SUMMARY:
Eleanor of Aquitaine was a remarkable woman. She was an important factor in the reign of four kings, lived to the ripe old age of 82, bore 10 children and outlived all but two of them. Her sons were kings of England and her daughters queens of Castile and Sicily, while her later descendants included a Holy Roman emperor and kings of France and Spain, as well as a couple of saints. In an age of men, she was indeed a powerful woman.Born in 1122 into the sophisticated and cultured court of Poitiers, Eleanor of Aquitaine came of age in a world of luxury, bloody combat, and unbridled ambition. At only fifteen, she inherited one of the great fortunes of Europe - the prize duchy of Aquitaine - yet was forced to submit to a union with the handsome but sexually withholding Louis VII, the teenage king of France. The marriage endured for fifteen fraught years, until Eleanor finally succeeded in having it annulled - only to enter an even stormier match with Henry of Anjou, who would soon ascend to the English throne as Henry II.With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, Weir re-creates not only a remarkable personality, but a magnificent past era. As Weir traces the fascinating intersection of public and private lives in Europe's twelfth-century courts, Eleanor comes to life as a complex, boldly original woman who transcended the mores of society. Later, after sixteen years of imprisonment for plotting to overthrow Henry, the humbled Queen emerged, at age sixty-seven, to rule England. Views: 11
Faith kept me Plain. Science made me complicated.Book 2 in the Grounded TrilogyMy name is Lydia and I’m a Spark, genetically altered to be electrokinetic. I can’t change my origins, but I can change my future. After my harrowing experience at the hands of Dr. Konrad and the Green Republic, I am relieved to return to the plain and simple life of Hemlock Hollow. I’ve made my decision. I choose to be ordinary. My focus now is on helping Korwin to fit into my community as we prepare for our upcoming marriage. But an untimely death has vastly changed the expectations of my Ordnung, the law of my community. Harsh judgment falls on anything or anyone from the outside world. It’s becoming harder for Korwin and I to hide what we are and more important than ever that we do. For us, exile from Hemlock Hollow could have life threatening consequences.The Grounded TrilogyGrounded, Book 1Charged, Book 2Wired,... Views: 11
Sergeant Gander is a fascinating account of the Royal Rifles of Canada’s canine mascot, and his devotion to duty demonstrated during the Battle of Hong Kong in the Second World War. Armed only with his formidable size, an intimidating set of teeth, and a protective instinct, Gander rought alongside his fellow Canadian soldiers. As the Royal Rifles' position become more precarious, the men were forced to retreat into the hills of Hong Kong, and it was here that a group of wounded Canadians, threatened by a live grenade, came to fully appreciate the loyalty of Gander. For his service in battle, Sergeant Gander was awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross for humans. This honour is dedicated to animals displaying gallantry and devotion to duty while under any control of the armed forces. Sergeant Gander is the nineteenth dog to receive this medal and the first Canadian canine to do so. Views: 11
Product DescriptionThe Promise is a wonderful book for any lover of historical fiction." (New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham)In America for the last ten years, Rebecca Neville has raised her young charge as if he were her own son. But now, his father-the Earl of Stanmore-has learned of his fate and sends for him from England. Rebecca must do everything in her power to keep her promise to the boy's dead mother-and keep her heart safe from his mysterious father... After mistakenly believing she has murdered her lecherous employer, Rebecca Neville flees into the night and finds refuge with a mysterious lady traveling with a newborn baby. The woman helps Rebecca secure passage on a ship leaving England, and in return Rebecca assumes responsibility for the woman's child when his mother dies on the voyage to America. Ten years later Samuel Wakefield, the Earl of Stanmore, discovers the whereabouts of his son and demands he be returned to his real family. Now Rebecca must return to England with a boy whom she has come to think of as her own child and give him up to a total stranger. McGoldrick's gift for characterization extends from the book's courageous heroine and wounded hero down to a fascinating cast of secondary characters, including a viperous villain and a wonderfully scheming mistress. This vibrant Georgian historical is perfect for readers who like a nice mix of history and passion. John CharlesCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved September 28, 2001: When Rebecca Neville was attacked by her employer, she defended herself and had to flee from the law. During her flight, Rebecca met a dying woman, Elizabeth Stanmore, who was on her way to America with her new born son, James. They left London together with the agreement that once Elizabeth died, Rebecca would raise James as her own. Ten years had past when the lawyer for the Earl of Stanmore showed up at Rebecca Ford's door. James was hard of hearing and had one misshapen hand, but the kind lawyer relayed that the earl was claiming James as his heir. Rebecca went with them to London to make sure James was happy before she left his life. The father, Lord Stanmore, was a handsome, but cold hearted man who cared nothing for his new found son. Slowly, the earl saw what true love really was as he watched Rebecca and James. Passion ignited between Rebecca and the Earl. All might have been well, however, outside forces were at work. Lady Louisa Nisdale had been the Earl's mistress for quite a while and refused to acknowledge the fact that their affair was over. In addition, the Earl had been fighting in Parliament to end slavery in England. The Earl's neighbor, who owned and abused slaves, was none too happy about that either. A definite winner! The author is a husband and wife team who seem to have their pulse on what readers want to read! Excellent plot and interesting sub-plots that will capture the attention of its audience and hold onto them like cement glue! Highly recommended! Reviewed by Detra Fitch Views: 11
Leargan Tegran, Captain of Greenwald's personal guard, is an honorable knight. When his king commands him to wed Senior King's Rider Ansley Fraser, he intends to follow orders; even as he knows nothing of the girl. Not to mention her blasted wolf bondmate, Ali, who barely lets him near her.Ansley has been in love with Leargan for turns, but marrying him out of duty doesn't sit well with her. She'll fight the match tooth and nail—no matter how much she craves to be in his arms and in his bed.The sudden appearance of Avril, a mysterious girl on the run, creates suspicions of powerful magic and evil lurking on the horizon. Dangers lead to a fight Leargan's not prepared for.With the Province threatened, will duty interfere with Leargan's orders or entwine him and Ansley regardless of their desires? Views: 11
A move to Asheville reintroduces Hannah Marsh to Daintry O'Conner, her best friend from childhood, her nemesis as an adult. Seeing her ex-friend opens old wounds, forcing Hannah to revisit the past and try to make sense of what went wrong. Views: 11
A cartographic thriller with so many twists and turns it requires its own mapA cartography-obsessed misfit clerk from an antique map store in a district that's not quite trendy yet. A bold young woman chasing the answer to a question she can't quite formulate. A petty criminal hoping the parking lot he's just purchased is the ticket to a new life of respectability with his school-age daughter. A ruthless but vulnerable killer and his disgruntled accomplice. In The City Under the Skin, it's not fate that will bind these characters together but something more concrete and sinister: the appearance of a group of mysterious women, their backs crudely and extensively tattooed with maps. They have been kidnapped, marked, and released, otherwise unharmed. When one turns up on the doorstep of the map shop and abruptly bares her back, only to be hustled away by a man in a beat-up blue Cadillac, it's the misfit clerk Zak, pushed by his curious new friend... Views: 11
What did Basil Fawlty fail to avoid mentioning?Why did Sybil keep snagging her cardies?Where was Polly on the night of the great wedding anniversary disaster?And what is the Spanish word for “donkey”?
The answer to all these questions can be found in this, the complete and unexpurgated scripts of Fawlty Towers—the most celebrated “Brit-com” of all time, and the show voted the top UK television series ever by the British Film Institute. The snobbish, manic Basil . . . his over-coiffeured, domineering wife Sybil . . . the hopeless but ever-hopeful waiter Manuel . . . the calm and capable Polly . . . and of course the steady stream of abused guests—all live again in the pages of The Complete Fawlty Towers.
Gahan Wilson in the New York Times has called John Cleese “arguably one of the funniest people now living.” And as the reviewer for Britiain’s Literary Review put it, The Complete Fawlty Towers is “superbly well written. If you’re on a bus and can’t see Basil Fawlty thrashing his car with a large branch, it is some compensation to read it happening.” Or as one fan wrote on-line: “Yes, it’s all here, all the comedy, the frustration, the dead body, even the rat.”
Welcome to FAWLTY TOWERS, the best loved bad hotel in the world. Views: 11
It is party conference week, and Blackpool is throbbing with politicans, media, demonstrators, hangers-on and spin doctors. A police operation is underway to protect the Prime Minister, but that doesn't mean that policing the rest of the town has to stop. When a murder takes place, Inspector Henry Christie becomes involved. Views: 11
Once upon a time (or last Thursday, as its sometimes known) the wicked queen had a fully functioning, if antiquated, Mirrors system and all was well in the kingdom. Then the humans hacked in and the system failed. Fairytales may never be the same again. Views: 11
Erotica/Fantasy. 28308 words long. Views: 11
'Have you met Mrs Edith Coleman? If not you must - I am sure you will like her - she's just A1 and a splendid naturalist.'In 1922, a 48-year-old housewife from Blackburn delivered her first paper, on native Australian orchids, to the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. Over the next thirty years, Edith Coleman would write over 300 articles on Australian nature for newspapers, magazines and scientific journals. She would solve the mystery of orchid pollination that had bewildered even Darwin, earn the acclaim of international scientists and, in 1949, become the first woman to be awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion. She was 'Australia's greatest orchid expert', 'foremost of our women naturalists', a woman who 'needed no introduction'. And yet, today, Edith Coleman has faded into obscurity. How did this remarkable woman, with no training or connections, achieve so much so late in life? And why, over the intervening years, have her achievements and... Views: 11
