Six Sentence Saturday-Early Edition

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Happy that I read it...a good read.
2 of Hearts- Just O.K but nothing to write home about.
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

The Passionate Brood by Margaret Campbell Barnes
One of the best things about reading historical fiction is learning about people that I would've otherwise totally missed. I did enjoy getting to know Richard the Lionheart, but I was hoping to see Robin (Robin Hood) fleshed out a bit more. I did do some research about the Crusades and about the Plantegenets, and again I felt the need to read more about this family and the impact they had on their countries. I wish I could say that I was tearing through this one, but I have to admit that it was slow going for me. I found it hard to concentrate on one person and really make a connection. With that being said, I still feel that I can absolutely recommend this one to those die-hard historical fiction fans and especially to those who enjoy learning more about the medieval time period represented in this book. Here's a great place to start to get some background history on King Richard.
My Rating:

(3.5)






Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review.
My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.
They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

'The Debutante' by Kathleen Tessaro (TLC Tour Stop)

Genre: Fiction

About The Debutante (from TLC) A gifted artist, Cate has come to London from New York to escape her recent past. Working for her aunt’s auction house, she is sent down to Devon to value the contents of Endsleigh House, the once gracious but now crumbling estate of a former socialite. There, hidden in the back of a dusty bookshelf, Cate discovers an old shoebox. Inside is a strange assortment of objects: an exquisite pair of dancing shoes circa 1930; a diamond brooch; a photograph of a young sailor; a dance card; and a pearl and emerald Tiffanys bracelet. Intrigued by her find, Cate sets out to solve the mystery of the box, becoming immersed in the story of its owner, Baby Blythe. Bright, beautiful, and reckless, Baby was the most famous debutante of her generation . . . and the most dangerous. As the clues begin to reveal a shocking tale of destructive, addictive love, Cate finds herself being drawn deeper into Baby’s tragic life story—a story that will force Cate to face some dark truths about her own.


Why I wanted to read this book: I've never heard of this author but after reading the premise of the story I thought it would make for an interesting read. I was intrigued with the idea of finding a box with various items in it and then setting out to explore the story behind them.
 
What worked for me:

• Of course, if you've read my blog long enough you'll know that I fall in love easily with all things England. So of course, I fell in love with London and the grand Georgian home tucked away by the water.

• The vulnerability of both Cate and Henry. Each had been hurt in different ways, but they both allowed it to interfere with their ability to move on with their lives and to entertain the idea of finding real love.
• I really liked how the author wrote the story in such a manner that Cate and Baby's life were very parallel to each other even though they were separated by sixty years.
• I loved the letters that Baby wrote to her sister. They helped shape your impression of Baby and allowed the reader to get a personal glimpse into her world.
• I felt like I was watching the movie, "Possession" where two people find clues tucked into the letters exchanged between two poets and therefore, find out a deep, dark secret. This is the same idea here, but Cate finds a box filled with trinkets that she believes belonged to the elusive Baby. She follows the clues in the box and finally solves the mystery of what happened to Baby.

Recommend?  Most certainly! I found this book to be extremely entertaining and I actually finished it in one day!!! If you enjoy your books a bit on the dark side of human nature, with a dash of mystery and romance mixed in, then I think you will like this one.

My Rating: 4/5


Thank you to TLC Book Tours. for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review.
My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.
They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

About Kathleen

Born in Pittsburgh, Kathleen Tessaro emigrated to London where she worked as an actress in films, television, and theater, while training to be a drama teacher and voice coach. She is the author of the novels Elegance, Innocence, and The Flirt. Kathleen currently lives in Pennsylvania.



Please visit the other tour stops HERE.


© 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What are you reading?

Mailbox Monday

is hosted by Julie @ Knitting and sundries (October Host)
We share what books that we found 

in our mailboxes last week.

Kiss at Your Own Risk- review book from Sourcebooks
Queen Hereafter- TLC Tour stop book December 14th

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hosted by Sheila
One Persons Journey Through a World of Books
Weekly meme where we discuss the books you've read
and those you plan to read in the coming week.

Read and reviewed last week:

The Forever Queen- fantastic historical fiction read 4/5

The Exile: An Outlander Grapic Novel- overall an enjoyable read 3.75/5

Desiree- what a truly intriguing woman...must read for fans of historical fiction/France/Sweden 4/5

Tentative reviews for this week:

The Debutante- TLC Tour Stop Tuesday

The Passionate Brood- Thursday

On my nightstand:

'Desiree' by Annemarie Selinko

Genre: Historical Fiction

About:(From Sourcebooks) An enchanting tale of the life of Bernardine Eugenie Desiree Clary (1777-1860), a silk merchant's daughter and Napoleon's first fiancee. Reborn through the beloved words of Danish writer Annemarie Selinko is Desiree.

Why I wanted to read this book:

• I knew absolutely NOTHING about this woman Desiree and found her story to be so intriguing that I just knew I had to read this book.

What worked for me:

• Desiree- I wish I could get in a time machine and meet her! She was truly fascinating and her story is quite unbelievable, but true. She came from humble beginnings, found herself a part of Napoleon's court, married for love, and ended up crowned Queen of Sweden. She was a loyal wife, a nurturing mother, a devoted friend, and a trusted sister. She was a brave soul and was probably one of the only people who was able to get Napoleon to bend to her requests.

• All of the historical information was at times overwhelming and there are still a few things about Napoleon's reign that are a bit fuzzy to me, but I found myself stopping and getting on the computer to look up certain events and people. I like books that make me want to know more!
• The love story between Desiree and her husband Jean-Baptiste. Their feelings ran deep and true, and the way they protected each other was heartwarming.
• Napoleon was certainly a man who thought much of himself. At the beginning of the book I found myself actually liking the young Napoleon, especially when he expresses his love for Desiree and they become engaged. Then he goes to Paris for a year and behind Desiree's back he gets engaged to Josephine. That is where the manipulation of people really becomes evident. He was such a pompous fool strutting around in his weird little uniforms. When he crowns himself Emperor of France I was amazed that the French didn't get out the death machine (guillotine) and have the ladies bring their knitting while they removed his head from his body!!! The amount of money he spent on himself and all of his bumbling idiot family members is outrageous. Desiree's heart was broken when she found out about Napoleon's betrayal ,but in hindsight that was the best thing that happened to her.
• The writing and research that went into this book is quite impressive. I'm very grateful that Sourcebooks has given this book new life. Desiree is one woman that you'll be glad that you took the time to get to know!

What you should do before reading this book:

• Once again I've found that by doing a bit of research online has helped me get to know the people in this book a bit better. I found some great pictures of Desiree. It was a very cool feeling to see how beautiful she was and to put a face to her name. 

                         Desiree Clary                     Jean Baptiste Bernadotte      

Recommend? I would recommend this book without hesitation. I recently read and loved "The Secret History of the Pink Carnation." Reading Desiree brought situations from that book to life and has ignited my desire to delve into this period of history again. So, for those that enjoy historical fiction that take real people and expand on their lives, I am sure you will love this book.

My Rating: 4/5


Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review.
My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.
They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.





About the author:
Annemarie Selinko was born in Vienna in 1914. She was a successful journalist and novelist. In 1938 she moved to Copenhagen, and subsequently lived in Stockholm, Paris, and London, before returning to Copenhagen. Annemarie Selinko died in Copenhagen in 1986. Desiree is dedicated to the memory of her sister Liselotte, murdered by Nazis in WWII.

© 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel' by Diana Gabaldon

Genre: Graphic Novel
Author: Diana Gabaldon
About:Gabaldon gives readers a fresh look at the events of the original Outlander: Jamie Fraser's side of the sotry, gorgeously rendered by artist Hoang Nguyen.
Published: September 2010

 3 Reasons Review

I am trying out a new review format today called "3 Reasons Review". Jen from Jenny loves to read and I have chatted about coming up with a simple review format.  Something with just the basics of what readers would want to know about a book.  Some books do not require an in-depth analysis, yet as reviewers we still strive to get the important bits across to our readers. Therefore, the 3 Reasons, came from what Jenny and I think are most important. Didn't come up with a fancy button yet, but working on it.
(If you have suggestions about this new format, please let me know.) I copied this directly from Jen's blog and just changed the order of our names so it made sense. Believe me Jenny came up with almost all of this!!! She rocks!

1.) Reasons you chose this book

I have loved The Outlander series since the moment I cracked open book one. I also happen to enjoy graphic novels so when the two collided how could I resist?

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

This wasn't a total love affair for me. There were some elements I liked while there were others that I thought went over the top.

• The artwork is absolutely beautiful! I'm glad that the characters resembled somewhat how I think Jamie and Claire may look. Of course, the backside of Jamie is outstanding in this book!!!

• It took me a while to get a grasp on who was who...because I did feel that a few faces looked very similar so I got Jamie confused with his uncle a time or two. I really had to rack my brain for some of the characters too because this is based on the first book and also Jamie's POV. I think if I read it again the missing pieces would fall into place.

• There was just wayyyy tooooo much boobage!!!!!! I get that this is a graphic novel, but do I for one minute believe that Claire would have 'the girls' almost popping out of the top of her dresses??? Um, no.

• I'm glad that Diana really listened to her fans and let them look at drawings of Jamie pre-publication. She is big on having her fans involved and for that I commend her. I liked her personal reasons for creating a graphic novel. For some they may think that the idea of a graphic novel came out of left field, but Diana has been involved with comics for quite some time. Did you know that she used to write cartoons for Disney???

3.) Reasons you are recommending this book

• If you're a die-hard fan of Outlander then I have no doubt that you will want to add this quick graphic novel to your list of must-read books.
• The scene of Jamie and Claire's wedding night!! Ohlala!!!! Gasp...it was a bit risky, but I will admit to turning back to it several times. Click on this for the picture!!
• Overall, it was a fun read for me, but it wasn't the best graphic novel I've ever read. I would read the next one if she decided to go further with the graphic novel concept.
• I would recommend that you check this one out from your library.

Rating: 3.75/5

Click icon for more
book review blogs
@Barrie Summy

'The Forever Queen' by Helen Hollick (Sourcebooks Fall Reading Club Pick)

Genre: Historical Fiction

About:(From Sourcebooks)One of historical fiction's most talented authors tells one of the most unique and riveting stories of medieval England. Emma of Normandy was anointed, crowned, and the reigning queen to two different kings, the mother of two more, and the great aunt of William the Conqueror. Little has been written of this great woman and her tumultuous life, until now.....

Why I wanted to read this book:

• I am a huge fan of historical fiction and truly enjoy this genre. What really drew me to this story was that I had never heard of Queen Emma and I wanted to learn more about her life.

What worked for me:

• The descriptions! Wow..I felt like I was there in medieval England. Hollick has a magical way with her words which really brought the story to life for me.

• Emma- She is an amazing woman and I'm truly astounded that more books have not been written about her. This woman was given in marriage when she was only thirteen years old. Could you imagine that??? Seriously! Her first husband was such a horrible man and she managed to live through his reign. She had to grow up overnight and learn to trust her instincts. I liked how she often reflected on advice from her mother and when she became a mother herself, understood why she experienced such a distant relationship with her own. For a queen it never was a good thing to become too attached to your children.
• I enjoyed how the author broke the book up into smaller books with each husband/son's reign. Hollick really laid the groundwork so that the reader could get a very personal look into Emma's world and how she continued to keep the crown.
• I became very attached to Emma and her  friend Godwine. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes with all of the political intrigue, back stabbers, rumors whirling about you without at least one trusted friend.
• I found myself romanticizing her marriage with Cnut and I sincerely hope that they did experience a love affair. So often I think of royalty marriages as being made for alliances only, with no consideration of love for either person. To think they may have been soul mates makes my heart feel good. 

What didn't work for me:

• The first book which explores Emma's life being married to AEthelred was a bit tedious. There's so much information to get through, but trust me the book picks up in Part two...so don't give up!!
• The family tree in the front was very confusing!! I study these as if my life depends on it and it still takes forever for it all to sink in. Plus, their names are a pain in the tush because more than one person has the same name!!

What you should do before reading this book:

• I would recommend that you read some online biographies of Emma. I went online while I was reading this because I was having a hard time keeping everyone straight. This particular biography helped me quite a bit.

Recommend? Absolutely, especially if you're a huge historical fiction fan. I love learning while I'm reading especially when it's entertaining, so I would not hesitate to tell others to read this. Yes, it is a chunkster, but so worth it. I didn't want it to end even after 622 pages and imagine my sheer delight when I discovered that Hollick is working on the next book in the Lost Kingdom 1066 series, Harold the King!!! Yay!!!

My Rating: 4/5


Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review.
My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.
They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.





About the author: Helen Hollick is the author of The Pendragon's Banner Series, The Forever Queen, and the Spring 2011 release, The Man Who Lost England. She lives in London, England with her husband, daughter, and a variety of pets. She has two major interests: Roman/Saxon Britain and the Golden Age of Piracy (the early eighteenth century.) Her particular pleasure is researching the facts behind the small glimpses of history and bringing the characters behind those facts to full and glorious life. She has an Honors Diploma in Early Medieval History and is the co-scriptwriter for the move project 1066. For more information, please visit Helen Hollick.


Please visit the other tour stops Here!

© 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What are you reading?

Mailbox Monday

is hosted by Julie @ Knitting and sundries (October Host)
We share what books that we found 

in our mailboxes last week.

City of Tranquil Light- from Henry Holt & Co. for review
The Septembers of Shiraz- from Laura Duet Thanks Laura!!
Falling Home- from publisher for review (I'm more than excited to read this one!!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hosted by Sheila
One Persons Journey Through a World of Books
Weekly meme where we discuss the books you've read
and those you plan to read in the coming week.

Read and reviewed last week:

Jane and the Damned- This one just did not work for me 2.5/5

Tentative reviews for this week:

The Forever Queen- Sourcebooks Fall Reading Pick Tuesday

The Exile- Outlander Graphic Novel Wednesday Book Club Review

Desiree- Thursday

On my nightstand: