93. Ahab's Wife

By Sena Jeter Naslund
Rated: 4 Stars on First Half of book
2 1/2 Stars on Second Half


I really loved the first half of this book. At age 12, Una escapes her religiously obsessed father in rural Kentucky to live with relatives in a lighthouse off New Bedford, Mass. When she is 16 disguised as a boy she runs off to sea aboard a whaler, which sinks after being rammed by its quarry. Una and two young men who love her are the only survivors of a group set adrift in an open boat. This is all high drama, beautifully written and kept me happily turning pages in anticipation of what might come next.

Then comes the second half and it's my opinion the author decided that she wanted to write Great Literature after all and with less skill than confidence started stuffing everything she could think of into poor Una's head. Una's bigamous marriage to Ahab, the loss of her mother and her newborn son in one night, and her life as a rich woman in Nantucket are further developments in a plot that often lacked credibility. Una's skepticism about traditional religion, her ability to slip into and out of marriages with little or no thought, and her advocacy against slavery and women's rights gives her a larger than life personality with a solid 20th Century POV that is entirely out of place in this novel.

Additionally the author clutters up the book by including such real life figures as writer Margaret Fuller and astronomer Maria Mitchell, Frederick Douglas, and the poet Emerson to name a few. By the end of the book I was yawning and forcing myself to finish.

92. The Accidental Mother

By Rowan Coleman
Rated 4 Stars

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. I have to give this author credit for taking a story line that is cliched in the Romance genre and turning it into an charming piece of chic lit. After my last book I needed something to make me smile.


FROM BACK OF BOOK: Sophie Mills adores her shoe collection and her job as a corporate party planner in London. Her career is all-consuming, which is fine because she can never make a decision when it comes to men. Just when she is finally about to accept a lunch date, a social worker informs her that her best friend since grade school, Carrie, has died, naming Sophie guardian of her two daughters, six-year-old Bella and three-year-old Izzy. Reluctantly, Sophie agrees to take care of the children until their father, who left three years ago, can be located. How hard can it be to temporarily take care of two girls? And she did promise Carrie, even though she was drunk at the time. Sophie has a lot to learn about children, and by caring for Bella and Izzy, she discovers what it means to be connected to people rather than focused on her next promotion. British author Coleman creates witty and endearing characters and delivers an exceptional and touching read about loss and love.

91. Whose Voice the Waters Heard

by Robert Vaughan

Rated: 1 Star and 3 Stars depending on what I looked at to rate this book.

The biggest problem that I had with this book is that it doesn't know what kind of book it wants to be. It was part WWII action novel for 13 year old boys, part romantic fantasy for 13 year girls, part ghost story and Evangelical proselytising for members of the Christian right of all ages..

There are however, a couple of good things about this book so in the interest of fairness I would like to point them out. The author did a pretty good job of describing the interior of a WWII submarine and I didn't notice any misspelled words. Now since I have never been aboard a WWII submarine that wasn't encased in concrete I can't be sure that he did a good job of describing it but it all sounded plausible to me and I wanted to give the author a break here. I will also admit that I finished it instead of giving into the urge to wall bang it as I was sorely tempted to do in a couple of parts. That's got to say something, although I am not exactly sure what.


While I have no objections to books that include people of the Christian faith practicing their religion. I do object when an author clearly has a Christian agenda and clumsily tries to beat the reader over the head with it. There were several times when I had to suspend disbelief to the point where it completely obscured any credibility the story might have had otherwise.

And last but not least was the constant name dropping. It was as if the author was trying to establish legitimacy for his characters by throwing dozens of well know and respected personalities from that era into his character's paths and giving them some luster via personal connection. Actually the author did a pretty good job of drawing his characters. He really didn't need to create all that clutter that had nothing to do with the story.

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.