![]() ![]() ![]() She even had one leg shorter than the other, and later in life wore a special shoe to equalize her gait. In fact, Louise de Valliere (Petite) attracted his attention more for her horsemanship– excelling most of the men at court–than for her feminine beauty. At the beginning of their story, he was handsome young Louis and she was Petite. A moving romance dominates the story line.Īdd to that, a well chosen heroine who in real life became the mistress of King Louis XIV, who would come down in history as The Sun King.Sandra Gulland writes well researched historical novels.I’m planning my first trip to France, and I’ll be visiting Versailles. ![]() I thoroughly enjoyed Mistress of the Sun. NOTE: Please check out Sandra Gulland’s further travel advice on her web site. Book: Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland (Paperback released in May, 2009) ![]()
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![]() ![]() Jared was getting his four young children ready for bed when he said, “Aaron, you should join us for our bedtime story. It is a story where their gifts are needed and their character matters.Įarly in the Spring of 2016, I was staying with my best friend, Jared, and his family, before he and I set out to hike a segment of the Appalachian Trail. Through a series of twists and turns Heather and Picket elude the wolves and arrive at a hidden outpost, Cloud Mountain, where they learn their lives are caught up in a much larger, more dangerous story. ![]() The Green Ember follows Heather and Picket, two young rabbit siblings, as they race to escape a pack of wolves who have just burned their home and captured their family. I’ll share the strengths of the story that have made me a fan, the four most common criticisms and concerns, and what I think you can expect if you family chooses to dive into the story of The Green Ember. In this review, I’ll share how I discovered the book and how my expectations were set. This is apparent from the hundreds of online reviews I’ve read of The Green Ember. The opinion we form of any book is greatly determined by the expectations we bring to it. ![]() ![]() I start with an outline and then get lots of ideas while I write. ![]() One of his favorite things to do is visit schools, where he talks about what it's like to be a writer.ĭo you have a solid outline before writing, or do you usually get ideas as you go along?īoth. ![]() He tries to observe young people whenever he can, and when he can't, he will eavesdrop on their conversations in places where they hang out. Todd Strasser writes his books largely out of his own experience or remembered feeling, and always with his readers in mind. Hello, LitPickers! Today, we’ve got Todd Strasser on the set of “Extra Credit”! Todd is the author of the Help! I ’ m Trapped … series. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and several have been adapted for TV and film, including The Wave (2008), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be a Netflix series in 2019, and the 1997 movie, Drive Me Crazy.ĮXTRA CREDIT INTERVIEW WITH TODD STRASSER: ![]() ![]() and gripping suspense.” Todd’s Help! I’m Trapped In … middle-grade series sold more than 5 million copies world-wide. Todd Strasser is the author of many award-winning YA novels, including The Wave, Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, and Fallout, which the New York Times called, “Superb entertainment. ![]() ![]() ![]() Civic Storytelling: The Rise of Short Forms and the Agency of Literature Florian FuchsĪ deep history of storytelling as a civic agency, recalibrating literature’s political role for the twenty-first century. ![]() Amerasia Elizabeth Horodowich and Alexander NagelĪ connected world as imagined by early modern European artists, mapmakers, and writers, where Asia and the Americas were on a continuum.Screening Fears: On Protective Media Francesco CasettiĪ historical and theoretical investigation of the unexpected ways screen-based media protect and excite viewers’ fears and anxieties of the world.Tricks of the Light: Essays on Art and Spectacle Jonathan CraryĮssays on media systems and contemporary art by a leading theorist of modern visual culture. ![]() ![]() ![]() If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. ![]() She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.Īgainst all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. ![]() ![]() ![]() In a John Garfield biography(He ran all the way written by: Robert Nott), Jeffrey Lynn is quoted as saying "I never felt like I fit in. I really couldn't understand, why Jeffrey had such a small and unimportant role in a film, that he is billed third in. ![]() While John Garfield's Gabriel Lopez is sarcastic and cool, Johnny is obnoxious and somewhat corny(I hate saying that!). 'Johnny' Heming, the girls friend and is secretly in love with Priscilla Lane's Buff Masters. With a small role, Jeffrey's character isn't exactly nice either. His role is very small and you almost forget completely that he's even in the movie. With his name being in the third billing, I had the thought that his role would be fairly large but unfortunately I was wrong. My reason for being so anxious into seeing this, was because it had the original cast of "Four Daughters" and that of course, Jeffrey Lynn would be in it. ![]() Fay Bainter and Donald Crisp were new to the already established cast. The film was made in 1939 and starred 10 of the original cast of "Four Daughters". Last night, I watched what I've been anticipating for a while to see, "Daughters Courageous". ![]() ![]() While he attended Liverpool Collegiate, Johnson was actively involved in that city's punk rock/ new wave scene of the late 1970s. The two shared an interest in Marc Bolan and David Bowie. ĭuring his second year at the Liverpool Collegiate, Johnson and his friend were teased and nicknamed "Jolly Johnson" and "Honey Heath". At fourteen, Johnson took on the name Holly, inspired by actress Holly Woodlawn, a friend of Andy Warhol. He started his education in Liverpool at St Mary's Church of England primary school and at age eleven went to the Liverpool Collegiate School in Everton. ![]() Johnson was the third of four children and was nicknamed Billy as a child. His paternal grandfather Patrick was Irish and his maternal grandfather Patrick McGlouchlin was of 3/4 Indian descent. Johnson was born on 9 February 1960 in Liverpool, England, to Eric and Pat ( née McGlouchlin) Johnson. In the 1990s, he also embarked on writing, painting, and printmaking careers. ![]() Two singles from the album – " Love Train" and " Americanos" – reached the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart. In 1989, Johnson's debut solo album, Blast, reached number one in the UK albums chart. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he was a bassist for the band Big in Japan. ![]() William Holly Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. ![]() ![]() Urmee Khan is a writer and journalist who has worked at CNN, Business Insider and was the Daily Telegraph's Digital and Media correspondent which covered technology and the birth of social media platforms such as Facebook. He plays bass and guitar in the bands Moonalice and Doobie Decibel System and has served as a technical advisor for seasons two through five of HBO’s “Silicon Valley” series. His most recent fund, Elevation, included U2’s Bono as a co-founder. Roger McNamee has co-founded successful funds in venture, crossover and private equity. Joining us from the US, he will be in conversation with journalist Urmee Khan. McNamee has said he served as a mentor to CEO Mark Zuckerberg in. Zucked is McNamee’s intimate reckoning with what he sees as the catastrophic failure of one of the world’s most powerful companies to face up to the damage its platform is doing to our democracy. Tech investor Roger McNamee makes these claims in Zucked: Waking up to the Facebook catastrophe, due out on Tuesday. ![]() ![]() ![]() He had every good reason to stay on the bright side. Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook CatastropheĪ Silicon Valley investor for 35 years, few things in Roger McNamee’s illustrious career had made him prouder, or been better for his fund’s bottom line, than his early service to Mark Zuckerberg as a mentor and shareholder in Facebook. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon. ![]() Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge-on the young woman. When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster. The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly perceptive take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman. She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories."- Telegraph (UK) ![]() ![]() ![]() Stoker’s gothic drama eschews the sparkles and his bloodsuckers have real bite. Forget everything you think you know about vampires. Watching him corrupt Dorian is like watching a car accident-it’s awful but impossible to look away. Never was there a sharper wit than Oscar Wilde, or a better mouthpiece than Lord Henry Wotton. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde.Brönte gives you both Edward Fairfax Rochester may be ugly and manipulative and have some serious skeletons in his closet-or attic-but he is still, somehow, hard to resist. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good romance-I just prefer mine with difficult heroes and a hint of danger. Whenever I get a craving for some swordplay, I turn to The Three Musketeers, which is as delightful as it is ridiculous. ![]() But despite the occasional narrative detour, nobody swashbuckles like Dumas. Most of the man’s books run towards 800 pages (probably because the more he produced, the more he got paid). The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas. ![]() |