Follow Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, through a series of seven Dark Tower novels written by Stephen King. This series is a combination of fantasy, horror and western elements and took a span of 22 years to complete.
Books
Come join me for my newest lens Diary of a Worm. It is full of inspirational lesson ideas and extensions for this adorable book. Doreen Cronin has also written 2 more books in this series called Diary of a Spider and Diary of a Fly. Leave it to Doreen to make bugs cute! I hope you can buzz by for a visit!
A synopsis of my favourite ten works of fiction.
Come along with me on a literary adventure of bovine proportions as we take a look at the Denys Cazet children's series Minnie and Moo. Minnie and Moo is the story of 2 cows that go from one silly adventure to another. You and your kiddos will be in hysterics as Minnie gets to thinking a little think while Moo prefers not to think at all! Stop on by! You will be glad you did!
A list of excellent missionar biographies to read to kids - or for them to read to themselves. A list of online resources to read missionary stories is also provided.
All about the Dr Seuss book "The Sneetches", characters, plot, alegories and themes, plus some amusing Sneetch merchandise and video clips.
All about the Roald Dahl book "The Twits"; the characters, the story and associated products.
Information on all the main characters in the "Asterix" series by Goscinny and Uderzo.
A lens showing films and books that explore the topic of growing up and coming of age.
The Simon Kirby Jones Mysteries by Dean James has changed the traditional British cozy.
My son, Alex, is 18 years old and getting ready for college. Needless to say I am not looking forward to buying the expensive textbooks he'll need for his college classes.
"Enduring Love" is a novel by award winning writer Ian McEwan, first published in 1997
On an ordinary spring day, while he is enjoying a picnic with his girlfriend, Clarissa, the calm, organised, ordinary life of science writer Joe Rose is turned upside down due to the repercussions of a tragic accident.
Joe and Clarissa see a hot-air balloon out of control and being tossed around by strong winds. To his horror, Joe realises that a young boy is trapped in the basket of the balloon, and he and several other people rush to help, but In the attempt to save the boy, a man is killed. .
A passerby named Jed Parry joins Joe in helping to bring the balloon down safely. Joe is so shocked by what has happened he doesn't take much notice of Jed Parry...but Jed Parry notices Joe...
Their chance meeting spawns a dangerous obsession in Parry, an obsession powerful enough to test the limits of Joe's rationalism, threaten his relationship with his girlfriend and drive him to the brink of murder and madness.
I have recently finished a Victorian mystery book series by Anne Perry. The Face Of A Stranger is the first mystery book in her series featuring the brilliant London police detective William Monk.
The Cement Garden" is the first novel written by award-winning British author, Ian McEwan. It was originally published in 1978.
The Cement Garden is a beautifully woven, but very dark tale of childhood and lost innocence...
The plot of The Cement Garden centres around a group of four children, Julie, Jack, Sue and Tom aged between 6 and 17.
Their father dies of a heart attack whilst laying a cement path in the family's garden and soon afterwards, their mother becomes ill. Fearing that she may have to go into hospital, she encourages the eldest, Julie, to look after the other children, run the household and deal with financial matters.
The family have no near neighbours and the mother avoids seeing a doctor, so when she dies, no-one knows apart from the children. They take the decision not to tell anyone else rather than risk having to leave their home...so they find a use for the cement left unused when their father died, hide their mother's body in the cellar of the house and carry on as normal...at least for a while...
"Amsterdam" is a novel by multi-award winning author Ian McEwan, first published in 1998.
The plot of "Amsterdam" follows two old friends, Clive, a composer and Vernon, a newspaper editor, who attend the funeral of a woman who had been a friend and a lover to both men in the past. Her death from a sudden debilitating disease has a profound effect upon them and they make a mutual pact, the outcome of which, neither could possibly anticipate...
"Amsterdam" won the Booker Prize in 1998
"The Child In Time" is Ian McEwan's third novel, first published in 1987.
The Child In Time deals with the tragic theme of child abduction.
Stephen Lewis, a children's book author, takes his 3-year-old daughter Kate on a routine Saturday morning shopping trip to the supermarket. At the checkout, Stephen's attention is distracted and Kate disappears...
Ian McEwan takes us on a journey of lives devastated by the disappearance of a child.
The Child In Time won the 1987 Whitbread Prize for Best Novel.
"Black Dogs" is a novel by multi-award winning British author Ian McEwan, first published in 1992.
In 1946, a young couple, Bernard and June, set off on their honeymoon. Fired by their ideals and passion for one another, they plan an idyllic holiday, only to encounter an experience of evil so terrifying, it alters their lives and the lives of their descendents for ever.
One of Ian McEwan's shorter novels, "Black Dogs" is an intricate and beautifully woven meditation on the nature of good and evil.
"Black Dogs" was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1992
Murder Boogies With Elvis, by Anne George, is the last book of the Southern Sisters series. I loved the entire series.
This lens is an overview of Agatha Christie's fabulous detective Miss Jane Marple! As proven by her continued popularity, Miss Marple is one of the most enduring fictional characters ever conceived.
"In Between The Sheets" is a collection of short stories by award-winning author Ian McEwan, first published in 1978
Like McEwan's earlier short story collection, "First Love, Last Rites", the individual stories in "In Between The Sheets" are linked loosely by themes...in this case relationships and sex.
McEwan uses "magical realism" in many of these stories by having "unusual" elements taking place in "ordinary" scenarios (Reflections Of a Kept Ape, Dead as They Come and In Between The Sheets).
There are seven stories in "In Between The Sheets" and all of them are summarised individually here.
"Atonement" is a novel by award winning writer, Ian McEwan, first published in 2001.
The plot of "Atonement" follows the life of Briony Tallis, from naive teenager to elderly woman.
In 1935, Briony 13 years old, an aspiring writer and the youngest child of a well-to-do English family, is at that difficult stage of adolescence where she is leaving the world of childhood and taking her first tentative steps towards adulthood. Based on events she sees but doesn't quite understand, she becomes the reason an innocent man is convicted of a crime that occurred on her family's estate.
Told over four parts (pre World War 2, the evacuation of Dunkirk, the aftermath of Dunkirk and London in 1999), the story details Briony's attempts to atone for the consequences of her childhood naivety...
Atonement is widely regarded as one of Ian McEwan's finest works.
The Comfort Of Strangers is Ian McEwan's second novel, first published in 1981.
A bored couple journey to an un-named city in search of excitement. There they meet an enigmatic stranger who entangles them in a web from which there may be no escape...
This is a horror novel. Not in the gory, blood splattered, hack and slash meaning of the term - but horrific nonetheless in a subtle, langorous, almost elegant fashion...
You can't always tell what's going on in the mind of a stranger...and sometimes it's better if you don't find out...
The Comfort Of Strangers was shortlisted for The Booker Prize in 1981
Science Fantasy - A Branch Off Of The Science Fiction Tree. To thoroughly understand the difference between today's science fiction and fantasy genres and how they combine to make the science fantasy sub-genre, you have to know the definition of both...
What Are Cozy Mysteries? There are no hard and fast rules. Everyone has their own interpretation. However most cozy mysteries take place in a small town or village, with characters you could imagine having as friends or neighbors....
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd By Agatha Christie is arguably the most influential mystery book ever written. It had a significant impact on the mystery genre.
"Saturday" is a novel by multi-award winning author, Ian McEwan, first published in 2005.
"Saturday" is the story of a day in the life of a 48 year old London neurosurgeon, Henry Perowne.
The novel is set on Saturday, 15th February 2003. Henry wakes early filled with unease. His mind has been troubled since the events of 9/11 and the impending war against Iraq has increased his fears. He feels that his hitherto secure life in London and happy family are threatened.
As the day progresses, Henry tries to cross a London filled with thousands of people protesting against the invasion of Iraq. Henry has his day all planned out with lots to do culminating in a family dinner in the evening; however, the day is disrupted by an encounter with violence...
First Love, Last Rites is Ian McEwan's first collection of short stories and was originally published in 1975.
This collection was Ian McEwan's first published work and comprises a collection of eight short stories, all of which are summarised individually on this page.
All of the stories in First Love, Last Rites are linked with the central themes of sex, death and obsession and all bar one have a supplemental theme of adolescence (or at the very least young adulthood). All the stories are seen from a male perspective.
"The Innocent" is Ian McEwan's fourth novel, first published in 1989.
"The Innocent" is centered around Leonard Markham, a young, idealistic English electronics engineer sent to Germany during the Cold War to work on an Anglo-American intelligence project.
Finding 1950's Berlin a culture shock in comparison to the bleakness of post WWII Britain, Leonard finds fun and friendship amongst the American military personnel and experiences first love with an older German woman. His happiness however, is doomed not to last...
"On Chesil Beach" is a novel by multi-award winning author, Ian McEwan first published in 2007
On a summer evening in 1962, two newlyweds sit down to dinner in the honeymoon suite of a Dorset hotel. Edward and Florence are both aged 22, both virgins and both are anticipating the consummation of their marriage with anxiety.
Edward is enthusiastic, if a little worried about his lack of experience, but is determined not to let his worries spoil an event he has been anticipating for so long.
Florence, on the other hand is terrified and rather revolted by the thought of what is going to happen. She has read a "bride's handbook" which described the sexual act in purely medical terms and this has merely served to add to her fears and feelings of disgust.
The events of their wedding night will have a profound impact of the future happiness of Edward and Florence...
Coraline is a novella by the British author Neil Gaiman, which was first published in 2002.
Coraline is a fantasy tale in which Coraline Jones, a smart, feisty and curious young girl, home from school for the summer holidays finds herself very bored indeed. Puzzled by a mysterious locked door in her new home, she finds the key and unlocks it - only to find a strange parallel world concealed behind it...a world which mirrors and distorts her own. Going through the door leads Coraline into a series of adventures which are both fantastical and frightening...
Coraline was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novella, and the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers.
Award winning British author, Neil Gaiman wrote the novel, "Stardust" and in it he weaves a sparking, magical tale that will enchant and enthrall anyone who loves a good tale, well told.
If you love stories or films such as "The Princess Bride", "Legend" or "The Never-Ending Story", you'll love "Stardust"!
A film version of Stardust was released in 2007, starring Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ricky Gervais and Peter O'Toole
Under the streets of London there's a secret world which is Neverwhere...a dark mysterious place of shadows, tunnels and abandoned underground stations populated by assassins and warriors, angels and vampires, talking rats and a hierarchy of nobility...it's called "London Below"...and sometimes London Below spills out into London Above...
Neverwhere was originally devised by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry as a BBC TV series in 1996 and later developed into a novel and graphic novel, both written by Neil Gaiman.
Dan Brown was born in Exeter,New Hampshire,USA. His father Richard Brown was a mathematics teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy, both of his parents served as church choir masters. Dan and his two younger siblings got their love of puzzles and codes from their parents who would set them elaborate treasure hunts and anagrams.
The "Alpha Centauri Project" is a novel full of suspense and action placed in a near but alien future.
Most of all, it is a voyage into the concepts of ethics and spirituality that, stripping away layer after layer of conventions and prejudices, leaves us at last face to face with our fragility and the discovery of what really means to be a human …
In the next decades, quality of life will improve, a powerful economic boom is expected due to technological progress. Following the law of accelerating returns, progress will start soon to skyrocket - an event named Technological Singularity.
According to scientists, machines will surpass human intelligence before 2050... They will become soon superintelligences and will start their frenzied evolution by their own ...
Will human race able to keep pace with his new neighbors?
Many of us have dreamt of performing extreme sports. Some of them have never been tried, but may become a reality soon ...
This lens is set in the future. It is about three enthusiasts facing their hardest challenge: the climb of the deepest chasm of the whole solar system. Location: Mars.
At the beginning, you will find two videos by NASA. An out of the ordinary introduction to an unbelievable experience …
All about the book Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr Seuss."
The "Alpha Centauri Project" is a novel full of suspense and action placed in a near future, but also a voyage into the concepts of ethics, spirituality, in search of what really means to be a human …
A full list of the excellent series of Helm Bird Identification Guides.
Highlighting what I think are the five best books by the well known and loved author, Dr Seuss.
An invitation for authors who wish to publicize their books to send me their books for review on my book review blog and also get featured on this lens.
A book by book rundown (with commentary) of all 33 of the Asterix books written by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.
Publishing is a $30 billion industry that relies on one of the oldest and most basic of human creations, the word. If people initially used words to express simple ideas and feelings, they eventually sought more complicated ends—preserving extended thoughts, transmitting them to other people, both near and far, and creating structures, such as laws, plays, and sonnets, that were aided by the ability to record, arrange, and store words for later use.
This lens is dedicated to helping students find cheap textbooks
NaNoWriMo, short for "National Novel Writing Month", is the perfect opportunity for would-be writers to nurture their creative selves. This lens will help you get started on your NaNoWriMo adventure.
This lens is about fictional female detectives and their authors. In this lens you will find information regarding Heartsong mystery books. Stop by and check out books by Nancy Mehl, Candice Speare, Lisa Harris and more!
These are the books that I will like to read. I have read or hear good reviews on these books and have note all of them down in my notebook. Whenever I goes to the library or the bookstore, I will try to find these books. Someone suggested that since I already have a lens on the books I have read, why not have another lens to show all the books that I wanted to read but have not read them yet.
This lens is about great historical mysteries written by Tasha Alexander and Rhys Bowen. In this lens you will find some book reviews on Muprhy's Law, Her Royal Spyness, A Fatal Waltz and a lot more. You will also learn a little about the authors who make the myteries come to life.
This lens is about former lawyer turned writer Laura Caldwell. In this lens you will find book reviews on some of Laura's books including those in the Izzy McNeil series. Stop by and check out Laura and her work.
Under the streets of London there's a secret world which is Neverwhere...a dark mysterious place of shadows, tunnels and abandoned underground stations populated by assassins and warriors, angels and vampires, talking rats and a hierarchy of nobility...it's called "London Below"...and sometimes London Below spills out into London Above...
Neverwhere was originally devised by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry as a BBC TV series in 1996 and later developed into a novel and graphic novel, both written by Neil Gaiman.
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman poses the question;
"How would YOU react if you found out your Dad was a God?"
Following on loosely from his bestselling novel "American Gods", author Neil Gaiman has taken the popular character of "Mr Nancy" (the Spider God, Anansi) and written an entertaining story based around two of his offspring.
The Graveyard Book is a fantasy novel for children by award winning British author, Neil Gaiman. The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens (called "Bod" for short). At the start of the story, Bod is a toddler who witnesses the murder of his family by a mysterious man known as Jack". Bod escapes from the family home before the murderer reaches him and stumbles into a nearby graveyard where the resident ghosts and other supernatural creatures "adopt" him and protect him from the evil Jack and his associates who continue to hunt for Bod."
Have you ever wondered what happens to Gods when people stop believing in them? In his internationally acclaimed bestselling novel "American Gods", award winning British author Neil Gaiman tells an intriguing tale of Shadow, an ordinary young man who encounters some very extraordinary characters who involve him in a strange and dangerous adventure...
Neil Gaiman - British born author of fantasy and science fiction novels, short stories, poems, graphic novels and films. I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and this page is both a general look at Neil Gaiman and his works and a lensography of my own Neil Gaiman lenses on those of his books I've managed to find the time to write about so far...there's plenty more to come!
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, is a novel jointly written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and first published in 1990. The plot of the book concerns an unusual young boy, an unconventional angel, an even more unconventional demon and a small group of "ordinary" people who are trying to thwart The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It sounds pretty serious stuff, but don't be put off - "Good Omens" will have you laughing out loud!
In "The Lovely Bones", author Alice Sebold takes a shocking and upsetting theme -the rape and murder of a child, and from this dark background weaves a poignant, thought provoking and uplifting tale of enduring love, acceptance and redemption - Based on her own real-life experience.
This lens is about Great Historical novels, including the Rosie Winter mysteries, Lady Georgiana and Molly Murphy. Stop by and check them out.
This lens is about the female detectives made famous by the authors Karen Olson, Miranda Bliss and Karen White. Stop by for some info about Annie Seymour, Annie Capshaw and Melanie Middleton and more!
This lens is about the books written by Karen MacInerney, Gemma Halliday and Cleo Coyle. Stop by and check out these books about Female detectives.
This lens is about Stephanie Plum books written by Janet Evanovich. Stop by to check out some information regarding the books and the author.
This lens is about great plus sized female detectives. In this lens you will find books about Odelia Grey and Desire Shapiro. So stop by and check them out
This lens is about Charlaine Harris book, including Sookie Stackhouse, Lily Bard and Aurora Teagarden. It is updated as often as possible, especially when I read something new!
Learn about Studs Terkel, the Chicago author, historian, broadcaster and actor widely regarded as America's greatest conversationalist. Bringing the oral histories of the average Joe to light, Studs is a revolutionary in our time.
Chicago is a diverse and interesting city, and the books written about it are just as fascinating. Here are some of the best books written about Chicago sports, politics, history, food and more!
Chicagoan Fr. Andrew Greeley is a Catholic priest and sociologist who is the author of many works of fiction and non-fiction.
Chapter by chapter the story unfolds: Gloria, Jon, and Mose are ethical hackers taking on a murderous bureaucracy. Joining crackers on the front lines of a virtual assault, they accept the danger in anticipation of the results - freeing an entire people.
Southern Poison is the second book in the Jersey Barnes Mystery Series. It is a fast-paced story filled with captivating characters, touching scenes, intense action, and humor. Caught up right from the start, I couldn't put it down.
When her mother's purse and her shoes are unearthed up at the new construction site, Annie Natali knew her mother was dead, murdered ten years ago. She knew it, but could she prove it? The truth was buried beneath a mountain a lies and guarded by a long-standing tradition of gossip.
With so many books available and so little time to read, narrow down your choices with book reviews.