A few months ago, I was on vacation in Portland, Maine, and decided to visit Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow’s childhood home where he lived until he was 14 years old. Built in 1785 by the poet’s grandfather, Peleg Wadsworth, it is a neoclassical-style building and the oldest standing structure on the Portland peninsula. Anne Longfellow Pierce, the poet’s younger sister lived in the house until her death in 1901, and left it…
Author: Cecile
Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).
Review
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The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie
The five Mailly-Nesle sisters lived in early 18th century France. After their mother passed away, the sisters were separated. Louise, the eldest had just gotten married and was a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Pauline and Diane had been sent to a convent, but they dreamt of living in Versailles. Hortense and Marie-Anne stayed with their aunt in a pious and quiet environment. Eventually, four of the five sisters would successively…
Natasha Preston
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Awake by Natasha Preston
Scarlett is a normal 16-year-old girl living in England and going to high school. Except she can’t remember the first four years of her life. All she knows is that there was a fire, and it seems to have erased all her memories of her early years. Now there’s a new boy in her class. His name is Noah, and he is gorgeous. He is immediately interested in Scarlett, and…
Annie Barrows
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The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
Willa Romeyn, a bright 12-year-old girl who loves reading, one day notices things are happening around her that she doesn’t fully understand. She decides she needs to pay more attention and starts watching and listening more closely, but this seems to raise more questions than answers: Why is her father, Felix, disappearing days at a time without explanation? Why did her mother, Sylvia, abandon them several years ago? Why is…
Fun Facts
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Did you know that Louisa May Alcott was addicted to opium?
She began using morphine to ease the after-effects of typhoid fever contracted while working as a nurse during the Civil War. The illness was at the time treated with mercury, which caused pain, weakness and hallucinations to the patients. In addition, Louisa May Alcott sometimes suffered from deep depression. In fact, she might even have been bipolar. Other interesting facts about the author: Her parents supported the abolition of slavery…
Ellen Hopkins
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Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins
Tara lives in San Francisco and is a wealthy 40-year-old confident woman who has been married 3 times but has never been in love. While on vacation in Tahoe with her sister, Melody, she has a skiing accident and ends up in the hospital where she meets handsome Dr. Cavin Lattimore. They start going out, and everything seems to be going great until Tara meets Cavin’s son, Eli. The father-son relationship…
Helen Fielding
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Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
Bridget Jones is back and single again! Her husband, Mark Darcy, passed away 5 years earlier, and she is raising their two children alone in London. As a single mom, Bridget has to deal with vomit, head lice, and other kid-related catastrophes, as well as with new technologies such as texting, Twitter and online dating. Life is hard, but she keeps “buggering on”. When she meets a hot younger man, she…
Michael Schmicker
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The Witch of Napoli by Michael Schmicker
Tomaso Labella is a young photographer working for a local paper in Naples, Italy, when he takes a picture that makes his career: Alessandra Poverelli levitating a table during a private seance. For almost 20 years, Tomaso follows the medium as she travels around Europe while scientists study her. One man in particular is interested in Alessandra’s unusual abilities: Dr. Camillo Lombardi, a professor in abnormal psychiatry at the University of…
Linda Kovic-Skow
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French Illusions: From Tours to Paris by Linda Kovic-Skow
Back in October 2014, I wrote a review of French Illusions by Linda Kovic-Skow. The memoir related Linda’s disastrous experience as an au-pair in the Loire Valley. Now the author is back with a sequel. French Illusions: From Tours to Paris starts right where the first book ended and tells the author’s adventures as a student in France. Linda still dreams of becoming a flight attendant and is determined to learn French. All she…