Freedom - The beginning of Dane and Bones (not a love story ;-)
927834
This novella is a prequel to the Dane Maddock adventures.  If you have read the Dane Maddock adventures you need to read this prequel.  It is a great introduction on how Dane and Bones became friends (along with a slightly different take on history).  If you haven't read the Dane Maddock series/adventures, and you like action and adventure, then give this novella a shot.  It might just put you on to a new series of books.  Either way, It is a fun and quick read, well worth the price!

Happy Reading.
1581885
Well, after much hestitation and putting it off I finally sat down to read  this book.  I was surprised to find it a good story.  Its a story about  freedom, remaining free at all cost. Its about community and watching out  for one another.  Then, there is Beloved who is looking for love from the  person who took life away from her.  I guess hearing so much about the  book, I was able to understand the symbolisms that I think I would have  normally missed.  The reading is slow, its difficult, but if you take your  time it comes together.  Even if you don't understand something, I found it  will be revealed later in the book, just hold on.
2443882
Brilliantly done. Why is freedom, and academic freedom, important? They are matters of life and death. Freedom isn't free. That applies to our classrooms, as well. Tyranny begins with tyranny of thought. Lies must be guarded but the truth holds up under examination. Free and open discussion is vital if we are to be free. This movie shows in a highly entertaining manner how our freedom is being threatened.
13520
This was a good book but i entered the saga at the tail  end of the series and although i want to know background will read the next Bones installment before sliding down the rabbit hole.
This Temperance is a very different character than the tv show that i have grown to love ( even named a cat after Temperance). I like that she has a different boyfriend and her life is vastly different.
Let's see what awaits Temperance next...
3883765
I was given this book to read for an honest review. I had a little trouble getting into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. Very well written. I love Dane and Bones and their adventures. I'm very much looking forward to see where they will end up next.
2261759
Like many other reviewers, I didn't like the way it "ended". I say "ended" in quotations marks because it didn't really end at all. It was one of those endings marked by a new beginning. Walls come down, new era begins, individual stories are swallowed in the triumph of a larger whole, which I guess is beautiful in its own right... Just didn't really go the direction I was expecting.

The whole thing started out as this focus on love and being free to love and to feel, but somehow it morphed into a fight for the freedom to choose and to follow one's own path. It became less about the Deliria and more about fighting for your right to make your own decisions, to choose a different path from the one that is chosen for you. I get that it's a wider message with greater implications, but the beauty was initially in the love stories: in Alex teaching Lena what love is, and then her passing that lesson on to Julian even as she herself was still learning and coming to grips with the complexities of it. In Delirium, you see Lena and Alex building themselves into each other as he, drawing on his experience of freedom from growing up in the wilds, opens her up to possibilities and feelings she thought were bad, and then just as she spreads her wings to take flight with him, bam, he's gone and she doesn't know what to do, think, feel.

Then in Pandemonium, Julian comes along and we see Lena wrestling with this new freedom to love and developing feelings for Julian in spite of her love for Alex. We watch as a new love is built on the fibers or a shared struggle and whispered secrets that reveal how much alike she and Julian are. She lost her first love, finally lets herself fall again, refusing to let a second love slip away, and then Alex returns, angry, understandably heartbroken at seeing his love obviously attached to someone else.

But Requiem just doesn't fit. It's all about fighting for survival and overcoming tyranny and "tearing down the walls", but there was really no love in it. I guess the original fight for love is revealed as a small part of a larger fight for freedom of choice... But it just left so much unresolved!

This series was like a funnel. It started out very focused on a romance between two specific people, then slowly expanded outward to highlight the importance of fighting for freedom of choice, something that encompasses the freedom to love and to connect and to bridge gaps. This is all well and good, but I want to know what happens to Alex, Lena, Julian, Tack (did he know Raven was pregnant?), Annabel, and Coral!

Lauren Oliver, please give an "After the Walls are Down" story!
4628115
Dane to me was a troubled youth... he knew what he wanted but went about getting it the wrong way. Even though he tried to coerce people into doing what he wanted his heart and conscience wouldn't let him do what he had planned and luckily for him the very people he had targeted saved his arse in the end. He may not have got what he wanted but in the ind I think he got what he needed...Friends. Friends that would last a lifetime. Friends that would help him through the tough times ahead.
4596173
In a world of polarized political views, all lay claim to one word - freedom. Lady Liberty has witnessed the age-old struggle for freedom between the oppressor and the oppressed, as the oppressed who fight for freedom inevitably become the oppressor  the very foe they had once hoped to vanquish. Lady Liberty begins her tale on the morning of September 11, 2001. She then puts a face on a couple who lived through the French revolution and the subsequent reign of terror, on an American Civil War soldier, on a Bohemian student who witnessed the Soviet invasion, and on a confluence of characters who were in Tehran during of time of the deposing of the Shah. This is a brilliant and gripping tale that stirs many heretofore unasked questions. Inevitably we are asked to examine the very foundation of those every day freedoms we take for granted, and the power structure that would seek to uphold them.
1157475
"Holy Dane - Happy Dane: My Indomitable Grandfathers" is a wonderful step back in time to an earlier era, with Danish grandparents.  Dr. Jorgenson has written a beautiful story of life in a gentler era, a time when family life was solid, grounded and based on principles of goodness, hard work and integrity.

Her grandfathers were both real and believeable.  Her descriptions were so amazingly well done, I felt I was almost there.
1428060
White Feather takes us back to 1877 Wyoming for the signing of a Peace Treaty. On the one side, we have the Sioux, Arapaho, Crow, Blackfeet, and Cheyenne Indians. On the other, we have the US Government. In the middle, we have Chief Broken Hand, the leader of the Cheyenne, and a complement of the US Calvary commanded by Colonel Lindsay, a man of considerable integrity and remarkable wisdom.

Josh Tanner, played by a young and handsome Robert Wagner, a topographical engineer dispatched by a group of wealthy individuals with interests in land development, also finds himself immediately implicated in the rapid movement of events.

Two young Cheyenne braves, Little Dog and American Horse, played by Jeffrey Hunter and Hugh O'Brian, add their hot blood to the escalation of rivalries.

In a role particularly suited to her undeniable charm and winsome beauty, we find Debra Paget playing the part of Appearing Day. She is sister to Little Dog and the daughter of Chief Broken Hand.

And let us not forget Virginia Leith. Her role is small as Ann Magruder, a lovely young woman with a vivid scar in her past, yet she is quite memorable. With the figure of a dancer and the face of a siren, she harbors a great deal of compassion.

"Sitting on a powder keg," as Colonel Lindsay described the conditions to Josh Tanner, leaves us in a position to extol the civilized behavior encountered multiple times during the intersection of peoples on opposite sides of a contest for land and life. Josh Tanner treats us to a most unusual and unexpectedly original solution to a brush with death, filling us with admiration and regard. It is no wonder that Appearing Day is moved in a magic moment to love and to cherish him. Debra Paget manages to embody these emotions and feelings in the unmistakable language of the heart, with unspoken words expressed so sincerely in her manner of adoration and devotion. Recognizing just how few minutes she had to accomplish this feat of communication is to applaud her performance and purity. Over and over.

Little Dog, son of Chief Broken Hand, is also drawn to Josh Tanner, a reflection of his respect for bravery and courage. He may also like his new comb (smile). It is his invitation to Josh Tanner to come to the Cheyenne village for a welcome feast that permits Josh a brief moment alone with Appearing Day. It is also here where Josh again proffers gifts, unknowingly encouraging Little Dog and American Horse to seek once again to reply in kind. And thus a friendship develops, fragile and delicate under the circumstances, but worthy of some trust. We watch as this trust is tested and find that both sides have their strengths and weaknesses. In this film, an assessment of those characteristics is left to the audience. It is directed with a fair hand and a commendably civil tongue.

Surprisingly, from beginning to end, we are confronted with only five deaths, just three of which are witnessed first hand. The last two signal an end to hostilities and place us on a path towards peace and enlightenment. If only it were true.

White Feather shares some attributes with an earlier film titled Broken Arrow, starring James Stewart and Jeff Chandler. While Debra Paget is the only person to appear in both, the two movies present similar conflicts in similar contexts. In Broken Arrow, Debra Paget is five years younger, approaching seventeen years of age, and equally enchanting. The cinematography of Broken Arrow manages to catch her in the most dazzling light. She fairly glows. Clearly, for me, Debra Paget is the major attraction in both of these films even if the scripts tend to provide little time with her.
4071940
"Stone Devil Duke" by K.J. Jackson
This is the first book of "The Hold Your Breath Series"
Lady Augustine Christopherson had watched as her father was murdered and now she was in London rooming the streets looking for his killers before they found her. She had been attached and they were searching for her too. Armed to the hilt she drove an old hack during the night and went to ton events during the days and evenings. Her mother was in London as well as her sister so she could keep an eye on them. Her brother Jason had disappeared.
The Duke of Dunway's carriage had broken down and his driver hailed down Augustine's hack. Not long after they started on their way, they were attached by four of her father's killers. Although Augustine was armed with at least four pistols, the duke jumped into the fray. Realizing she was a woman he felt honor bound to help and then to protect her when he found her to be a Lady.
But will Augustine trust him to save and protect her or will she save and protect him in the end?
I haven't ever wanted to put anything negative in my reviews but I feel there are a few things that the reader needs to be aware of so just a heads up.....There are some hot and heavy sensual scenes and at the end some squeamish scenes (depicting torture) which had even me cringe a little. There is a section where the heroine gets shot and the bullet needs to be dug out. The duke, Devin, would not allow the doctor to give her any pain killer. He had his reasons but this could be looked at as abuse by the hero.
There is a nice flow to the story and it is an interesting read. Happy Reading.
3972562
I love the Murdoch's Mysteries (Artful Detective) on TV and DVDs and decided to read Maureen Jennings' books...and had the dilemma that often comes in separating a movie/TV show from the book characters...just like Bones doesn't have the same Temperance Brennan as the Kathy Reichs books...and Rizzoli & Isles is a far cry from the books.  I enjoyed the story once I got around adjusting to the differences in the characters (I've watched the first five seasons of MM) and have already purchased more in the series ...to read!
40865
The novel opens with the following epigraph:

Old longings nomadic leap,

Chafing at customs chain;

Again from its brumal sleep

Wakens the ferine strain.

After some digging, I discovered it was taken from the poem Atavism by John Myers OHara. For those that may not know (I didnt), atavism means to revert to characteristics typical of an ancestral form.

The reader is given many clues (the title of the book, the epigraph, the name of the poem) as to the theme of the novel, and its one we can relate to. We all have a calling inside us, something that awakens the soul, and makes us feel alive.

The epigraph is followed by the sentence:

Buck did not read the newspapers or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego.

We immediately know the protagonist will go on a journey, literally and figuratively, that will cause him to return to the wild.

At the beginning of the book, Buck is enjoying a comfortable life with a wealthy family. He could easily have lived the life of a sated aristocrat, but saved himself by not becoming a mere pampered house-doga hint at the wild streak within. He was subservient to none. And over this great demesne Buck ruledking over all creeping, crawling, flying things of Judge Millers place, humans included. While there are only a few pages dedicated to his relationship with the Miller family, you get the sense his attachment is superficial, his loyalty changeable based on those who care for him.

As the opening sentence suggests, trouble is brewing and Buck is plucked from a life of luxury and forced to work as a sled dog, suffering and witnessing cruelty from man and beast. He is no longer master of all, but must become subservient simply to survive. He eventually rises as the leader of the pack but still suffers mans cruelty. He is rescued by a man and finally learns true love and loyalty. Eventually he learns to awaken the ferine strain and emerges as king of the beasts once again, but this time in the wild instead of civilization.

I liked this book better than I expected to. I wasn't sure I would be able to connect with a dog as the main protagonist. Not that I don't love dogs. I have two loyal companions sitting at my feet that would prove otherwise. I just wasn't sure how genuine the character would feel to me. Would the main character, Buck, create the emotional attachment needed to propel me, the reader, through an entire novel? Surprisingly, he did and I even felt my eyes sting a little at the end.
501380
This is by no means a science fiction or fantasy novel but I did feel like The Jazz Cage had a definite "alternate universe" feel to it. I mean, come on the SOUTH wins the Civil War!!! Anyone who knows their history can definitely see this as a very bad thing...but it does make for an interesting concept for a mystery/crime thriller.  I see the time period-the twenties-very important because that still wasn't too far from the Civil War and people are still seeing the ramifications of allowing the South to win.  It is still a charged up time with not only slavery still running rampant but you also have the American gangsters trying to control things in the North.  This is just a very emotional time any which way you look at it.
I love a good crime thriller and always enjoy historical novels.  This one delivers on both, even if the historical side is more of a "what if" concept.  I had a hard time putting this novel down.  It flows through with enough action to keep you hanging on but there is also a powerful insight into human nature, both good and bad, that will keep you questioning till the end.
Our heroines, Della and Cece, are on an escape for their lives and for their very souls too.  Della is a strong woman but is always questioning herself and others in her mind.  Cece is very troubled with so much turmoil running through her, she sometimes to reverts back to a simpler time in her life; when she was a child.  Both of these women learn more about themselves as they fight for their freedom.
Frank is our bounty hunter for the mob.  Frank is a criminal but he is so much more too.  Frank holds true the adage "honor among thieves."  He is good at what he does but he is also a good human being too.  He finds himself caring for these two women who have more in common with him than he realizes.
These three make an unlikely group but they end up learning from  each other and more importantly, understanding how to trust each other.
You can't help but get drawn into the drama surrounding everyone.  I know I caught myself holding my breath a couple of times, just knowing Della and Cece were going to get caught.  It had me on my seat a few times there!
1828237
I listened to this CD on my trip from Massachusetts to Maryland, and from Maryland to New York State. The miles just flew by! I got into the story, which at first wasn't easy to do, because of the accent of the Danes, as well as life in and around Copenhagen, Denmark as subject matter, a place foreign to me. But the story took hold, and I was caught up into it.
The speaker did a great job bringing in men and women of various backgrounds, and supplying voices to them all!
But the story hold you, or it held me. Yes, there are parts which are too convenient, but that is true with any story of this ilk. The language was a bit rough, certainly not a CD for kids, but it is bearable.
Nice to learn about Danish life, social setting, and the like,
Truly a great story for a long trip!
2666019
This book starts out with an old homeless woman being pursued by a man. The woman knows that if she keeps running, she just might be able to live another day. Unfortunately, the woman is not fast enough. The last words out of the woman's mouth is..."They didn't have to kill him...he never drink from the Altar of Bones. I got it back."

The next scene takes reads back in time to 1937 in a Norilsk prison camp on Siberia, USSR. It is here that readers start to learn more about what the Altar of Bones is really about and why so many people are willing to kill for the location and what the Altar has to offer.

Now to the present day. When Zoe Dmitroff receives a letter from her grandmother, she learns that she is now the "Keeper" of the Altar of Bones. Zoe meets up with Ry O'Malley, an ex-DEA agent. Together they all over the globe to find out if the Altar of Bones really exist. It will be a dangerous trek.

I started reading The Altar of Bones right before I went to bed...bad idea. Right from the beginning I was instantly hooked by this book. I had to force myself to put it down and turn off the lights. There was intrigue, mystery, and adventure at every turn and it did not let up until the very end. Which I also thought was great. Sometimes books can start out strong and the ending can be a let down or seemed rushed. It was neither in the case of this book. Both Zoe and Ry were strong characters. I like that the romance between these two did not take away from the story. Altar of Bones needs to come with a warning...Beware of adrenaline rush!
3933041
Really enjoyed it  a fun read from beginning to end.  I especially enjoy history & historical mysteries like this.  I don't remember that much about the movie National Treasure other than that I enjoyed the mystery but thought the resolution was too over the top.  So I actually preferred Liberty, with its more modest and more believable and meaningful payoff.  The mystery, action, suspense & historical connections all worked well for me.  I enjoyed the writing style and the humor, especially the banter between Dane & Bones.  I particularly appreciated the Gettysburg connection, as my great grandfather was part of that pivotal event.  A thoroughly enjoyable book & am definitely looking forward to more from Dane & Bones.  [From what I hear a new installment entitled Justice is coming soon!]