“ These books are strong on plot and utterly convincing Along the way they encounter plague, conflagrations, the near-capture of Rome by barbarians, and a dynasty of women who for generations are the true, behind-the-scenes rulers of the empire. The Pinarius family endures, from the reign of Marcus Aurelius the Stoic philosopher-king, to Constantine, the first Christian emperor. The saga begun in Roma continues, as the Pinarii witness the madness of Caligula and Nero, the eruption of Vesuvius, the opening games at the Colosseum, and much more.USA Today: “Thrilling.with one of the greatest authors of historical fiction as our guide, it’s a glorious ride.” S panning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people. This is the web site of author Steven Saylor.Īn epic family saga that begins at the dawn of history and spans the course of the Roman Empire-from Romulus the first king to Constantine the first Christian emperor.ĭaily Express: “Saylor expertly weaves the true history of Rome with the lives and loves of its fictional citizens.”
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Not surprisingly, he hasn’t found many supporters in his quest to quash the most esteemed of human emotions, but he isn’t afraid to go it alone. He even invokes empathy to explain why warfare is so common throughout human history.Īs he showed in Just Babies (2013), the author is gifted with the ability to present complex arguments with precision and clarity, often displaying a self-deprecating wit as he acknowledges the thin ice on which he’s meandering. Citing copious research, he describes the many ways that empathy tends to cause more harm than good, from governmental policy to intimate relationships. Sure to make you think, Against Empathy is an interesting trip into the depths of human psychology.Īfter meticulously defining what empathy actually is – it’s much more than simple compassion or concern for others – professor Bloom proceeds to pick it apart. In a book that turns everything you thought about being a good person on its head, Yale-based psychologist Paul Bloom dissects our most cherished emotion and finds it lacking. But maybe the modern quest to increase everyone’s empathic abilities – from police officers and politicians to doctors and teachers – is misplaced. Of all its finer qualities, empathy has long been considered to occupy the apex of humanity’s emotional development. An orphan brought up in Madam Opera’s Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls, raised to dream of serving in the Emperor’s Navy, he is very much surprised-and somewhat disappointed-when he is instead offered employment as a lamplighter.įoundling tells the story of Rossamünd’s journey to Winstermill, the headquarters of the lamplighters. Our hero is Rossamünd, a boy with a girl’s name. It’s set on the Half-Continent (And, yes, fans of the Fantasy Epic, there are maps! Multiple appendices! Fantastic illustrations by the author! Lots of dialect!), a tiny portion of a larger (as-yet-unseen by us) world that could be briefly described as Dickensian steampunk with wigs, tri-cornered hats and biologically driven machinery. In a word, Cornish’s Monster Blood Tattoo series is AWESOME. For a sneak peek at a portion of Kirkus ' 2010 Best Books for Teens, check out these stellar series-ending titles here.įor those of you who are wondering, “What the crap is she going on about NOW?” let me enlighten you. LOVE THIS TRILOGY? Monster Blood Tattoo is not the only series coming to an end in 2010. Come to think of it, I’d better double my order, or it might get ugly at the homestead. Not work, or school, or sleep, or unforeseen emergencies. The book’s due Thursday, and nothing-but nothing!-will stand in the way of my reading it. That’s how long I’ve been waiting for Factotum, the third installment of D.M. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997)Ģ. Here’s a quick catalog of the series, so that you know what you’re in for:ġ. That’s why we’ve decided to simply present all the Harry Potter books in order of chronology/publication, hitting the highlights for longtime fans to happily reminisce… and to help budding fans get a taste of the series’ genuine magic. Fortunately, he always has clever, loyal friends Ron and Hermione by his side - plus the invaluable mentorship of eccentric but wise Hogwarts headmaster, Dumbledore.Īs fellow Potterheads will know, it’s virtually impossible to rank these books from best to worst, since each one is brilliant in its own way. An incredibly imagined fantasy bildungsroman, it follows the eponymous boy wizard as he attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and contends with his destiny to fight the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Of all the zeitgeist-defining fiction to come out of the past twenty years, perhaps none has been more universally beloved than the Harry Potter series by J.K. All the Harry Potter Books in Order: Your J.K. But even if they somehow free every prisoner to fly them, the Warden will kill them all to protect the secret of his claim. Their bid to steal the cruel Warden's yacht goes off course when they take a wrong turn and discover a motherload of forgotten ships. Not to mention help from the intriguing Julke, and a flock of curious space griffins with secrets of their own. He'll need all his considerable skills to escape. Unfortunately, this time it landed him with a one-way ticket to toil in the dangerous mine for the rest of his soon-to-be short life. Starship crewman and wanted fugitive Zade Lunaso always runs from conflict. But a new batch of prisoners brings hope in the form of kind and sexy Zade. She's almost given up trying to escape the hidden rogue asteroid mine she's been imprisoned in for over a year. Trouble is arising across the galaxy, and space pirate Julke Defjensdytr has vital information for her clan. Will their unexpected attraction survive escaping a dangerous asteroid mine in time to avert disaster? He's a wanted fugitive with enemies hot on his afterburner. She's a space pirate with vital information. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.Īs Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. The Lord Ruler-the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years-has been vanquished. "Description contains spoilers for previous book in the series" Meet Elizabeth Zott: “a formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” ( Parade) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel” ( The New York Times Book Review) and “witty, sometimes hilarious…the Catch-22 of early feminism.” (Stephen King, via Twitter) This event is free and open to the public. Venue: Seattle Public Library (Central Branch), 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104 Pearl is also known for her work as a bestselling author, literary critic, and the former Executive Director of the Washington Center for the Book at Seattle Public Library. Joining Garmus in conversation is Nancy Pearl, often referred to as the "world's most famous librarian" (after Borges). Third Place Books joins the Seattle Public Library to welcome Bonnie Garmus, whose debut novel Lessons in Chemistryis a critically-acclaimed bestseller and, most importantly, a favorite amongst booksellers and librarians across the country. you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." - Seattle Times The book is largely based on these voyages, but there are extensive references to the literature. These navigators spoke very little English, were illiterate and did not understand maps but were able to take him eventually on a 450-mile trip from Puluwat to Saipan and to return and teach him many of their techniques. He did this in a 39-foot gaff ketch, Isbjorn, which he placed under the direction of the navigators Tevake and Hipour. After arriving with a landfall only 26 miles in error, he learned that there were contemporary sailors in the Santa Cruz and Caroline Islands who still sailed large distances by the traditional methods and obtained support from the Australian National University to visit and sail with them. We, the Navigators, The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific is a 1972 book by the British-born New Zealand doctor David Lewis, which explains the principles of Micronesian and Polynesian navigation through his experience of placing his boat under control of several traditional navigators on long ocean voyages.ĭavid Lewis, after circumnavigating the world in a catamaran, decided to test his understanding of Polynesian navigation techniques by sailing the 2200 miles from Tahiti to New Zealand without any modern instruments (except the smallest of charts and a sky map). Brilliantly imagined and carefully envisioned (and provoking controversy from a few corners), the show cemented her reputation as a formidable and fearless curator. Golden first burst into the limelight as a solo curator with "The Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art" at the Whitney in 1994. She keeps an eye on young and developing artists, while using the Studio Museum to write the history of collecting and art-making in Harlem and around the world. In 2005, Golden became director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, re-dedicating the institution to forward-facing art from all corners of the African Diaspora. She was a co-curator of the 1993 Whitney Biennial, a controversial landmark show that showcased overtly political art made by a significant percentage of nonwhite nonmales and paved the way for topics of race, gender and identity to be discussed institutionally. She stumbled upon the title and role she was looking for - curator - at the age of 12, and started up the ladder early, landing at the Whitney Museum in 1988, just one year after college. Culling an interest in art history from a childhood board game, Thelma Golden knew her dream job even before she knew what to call it. Other than being jipped on the love scene at the end, this was a fantastic book. This is the Sexiest Man Alive, people! I was expecting heat and clothes coming off and a scene that would leave me satisfied after a couple hundred pages of build up, but nope. This was by no means a "clean" book that required such an ending, so when Taylor and Jason finally declare their love for one another and things get down to business, we get this: Julie James Books in Order (9 Book Series). *blissful sigh*īut, the book loses a star for the ending, which was so fade-to-black that I was truly gobsmacked. New York Times bestselling author Julie Jamess debut novel-a dazzling romance about one of Hollywoods. Most Recommended Books presents the Julie James series written by Julie James. That scene made my heart hiccup, it was so sweet. There was one point where Taylor was truly feeling like she had no one to turn to and Jason shows up in a big way. But it's the human need to be known for who we are inside that makes me fall in love with the characters. There's just something about the excitement of the wealth and glamour mingled with the darker side of photographers and fans hounding you. This is such a fun book! I love stories about celebrities falling for normal people. |