Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Longbourn Tells The Servant's Story.




This book Longbourn  is an attempt at telling what was going on in the servant’s quarters during the period of time covered by Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. The time period would be between 1811 and 1820.
Not that it would hurt the story to not know that.
Austen published Pride and Prejudice in 1813 under the imprint “A Lady” since in her day a woman writer was not acceptable. Today women have the right to put their name on their work.
In Austen’s book we are not told about the servants and their life.  Baker has decided to answer the “what happened in the servants quarters” while Darcy and Elizabeth and all the girls were seeking husbands.
We are presented with the story of Sarah and her romance with the mysterious footman, James. Where did he come from? Why was he just a footman?
The story is done in three volumes, each volume pushes the story forward. Volume one give us the servants before the Bennet Family moved to the Longbourn Estate. Volume two is on the estate where Sarah meets James. By the end of volume two James is abducted and disappears. We seem to have a simple girl meets boy, girl loses boy. Volume Three gives us the background of James and moves the story to its climax.
The story is done in the style of Austin which I presume is the purpose of the telling. Even if there is a nod to Austin's story, the touches of sexual undercurrent are below the surface.   It moves slowly to start but by the first hundred pages picks up speed and maintains it.
This book is the recommend Santa Monica Reads for 2015. The library has hosted this program for thirteen years now.
Each year groups have formed to discuss the book of the year. 
Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813 and has held the fascination of people since then. There have been many stories centering around the period but it was in 2013 Baker wrote this book about the servants.
This book can be checked out at the library or you can purchase your own copy. I would advise using your public library first to see if this is a book you wish to add to your personal library.

Longbourn

Lincoln in The World by Kevin Peraino



A lot is being written about Lincoln. It is as if our sixteenth president has become a multifaceted character.
Years ago a book was written examining the Leadership principles of Lincoln. Other aspects of the life of this interesting person have been discovered. There is a lot to learn from him and the circumstances of his time period that forced him to bloom.
Lincoln is little known as a foreign-policy president but he was. It was a learning process and this book walks us through the molding.
 He was able to be a global strategist despite his limitations of not speaking a foreign language or travel.
This book is not to be seen as a biography but as a study of the development of his stance concerning the place of America in the foreign market place.
The author, Peraino, divides the story between Lincoln’s interaction with six persons in the development of his policy principles.
 Everyone is a product of his era and the interaction between people. No one is really self-made. Life is friction from which comes a product. Thus it was for Lincoln.
It is a good addition to the full picture of Abraham Lincoln and should be in anyone’s library who desires to get a complete picture of the man.
This book was sent to be free from bloggingforbooks.com for review and inclusion in my book blog. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own and not those of the publisher.
Anyone desiring to get a copy of this book for their own library should use the following link.

Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Fairness Is Overrated by Tim Stevens




Of the writing of books there is no end. And when it comes to books about leadership this seems to be true.
 Leadership has been dissected and reassembled so many times that it may not answer the same definition as you have.
We could write a book about any aspect of leadership and still there would be much to write about. Leadership is not easy and since it is not easy should have rules.
Stevens gives 52 chapters, each set up one per week for a year, of principles of leadership which can be applied just as easily to church as well as to corporate situations.
Rules need to be followed if you are going to make an impression as a leader or just a follower.
From his years of working with leadership Stevens seems to be adequately equipped to handle another book on leadership.
I found this book to be refreshing. Stevens does not lord it over you but, as mentioned above, systematically in 52 small easy to implement chapters, if you should desire to use it as a small group study, presents things to consider in this area called leadership.
Leadership is not meant to be fair but workable.
This book was sent free to be reviewed from the publisher. I was not required to like this book, which I did. Any opinions shared are those of the reviewer and not of the publisher.
If you should desire to order this book for yourself I will give you a link below.
Fairness Is Overrated: And 51 Other Leadership Principles to Revolutionize Your Workplace

I review for BookLook Bloggers

Friday, January 2, 2015

The Expats by Chris Pavone


   To what extent are we to keep secrets? And does it really pay to have secrets? Can we ever really escape our secrets?
    Kate, the main character in the book, an ex-CIA agent who acts as an assassin is the viewpoint of the story. Her husband, Dexter, thinks of her only as a wife and mother. Her husband, Dexter, is known to her as an IT man who works for a bank helping them in cyber-crime. But even he is keeping a secret.
     Their marriage is also in trouble. Do they really know each other?
     How successful can one person keep the past from catching up with him?
     The story takes place in Luxembourg. In Luxembourg they meet two Americans who are not who they seem. Another layer is put down of secrets. This couple appears frequently where Kate and Dexter travel.
     They are interested in Kate and Dexter. Some money is missing from a bank account and Dexter is somehow involved.
      Plots intertwine as the story goes on. Tension is high.
     Pavone handles his characters well not revealing more than you need to know at that point in the story.
    This attempt at a suspense spy novel is fairly successful and won the Edgar Award. It can be read for a period of escapist adventure.
     I was sent this book free from bloggingforbooks.org as a blog member. I was not required to write a positive review, Any opinions expressed are my own and not those of the publisher.
    To buy the book just click below.

      The Expats: A Novel