great and every book will give you something to chuckle about and something to think about.
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
A Short History of Nearly Everything: Everything You Never Knew You Wanted to Know
Posted by Cami Eslick on
July 25, 2008
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
This book shows how every science and history book SHOULD be written. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson attempts to tackle the history of the world in an interesting way. I say interesting, but keep in mind the subject matter is still kind of dry (especially the science part). So, although Bryson writes well, this is not a page turner. I tried to read a chapter a day and some days that was hard. The book is full of interesting facts, handy for those who play trivia games. I recommend this book highly, but plan on it taking awhile to get through.
The Book of Eleanor: History Class was Never so Interesting
Posted by Cami Eslick on
July 23, 2008
The Book of Eleanor by Pamela Kaufman
PLOT
Eleanor’s father dies and making her the Duchess of Aquitaine. She is quickly forced into a marriage with the prince of France, Louis VII rather than her childhood love, Baron Rancon. Louis is a religious fanatic who attempts to keep Eleanor under lock and key, but the harder he tries to hold her down, the more she rebels. She finally convinces the Church, the Pope and Louis to give her an annulment so that she may be with her true love, Baron Rancon.
Instead, Eleanor finds herself thrust again into a political marriage to Henry II of England. Henry is much stronger and cunning than Louis was and proves a match for Eleanor. When she backs her sons in a rebellion for the throne, Henry has Eleanor thrown into prison for seventeen long years.
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If you visit this site often you will find that I read a lot of historical fiction. I can’t help it, I love it. And this book has a lot to love. Eleanor is portrayed as a strong, intelligent and independent woman who is trapped by the political plays of the men around her. I couldn’t help but admire her courage and refusal to back down. In addition to a strong character, this book has a love story, politics and power plays and treachery all wrapped into one. This is a delicious book you won’t want to put down.
The Ultimate Reading Quest and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Posted by Cami Eslick on
July 21, 2008
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is one of the books listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It is not a book I would have ever picked up on my own but now I can cross it off my list and continue on with my quest.
PLOT
The main character, Alec Leamas is an agent for the British version of the CIA. In the book they refer to it as the Circus. He was in charge of agents in East Berlin spying on the Praesidium during the cold war. It is now the early 1960s and Leamas’ entire team has been killed by the enemy. After years of service he is tired of the job and ready to call it quits, when he is offered one last job. It’s a job he cannot refuse and so he sets out to accomplish what, for him, will be his crowning achievement without blowing his cover.
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I like suspense, but I’ve never really been into spy novels. The writing in this is kind of dry, but the plot is superb. It has everything I would expect from a spy novel, and keeps you guessing until the very end. It also seems very real life; I could almost believe I was reading a true account and not fiction. I highly recommend this book.
