Giant Update!

Hello there! Today I have a "giant" update; that is, I have finally finished re-designing my site and have uploaded it. So go take a look at it and tell me what you think. If there are any broken links or images or whatever, please let me know about that too, 'cause that would be swell.

In addition, I have four new reviews! I was lazy in August, what can I say? Here they are:

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"The Last Concubine" by Lesley Downer

Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

This is a novel set in nineteenth century Japan during the Meiji Restoration. It focuses on a young woman named Sachi who is plucked away from her village by the Princess Kazu. Sachi enters the mysterious world of the Women's Palace in Edo, something she never dreamt could happen growing up a peasant girl. She always knew she was different, though, with her pale skin, green eyes, and aristocratic features. She feels at home in the women's palace in a way she never did in her village. ...continue reading...

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"People of the Longhouse" by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

This is the first book in a proposed series about the Peacemaker (Dekanawidah) and Hiawatha, and how the Five Nations Confederacy was born (Iroquois)(People of the Longhouse). The land of the Iroquois in the 15th century was very chaotic. The five nations - nowadays known as the Seneca (People of the Mountain), Cayuga (People of the Great Pipe or Swamp), Onondaga (People of the Hills), Oneida (People of the Standing Stone), and Mohawk (People of the Flint) - were in constant warfare with each other, despite having similar lives. Harvests have not been good, leading to constant raids and counter-raids. ...continue reading...

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"Wideacre" by Philippa Gregory

Rating: *** (3/5 stars)

This is anovel about a young woman named Beatrice Lacey who will do anything (and I mean anything) to remain on her family's lands and in control of them too. Beatrice cannot inherit the land and is insanely jealous of her brother Harry who will. She knows the land better and the people love her. She knows how to farm and care for the accounts and such. What does Harry know? His books. He is sickly and she is strong. Her mother chastises her for not being a normal girl, but can do nothing about it while she is daddy's little girl. ...continue reading...

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"Ghost Warrior" by Lucia St. Clair Robson

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

This is a novel about Lozen, an Apache woman who really existed. She was the sister of Victorio, a famous Apache chief. She grew up without her mother, who was killed by white men. Her father is also killed and so she is cared for by her brother. She is not like other Apache girls. Lozen is quite the tomboy actually. She likes to steal horses and do things that young Apache men would do. Normally, Lozen might have been frowned upon, but she proves to have an incredible gift - she can sense when an attack is imminent. ...continue reading...

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That's it. Have a nice day!

NOTE: I am currently having problems uploading my site. Check back later to see if it is online or not. The links to the reviews will not work at this moment.
EDIT: The site is up now! :-)

Another Post Entitled "Update Coming Soon"... hehe.

Hi there, it's been a while, hasn't it? You see, I had decided to redesign my site and started redoing all the pages and stuff, and then I just stopped. I'm not sure why. I guess I got bored. But I picked it up again and it should be done soon, unless I get uninspired again. I didn't realize how many reviews I have and so that is why it is taking so long to change up my site. But it should be worth it. Not that anyone comes to my site, but I think it will be nicer looking. I will also have three new reviews and maybe four by the time I next update. So stay tuned!

New Review - "Mistress of Rome" by Kate Quinn

Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

This is a novel mainly about a slave named Thea. Thea is a Jew who survived the Masada uprising, only to be taken as a slave to Rome. She serves a haughty aristocratic wannabe named Lepida Pollia. Lepida's father is the organizer of the gladiatorial games and so Lepida and Thea get to sit closer to the action than other women. Lepida develops a crush on Arius, a reluctant but fierce gladiator. She sends Thea to him with love letters while she is away in the countryside for the summer. ...continue reading...

New Reviews!

Good afternoon! I just realized that I forgot to post an older review, so here it is, plus two others! Aren't you lucky today!? Haha. Enjoy.

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"Petersburg" by Emily Hanlon

Rating: *** (3/5 stars)

"Petersburg" is a novel set during the 1905 Russian Revolution. The story revolves around four main characters: a middle-aged, self-made man named Alexei Kalinin; his nephew Misha; an outspoken young woman named Irina; and her cousin, the quiet and beautiful Anna. Irina is involved with the Terrorist Brigade, led by a man named Dmitri. They target people who are important politically, such as Leonti Yermolov. Yermolov, the head of the Okhrana, is to be their next target. ...continue reading...

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"The Vanishing Point" by Mary Sharratt

Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

"The Vanishing Point" is a novel about two sisters in the late seventeenth century. May Powers is a beautiful young woman, yet she is an embarassment to her family. May is what we would call "the village slut". Living in a small English village, May ruined her only chance at redemption by sleeping with a tinkerer at her betrothal party (a tinkerer is, I guess, a sort of travelling hippie of the seventeenth century). So her father agrees to send her to America when his cousin asks for her to be married to his son. ...continue reading...

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"The Queen's Secret" by Jean Plaidy

Rating: *** (3/5 stars)

This is a novel about the life of Katherine of Valois. Katherine herself tells her story, beginning in her childhood. As a girl she lived first in the Hotel de Saint Paul with her siblings. Their mother rarely came to see them, and their father, the King of France, was mad. Thus, they did not have the greatest childhood. One day, the boys and girls are separated. The girls are taken to an abbey, where they remain until they are married. ...continue reading...

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Have a nice day! :)

New Reviews!

Good Morning! I have finally 3 new reviews for you!

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"Duchess of Aquitaine" by Margaret Ball

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

This is a novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine (no surprise with the title). It spans her earlier years in France, from the time of her father's death to her divorce from Louis. Eleanor is only a teenager when her father dies. As he had only daughters, Eleanor inherits the rich duchy of Aquitaine. Eleanor knows she is prey to any ambitious man so she comes up with a brilliant plan before anyone can get to her. ...continue reading...

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"The Wild Hunt" by Elizabeth Chadwick

Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

"The Wild Hunt" is a novel set during the Middle Ages in England, near the Welsh border. Guyon FitzMiles is a young noble who is forced to marry a young woman named Judith. Judith is only 15 years old and is hardly ready to become a wife, yet she knows she must, not just because King William Rufus wills it, but because if she does not, her uncle will take Ravenstow and the surrounding lands. ...continue reading...

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"The Running Vixen" by Elizabeth Chadwick

Rating: ***** (5/5 stars)

"The Running Vixen" is a stand alone sequel to "The Wild Hunt". It follows Adam de Lacey, the ward of Guyon FitzMiles (star of "The Wild Hunt"). Adam is now a grown man in possession of his father's estate at Thornford. He does some odd jobs here and there for the King, such as escorting the King's daughter Matilda back to England. When he stops in at Ravenstow to pay a visit to Guyon and Judith, he is surprised and a little unsettled to see Heulwen there. ...continue reading...

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Don't forget to check out my updated book lists!

There will be an update... when I get around to it.

Hi, this is just to let you know that I will be updating my site soon. I have just not gotten around to it yet. I have a review ready to go up, I just have not felt like uploading it.

I have been too occupied with this game: Dragon Age: Origins for the PS3. It is really fun. If you love RPGs then I would highly recommend this game. You create a character and then are thrown into the story. Depending on what you choose (human, elf, dwarf, and then warrior, rogue, or mage) you will get a different beginning (thus the "Origins"). I created a rogue human named after myself, hee hee. This game is also available for the PC, which has its bonus because there are downloadable mods and expansions or I think they call them DLCs, I'm not really sure. I bought it for the PS3 because I only had one other game, NHL 10, which is also a great game by the way. I like the Be a Pro mode in that hockey game, but it sucks because I can only play as a man haha. At least in Dragon Age I was able to be a woman.

Anyway, that is the reason for my lack of enthusiasm for my website. And the fact that nobody probably visits my website anyway. But just in case there are people that do actually visit my site, there will be an update soon. I will probably wait until I finish "Duchess of Aquitaine" and review that before updating the site. Stay tuned!

For now, enjoy thess pictures of my beloved kitties, lol.

New Review - "To Dance With Kings" by Rosalind Laker

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

"To Dance With Kings" is a multi-generational novel set in France from the reign of Louis XIV to the French Revolution. It begins with the birth of a common baby girl, witnessed by a rowdy group of nobleman following the court of the Sun King to the town of Versailles. One of them, Augustin Roussier, names the girl Marguerite and jokes to her mother that he will come back for her when she is of age. Jeanne, the mother, takes this promise seriously. ...Read more...

Currently Reading: "Petersburg" by Emily Hanlon

Check out my updated book lists!

New Review - "House of Dreams" by Pauline Gedge

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

Thu is a peasant girl from Aswat, Egypt. She has big dreams that cannot be met if she stays in her little village. She is also strikingly beautiful, though she doesn't really have any idea about her appearance at all. She dreams of the good life - what if she was a princess? or what if a nobleman or rich merchant should come along and take a fancy to her? ...continue reading...

Currently Reading: "To Dance With Kings" by Rosalind Laker

New Review - "The King's Nun" by Catherine Monroe

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

This is a story about Saint Amelia when she was just Amelia. Amelia is living in the time of Charlemagne, before he was Holy Roman Emperor, and she is a novice at Munster-Bilzen abbey. Amelia loves to learn and is a little unsure of whether or not she should take the veil. ...continue reading...

Currently Reading: "House of Dreams" by Pauline Gedge

Check out my updated book lists!

Update Coming Soon...

Hello, this is just to say that I will have an update soon. However, it seems that my website is down. I don't know why. I will keep trying to log in. It may be gone forever, but luckily, I have it all backed up. I have a review of "The King's Nun", I just have not had time to type it up and upload it. I have been busy with school. I have one more exam and then I should be graduating. Yay! Right now, to avoid stress I am re-reading my favorite books ever: "The Light Bearer" and "Lady of the Light", both by Donna Gillespie. I am on to the latter right now. I also need to upgrade my LibraryThing account because I am up to the limit of 200 books. Anyway, hopefully, I will have an update soon. For now, see you later!

New Review - "Woman of a Thousand Secrets" by Barbara Wood

Rating: **** (4/5 stars)

Tonina is a young woman living on an island off the coast of pre-European Mexico. She does not fit in at all. She was found inside a basket floating on the sea (as a baby obviously) and taken in by an old couple. She looks nothing like the other islanders and they all shun her. At her age, she should be married by now (she's about 20 years old). So her adopted parents decide to send her on a mission - only they are sending her away for good and she doesn't know it. ...Read more...

Currently Reading: "The King's Nun" by Catherine Monroe

Check out my updated book lists!