90. By George

By Wesley Stace
Rated: 4 1/2 Stars


"In the illustrious history of the theatrical Fishers, there are two boys named George: one is an eleven-year-old schoolboy, the other a ventriloquist's dummy. With no voice of his own but plenty to say, the dummy tells his life story: his humble beginnings in 1930 as a block of wood and some papier-mache, his fateful rise to vaudeville fame, and the horrible secret he's been made to keep. But the dummy has long since been laid to rest, forgotten and abandoned in the Fishers' dusty attic." "In 1973, his self-possessed bur vulnerable namesake finds himself packed off to boarding school for the first time, far from the bosom of his family - his mother, Frankie, a dynamic actress; his grandma Queenie, children's party entertainer extraordinaire; and his bedridden great-grandmother, still in charge, though an echo of her glorious past. When fate brings the two Georges together, the dummy has been silent too long." "From the author of the international bestseller Misfortune comes an utterly original novel of a flawed but formidable family - its dominant women, its disgruntled men, its decades-old secrets - and of two boys who find that truth is not always best out in the open. Wesley Stace writes of lies and mistakes, of heroism and failure, of knowing when to keep quiet and knowing when to speak, and of our innate and wholly human struggle to find a voice of our very own."--BOOK JACKET.

90. To The Last Salute

The Memoirs of an Austrian U-Boat Captain
Rated 4 Stars

Regardless of whether or not von Trapp tried to make himself look good, I found this book very interesting. I have always been fascinated by submarines this look at early U-Boats was certainly enlightening. I also proves to me that men are just a little bit crazy. I cannot imagine a sane person setting out to sea to conduct warfare in the boats that are described in this book.

I also never imagined that railway cars could have bed bugs in the upholstery. The things you learn when you read!


"Captain von Trapp's narrative of his wartime U-boat exploits has lurked in German and French for generations and now finds an adequate translator into English in one of his granddaughters. He almost certainly always tried to put his best foot forward, and he emerges from his account as a man of great skill, considerable compassion (even for his victims), and sufficient tact and tolerance to handle the kind of polyglot crews that sailed for the Dual Monarchy. In two submarines, the antique U-5 and the French prize, U-14, he became the highest scoring Austro-Hungarian submariner, despite equipment that was sometimes more dangerous to him and his men than to the enemy. He fought on to the end, knowing that the Dual Monarchy he served so well was crumbling. In the end, he gave the last salute of the title when the imperial flag was hauled down for the last time." BOOK JACKET

89. The Choice

By Nicholas Sparks
Rated 2 Stars

This is probably the worse book Sparks has written. The dialogue comes across as forced in spots and the whole concept of the book is a variation of a story he has done to death. How many ways can he kill off his heroines? Below is the blurb from amazon.

Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life--boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him ... and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heart wrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

88. Harold The King

By Helen Hollick
Rated: 4 1/2 Stars


"In her epic story, retelling the tide of events that led to the Norman Conquest, Helen Hollick shows us the truth. England 1044. The Godwine family is one of the most powerful families in England. As Earl Godwine's six sons start to reach maturity, so they are rewarded with power and influence. Harold Godwine, skilled at both the machinations of court and at fighting, has inherited all his father's diplomatic skills - but none of his lust for battle. In France, William, bastard son of a duke, is brought up at the court, but trained to be a soldier. Attractive and arrogant, he is an exciting leader, inspiring his men to ever greater victories.

Though still precociously young, his fame begins to spread. When events in England take a dramatic and bloody turn, the Godwines are forced into exile. They must fight their way back into favour, and a power struggle ensues, which will eventually make Harold king. But William has already seen the weakness which exists in England ... the Battle of Hastings is the terrible and bloody result.

Following the battle, William's spindoctors justify the atrocities that have taken place and his claim to the throne. They advise him to build Battle Abbey as a penance, and ensure that all information comes from Norman sources. In this masterly and colourful recreation, Helen Hollick weaves together the history of a powerful family of noblemen, with that of the aggressive bastard of Normandy - culminating in the fierce and tragic battle which changed the course of England's history."
Bolton Evening News, 21 Oct 2000.

"This re-telling of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 through the eyes of the men and women involved mixes together historical fact with plenty of personality. Hollick, whose previous novels were about Arthurian Britain, juxtaposes the stories of Harold and William as events conspire to produce the Norman Conquest.

87. King Hereafter

By Dorothy Dunnett
Rated: 5 stars plus

This is another book in my Great 2007 Reread Adventure and probably my favorite book ever. Before I read it English History started for me when William invaded England. I suppose I must have imagined the entire island of Britain lying dormant between the time when the Romans left until William of Normandy arrived. I had no idea it was such a busy place during the so called Dark Ages.


The story of the historical MacBeth this is, in my opinion, the best historical novel ever written.

86. The Canterbury Tales

By Geoffrey Chaucer
Rated 4 Stars

I only read three of the stories included in this book. The Reeve's Tale, The Knight's Tale, and The Wife of Bath.

This is another on of those books I am gong to plug along with. I was really surprised at how bawdy the stories were. I can see why some places banned them.

85. Shadows & Lies

By Marjorie Eccles
Rated: Four Stars

This was a better than average mystery. I have not run across that many books that are based on The Boar War and I learned what the siege of Mafking was all about. For the part of the book that was set there made it a worthwile read alone.

Below is the blurb from the book jacket:


"It is the year 1910 and the bloodstained body of an unknown woman is found on the grounds of Sir Henry Chetwynd's Shropshire estate. A reluctant heir to the estate, Sebastian Chetwynd is already battling with divided loyalties: his ambition for a career of his own and his father's expectation that he follow in his footsteps, and his duty to marry for money when he is in love with Louisa, a student doctor and supporter of women's rights." "Unknown to the Chetwynds, there is Hannah, living in London, who has lost her memory of everything that happened in the dozen years previous to a serious accident. In an attempt to unravel her past, Hannah writes down the story of her life as far as she can remember it. As she reaches out to grasp and piece together the fragments of those missing years, it seems that the ongoing murder investigation in Shropshire could hold the key." "Switching between troubled South Africa in the last years of the nineteenth century and the murder in England ten years later, Marjorie Eccles's delicate narrative reveals the lies and deceptions that have lain beneath the veneer of polite Edwardian society."--BOOK JACKET.

84. Stardust

By Neil Gaiman
Rated 4 Stars

In the 18-century village of Wall dwells young Tristran Thorn, whose parentage is both human and faerie. This is the tale of Tristran's quest for a fallen star, his crossing into a world beyond the wall, and the discovery of his faerie bloodline.

In other words it's a 238 page fairy tale. This is not a YA book but it certainly could be. It has a couple of dark moments but so do all fairy tales. Overall it's a very swet story, wel written with a little sly humor woven in.

83. A Famine of Horses

By P. F. Chislom
Rated 4 Stars

This book is part of my Great 2007 Reread Adventure. I meant to follow up with the next one but got distracted. I will get there eventually. I may have to start calling it the Great 2007/2008 Reread Adventure.

Our hero is Robert Carey, the son of Lord Hundson, Queen Elizabeth's Lord Chamberlain and her first cousin through their mothers', Mary and Ann Boleyn. Hundson is also, however, in this novel, historically he may not have been, the bastard son of Henry VIII. So Robert Carey, new deputy warden, more like sheriff really, of one the two main border keeps, is the grandson of the late great Tudor king himself. Unfortunately, Carey's noble bloodlines and his courtier experience is not going to matter a jot to the rough hewn Scottish and English clans around the border. Their main interests are feuding, cattle and horse "reiving," an old word for rustling, and occasionally killing each other. Carey's brother-in-law, Lord Scrope has just become Warden of the March after the death of his father. Unfortunately for everyone Lord Scrope is not exactly brilliant, even if his wife, Carey's sister, Lady Philadelphia, is plenty smart. Meanwhile, the dead body of Sweetmilk Graham, favorite son of one of the leading clan chiefs, Jock of Peartree, has just been discovered on an old battlefield. Jock thinks he knows who did it and wants to pursue a vendetta against Carey's new local man, Seargent Dodd, while Carey isn't so sure, and would like to introduce the concept of Justice to the lawless frontier. Not that anyone on the lawless frontier cares. Carey is willing to go to great lengths and place himself in the middle of a mysterious anti-royal plot to prove his mettle, solve the mystery of Sweetmilk's murder, bring the murderer to Justice, and incidentally find out why all the horses south of the border have suddenly disappeared. But his love, Lady Elizabeth Widdrington, is the real reason he's turned up in these parts. And she's very concerned about his predilection for adventure, a little bit less concerned about her husband. It's an entertaining story, with fun yet believable characters, and even the hero makes human sometimes stupid and serious mistakes.

82. Eclipse

By Stephanie Meyers
Rated: 4 Stars

I liked this book slightly less than I did the two before but overall this really is the better book.

The author has done a marvelous job of getting into the head of her characters and in the two previous books Bella was the typical self absorbed teenager that it is no wonder she connected not only with her peers but also was believable to those of us who have been through this stage with teenage girls.

In this book Bella starts to grow up a little and starts to consider how her decisions and actions will effect her parents and friends. Edward, who is much older than Bella has a much more mature attitude and tries to make Bella aware of what she is getting herself into. I wish that it hadn't taken a whole book for Bella to begin to notice that her actions will have, to say the very least, extremely long lasting consequences. The baby vampire rampage was a little obvious as a plot device but I guess it was necessary.

The one honest complaint I have is that I really got tired of Jacob and his whining by the end. He knew up front how things stood between Bella and Edward and I thought he should have been a better loser.