The Last Ember, by Daniel Levin

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The Last EmberFinished 9-24-09, rating 4.5/5, thriller, pub. 2009

“The Temple Mount was surrounded by fifty thousand Roman soldiers,” he said, turning to the professor, “and the priest escaped through here, along this aqueduct.”

His flashlight revealed a narrow stone aqueduct stretching into the darkness.  It appeared to float across the dark chasm that lay on either side.

“And he took with him the one artifact that brought down a Roman emperor.”

Chapter 7

Jonathan is an archeology scholar and Rome Prize winner turned New York City lawyer.  He is sent to Rome by his firm to help them in a stolen artifacts case and he is almost immediately confronted by his ex-girlfriend and a centuries old mystery involving the world’s  three main religions.  Jonathan past study of the traitor Josephus gives him special insight into the clue this stolen artifact provides, a clue that he thinks could lead him to the Tabernacle menorah that was stolen from Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.  As he travels with his ex Emili to the Colosseum and other hot spots in Rome they follow a series of clues while the police are trying to find them.  Using Emili’s UN credentials the two race back to Jerusalem to stop the Waqf and their destruction of the what is beneath the Temple Mount.

This is a religious thriller that I compare to the da Vinci Code in only the post positive aspects.  The pace, story and setting were top notch and had a hard time putting it down.  Since our vacation to Italy last year I’ve loved reading stories that take place in Italy and this book made me want to go back and take a tour of all places Jonathan visited, but since many of them are under the city that is probably not going to happen.

It was also complicated and loaded with historical and religious facts.  The only thing that slowed down my reading at all was the multitude of knowledge that I tried to take in.  I do not normally read historical fiction, so most of this was new to me as were many of the names.   To make all of this history interesting, the plot is lightning quick and full of fantastic and seemingly far fetched occurences.  And that was okay because I loved it.

I highly recommend this if you love thrillers, historical fiction, The daVinci Code, Italy, Jerusalem, suspense, religious mysteries, or archeology.  That covers a lot of people.  Does it include you?

I attended a book signing with Daniel Levin and he will be featured in one of my 9 in ’09 interview soon.

Silk and Stone, by Deborah Smith

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Cover ImageFinished 9-20-09, rating 4.5/5, romance, pub. 1994

The earliest Scotch, Irish, and Dutch immigrants had been drawn to the misty, ancient mountains of western North Carolina by rumors of rubies and other precious gems mined by the Cherokees.  The rumors were more than true.  The newcomers plucked fine stones from the riverbanks, from the hillsides, from the ruts in deeply churned wagon roads.  They riddled the mountains with mine shafts, looking for more.

Chapter 2

This is a sweeping love story that spans decades.  In Pandora, North Carolina, the Cherokee and mountain people are mainly overlooked by the outside world and that’s the way they like it.  The Ravenclaws, a Cherokee family with a special connection to the mountain, are able to find things, like gems and people.  The Vanderveers are the royalty of the mountain and treat everyone with respect.  Then Alexandra enters the picture and causes an irreparable rift between these two family and changes the town of Pandora forever.

Doesn’t sound like a love story?  Well, Jake Ravenclaw and Samantha, niece to Alexandra, have a connection that started when Sam was four.  Over the years they see each other occasionally, but in secret and love blossoms.  The two agreed to be married when Sam was about five and Jake ten and they both clung to that.  Of course, neither is ordinary and both felt like outsiders, so the connection to each other was great.

This is a grand sweeping love story that is not sticky sweet at all.  First, Alexandra is a character that was filled with so much hate, maybe the best ‘bad guy’ I’ve read in quite a while.  She keeps this story grounded in manipulation and lies.  Second, there are great secondary characters that carry some of the heavy lifting in the storytelling.  And the last thing keeping this love story from sugar overload?  The fact that the prologue is written when Sam is waiting for Jake to visit her for the first time after he is released from prison and they haven’t spoken in the ten years he’s been sent away.

I loved this story and recommend it to romance lovers who like the romance, more than the hot, steamy sex and for anyone interested in the mountain culture or Cherokee traditons.

Teaser Tuesday- The Last Ember

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teasertuesdays31Teaser Tuesdaysis a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:  Grab your current read.  Open to a random page.  Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!).  Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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“Not every researcher,”  Jonathan said, his tone gathering conviction.  “At the academy I researched the possibility that Josephus was not a traitor to Jerusalem, but surrendered to the Romans to become a-“

“Spy?”  Mildren cut him off,

“Yes,”  Jonathan nodded.  “A spy from Jerusalem planted in the Roman court.”

page 25

Sorry I went over 2 sentences.  I tried to be good, but couldn’t help myself.  Visit MizB  for more teasers.

 

Thank you!

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I love when people take the time to pass along an award to me.  I know it’s not an Emmy, an Oscar, or even a BBAW award, but it does mean that I have my own small place in the blogosphere and people like to visit me here.  So, please take a minute and visit the ladies who awarded them to me, they are all awesome and they obviously have good taste 😉

I only pass along an award if I have not received it before.

Thanks to  Heather!  If you haven’t checked out Gofita’s Pages you really need  to, like right now.  Too bad you missed Pirate Week, but you can look back and read her posts.

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this postand add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

I’m passing this one along to Margot at Joyfully Retired…

Heather also passed this on to me… The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award, you must:
– Put the logo on your blog/post.
– Nominate & link up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
– Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
– Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash Award.

I’m awarding this one to Natalie at The Book Inn.

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This Lemonade Award came from  Laura’s Reviews.  I love her blog and you should check her out.

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And thanks to Sassy Brit for this bloody great award!   

The Bloody Great Blogger award is to be given to 5 bloggers who have been supportive and extra special to you in the blogging process. That person who always comments or the one who emails you to let you know about that Freudian slip you missed, the blogger who links to your posts or lifts you up when your blog is down.
I’m going to pass this one along to Cee Cee of BookSplurge and Staci of Life in the Thumb.

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And thank you Trisha for this Friendship Bear and Let’s Be Friends awards.

She has lots of YA reviews and giveaways and is super sweet.

I’m passing these two award on to Nise at Under the Boardwalk.  Her blog is one I always look forward to reading.

A Little Housekeeping

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The winner of Killer Mouse by Melinda Wells is RAELENA – thanks Raelena!

The winner of Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons is ALITAREADS- thanks Alita – it’s on the way

I haven’t received  an email with mailing addresses, so please email me your mailing addresses at stacybooks@yahoo.com.  Once you’ve done this please leave a comment so I know it should be there. I’m thinking there could be a problem with my email.   If I don’t hear from you by Wednesday I’ll draw another winner. 

And don’t forget to sign up to win one of these books by Carly PhillipsCover ImageCover ImageGo to my interview with Carly to sign up.  I’ll draw for a winner this Friday, the 25th.

Patrick Swayze Was In That? Quiz

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Last week Patrick Swayze lost his courageous battle with cancer.  For this week’s quiz I’ve listed 9 of his characters in the order that I like them  best.  Can you identify the movie?  Leave a comment telling me the # and the name of the movie.  No Googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

To get you in the mood I want to include a link to one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits ever.  Enjoy!

1. Johnny Castle – Dirty Dancing – Wrighty

2. Sam Wheat – Ghost – Wrighty

3. Bodhi – Point Break – rosarot67

4. Derek Sutton – Youngblood – rosarot67

5. Jed – Red Dawn – nfmgirl

6. Vida – To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar – Laura

7. Darrel Curtis – The Outsiders – rosarot67

8. Truman Gates – Next of Kin – Orrymain

9. Dalton – Road House – Wrighty

While My Sister Sleeps, by Barbara Delinsky

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Cover ImageFinished 9-17-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2009

“Let’s take it step by step,” the doctor said.  First, stabilization.  Beyond that, it’s really a question of waiting.  There’s no husband listed on her tag.  Does she have kids?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s something.”

“It’s not.”  Molly was desperate.  “You don’t understand.  I can’t tell my mother Robin is lying here like this.”  Kathryn would blame her.  Instantly.  Even before she knew that it truly was Molly’s fault.  It had always been that way.  In her mother’s eyes.  Molly was five years younger and ten times more troublesome than Robin.

Chapter 1

Molly and Robin  are sisters.  They live together, work together, depend on each other.  Robin is a world class marathoner and Molly has spent her life helping Robin accomplish her running goals.  Their mother, Kathryn, is a strong-willed woman with love for Robin and little understanding for Molly.  The dad, Charlie and brother, Chris are the silent support.  When Robin has a heart attack when running the family must come to terms with the grim possibility that Robin may never fully recover.

This is the story of a family facing an unspeakable tragedy.  Robin is only 33 and her family is shell shocked.  Molly tries to figure out what Robin wants and Kathryn vents on anyone who comes her way, even the good Samaritan who saved Robin’s life.  When Molly discovers a long kept family secret and does something about it, Kathryn is horrified.

Molly was a great character, sort of a good friend who has no idea how great she really is.  Her mother expected her to support Robin in her lofty goals and she always felt like a disappointment.  Which leads to Kathryn, who I really wanted to shake for most of this book.  I did become less frustrated with her as the story continued, but she was not a feel good character.  I liked Charlie, but Chris and his troubles were really my least favorite parts of the book.  He had way too many excuses to not try to make his marriage work.

There was a lot going on in this book and it was a fast and thought provoking read.  The characters were all well drawn and the secrecy, favoritism, and medical issues all made for an engrossing read.  It was also the story of personal growth and the full circle of life.  I really enjoyed it.

Ohio State Game Day Saturday

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I LOVE college football.  As a kid growing up just east of Columbus it was scarlet and gray all the way.  So, I am so happy football season is back.  I am still recovering from last week’s loss to USC, but I’m trying to let it go. 

 Today’s football score…OHIO STATE  38     TOLEDO  0

We looked pretty good.  Pryor has a great arm, now we’ll see if he can get a few more completions.  It was a happy game after last week.

A little Ohio state trivia…Goosebumps author R.L. Stine and author John Jakes both graduated from Ohio State.  As did 2 authors I’ve interviewed this year, Sherryl Woods and Rachel Hauck.

So how did your team do today?

The State of my Blog

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For today’s BBAW assignment we are asked It’s time to show off!  Tell us and this is really important, in 50 words or less what you love best about your blog!  And then in 50 words or less where you want your blog to be by the next BBAW!  Okay, let’s give it a try…

Love my Commenters, Monday Quizzes, Author Interviews, and Movie Reviews.  Love the challenges I’ve joined and Teaser Tuesdays and Monday Movie Meme.

Want to work on the quality of my book reviews and my HTML knowledge.  Want to read more books! 

I really appreciate all of the bloggers I’ve met!

Exactly 50 words 🙂

A Worthy Legacy, by Tomi Akinyanmi

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Cover ImageFinished 9-13-09, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2008

Know this: that you needn’t wait for others to try out something new in which you believe.  Be the very first at anything you can, and do not let frustrations or defeats hinder you; only then will you have a sense of accomplishment

On Using Our Initiative

This is the story of a wise old grandfather, his impending death and his final words for his family that have come to be with him in his final hours.  He wants to leave his family with the wisdom of his years and the granddaughter, our narrator, takes them all to heart.

Let me start by saying how personal this felt to me.  The narrator had a special relationship with her grandfather, as I did, and her description of his death left a tear or two in my eyes because my grandfather died in much the same way.  Surrounded by his family who were all there to tell him it was okay.  I had my hands on my grandfather’s pillow when he drew his last breath and it was a defining moment for me at an age when I could fully appreciate the beauty in his passing.  Although he passed on no grand  words on the meaning of life, his life, well lived, was testament enough.  I could write a whole post on this, but I think I ‘ll go back to the review.

There is little story here and at first I was disappointed, but there was such honesty in the wisdom of the grandfather that I quickly became involved.  I could post  wonderful quotes from every chapter in the book, but that would ruin it for you, so I won’t.  He covers all of the things you’d expect like time, happiness, power, character…but my favorite was the one page on fears. 

I thought this was a wonderful and short read at around 100 pages.  I obviously identified with the story and the advice given was heartfelt and thought provoking.  This is not the book if you are looking for a story, but if you are willing to be drawn into the thoughtfulness of words left behind by someone facing death then you should give it a try.  I am positive I will pick it up and read it again in the future.