The fall of communism and the crumbling of the USSR has allowed Western scholars access, even if only temporarily, to previously secret documents that reveal many new aspects of Stalin’s life and system, thus making them able to finally distinguish between myth and fact. Yet, bringing to light the crimes of the former Soviet leader has been a sinuous process. The fascination he still provokes is reflected in the impressive number of books written about him. Joseph Stalin was one of history’s worst dictators, making him and the regime he built very interesting for both scholars and the general public. Vlad Onaciu explores the different methodological approaches taken by two writers attempting to separate the myth from the reality of Stalin’s regime. Stalin: New Biography of a New Dictator, by Oleg Khlevniuk, and Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928, by Stephen Kotkin, have both been positioned as the ultimate biography of Stalin. This comparative review examines two works that use new documents to further explore Joseph Stalin’s life and regime. The Writing and Re-Writing of Joseph Stalin and His Regime: A Critical Comparison of Two Biographies.
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Hello all and welcome to me screaming about how utterly wrecked I am from disappointment and let-down expectations. "Did you really think a sword could save anyone? Swords do not save. Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen-but what does it mean to be just a girl? To undo the mistakes of the past.even if it means destroying herself. Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war. Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred-and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere-it’s what’s been buried inside her. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. The gripping conclusion to the acclaimed Arthurian fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White finds Guinevere questioning everything-friends and enemies, good and evil, and, most of all, herself. That's how long I have been praying to the urban fantasy gods that these two would give me a book with Julie. I always check it out from my library to see if it's one I want to read over and over.īUT ILONA ANDREWS WROTE A BOOK ABOUT JULIE! But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy it’s relationships that are hard. One small misstep could lead to disaster. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she’d ever loved could threaten everything. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name-Aurelia Ryder-drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival.Įight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. From award-winning author, Ilona Andrews, an all-new novel set in the New York Times #1 bestselling Kate Daniels World and featuring Julie Lennart-Olsen, Kate and Curran's ward.Ītlanta was always a dangerous city. In reading the script I found that William Gibson gave exact stage directions that shape this play. So far from this extraordinary moment does this production sway that it had the excitement of a good old-fashioned evening of churning butter. So it is with regret that I report the same scene in this production did not. I am giving myself goose bumps just thinking about this scene. Annie Sullivan can barely keep up and the scene builds until there is a crescendo of Sullivan shouting "She knows! She knows!" With each little whack she demands that the word be spelled into her palm. She hits the ground first and then covers the entire yard in record time, banging on everything she touches the ground, the trees, her own parents and finally her teacher, Annie Sullivan. At that moment, the brat is transformed into Helen Keller. The kid is kicking and screaming until the moment when she realizes that what was coming out of the pump and what was being spelled into the palm of her hand is connected. Okay - you know the scene from the movie: the water pump, the teacher, who has just been pushed over the edge by the little brat who can neither see, speak or hear, drags her student from the dining table to the water pump to refill the pitcher that the kid has emptied - onto the teacher. The myths of Viracocha and Quetzalcoatl.The mysterious astronomical alignments of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx.The incredible feat of the construction of the great pyramids of Egypt and of megalithic temples on the Giza plateau.Evidence of the devastating scientific and astronomical information encoded into prehistoric myths. Accurate ancient maps that show the world as it last looked during the Ice Age, thousands of years before any civilisation capable of making such maps is supposed to have existed.Fingerprints of the Gods is a revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of readers throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society.Īn intellectual detective story, this unique history book directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain. I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged me from the beginning, and who showed their support by giving up much of what they must have wanted for themselves so my sister and I could get the best possible education. My first publications were in the Oakland Tribune in a weekly section for children called "Aunt Elsie's Page," and a newspaper I put out for my family which featured reviews of what I was reading and news about what was happening in the lives of my dolls. As a result, by the time I graduated from The Bishop's School in 1967 and enrolled as an English major at the University of California at Davi I have loved reading and writing ever since my older sister came home from first grade to teach me what she had learned that day. I have loved reading and writing ever since my older sister came home from first grade to teach me what she had learned that day. On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and Pequeninos and the Hive Queen could all live together where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. The war for survival of the planet Lusitania will be fought in the hearts of a child named Gloriously Bright. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery.and the truth. Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening.again, humans die. In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut-young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. A brilliant young boy, Andrew Ender Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. This boxed set contains Orson Scott Card's What began as Beatrix's innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love-and a passion that can't be denied. and when Christopher comes home, he's determined to claim the woman he loves. Soon the correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. When Beatrix learns of Pru's disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru's letters to Christopher for her. Lisa Kleypas is the RITA Award-winning author of many contemporary and historical romance novels, including the Hathaways series, A Wallflower Christmas, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, and Love in the Afternoon. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul-and it's becoming clear that Christopher won't come back as the same man. Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix's friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. Has the time come for the most unconventional of the Hathaway sisters to settle for an ordinary man-just to avoid spinsterhood? He is a world-weary cynic. and she has resigned herself to the fate of never finding love. Deception, passion, and love collide in this bewitching novel in New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas wildly popular Hathaway series. Even though she participated in the London season in the past, the classic beauty and free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted. As a lover of animals and nature, Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. Wry and guarded, Amanda tells the story of her family in careful doses, as anxious to hide from herself as from us the secrets of her own past and of that night. When Mathilda´s husband comes home from the war, wounded and troubled himself, he finds that Amanda has taken charge of Ruth and the farm, assuming her responsibility with a frightening intensity. On one terrible night almost a year later, Amanda loses nearly everything that is dearest to her when her sister mysteriously disappears and is later found drowned beneath the ice that covers the lake. But very soon, Amanda comes to see that her old home is no refuge-she has carried her troubles with her. Finding herself suddenly overwhelmed, she flees Milwaukee and retreats to her family´s farm on Nagawaukee Lake, seeking comfort with her younger sister, Mathilda, and three-year-old niece, Ruth. Amanda Starkey spends her days nursing soldiers wounded in the Great War. Deftly written and emotionally powerful, Drowning Ruth is a stunning portrait of the ties that bind sisters together and the forces that tear them apart, of the dangers of keeping secrets and the explosive repercussions when they are exposed. This is because after introducing so many different characters, and creating different stories for all of them, none of them are “interesting” enough. However, while getting deeper into the book, it is harder to stay focused on what is actually going on. The plot is creative, and Walker has done a good job of building the suspense needed to keep the readers on the edges of their seats. There are also Libby and Sara, the pre-teenage daughters of a “doomsday prepper.” There’s Catherine, a specialist in psychiatric disorders, and Mei, a college freshman who is lonely until the spread of the virus gives her life purpose along with another student, she dedicates herself to assisting others. There’s Ben and Annie, a young couple new to town, and their baby. “The Dreamers” introduces us to many characters. A city-wide quarantine is issued, and now no one is able to enter or leave the town. Helicopters and Humvees and news crews, the secondary symptoms of any catastrophe, arrive. Not long later, hundreds of citizens of Santa Lora have been infected by this sleeping sickness. The mysterious virus spreads further throughout the town in Karen Thompson Walker’s novel, “The Dreamers,” at another dorm-room party a few days later. The girl falls asleep, and never wakes up. However, this isn’t like any other infection. The first instance where the virus presents itself is at a college party. In the small fictional town of Santa Lora, California, a mysterious virus arises with no known source. |