Book Reviews – Page 71 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Extract: ‘Katharina Luther: Nun. Rebel. Wife.’, by Anne Boileau

To round off my posts as part of the Clink Street Summer Blogival 2017, Allow me to present an extract. Thanks Anne Boileau for the extracts. And also thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Authoright for asking me to take part.

Dr Martin Luther wants marry. He is a priest, so this would be an act of rebellion against the Church, because priests are supposed to be celibate. If he were to propose to Katharina, a former nun, it would mean that both of them would be breaking their vows of chastity. In other words, it would, in the eyes of the church and the wider world, be seen as a union forged in Hell.

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Author Spotlight: Anne Boileau

After the review, I think it’s time to introduce the author. Today’s author is part of the Clink Street Summer Blogival 2017. Anne Boileau has kindly provided me with some information about herself and her book.

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Book Review: ‘Katharina Luther: Nun. Rebel. Wife.’, by Anne Boileau

Blurb

Katharina Luther: Nun, Rebel, Wife

On 31st October 1517, Martin Luther pinned ninety-five theses on the Castle Church door, Wittenberg,

criticising the Church of Rome; they were printed and published by Lucas Cranach and caused a storm. Nine young nuns, intoxicated by Luther’s subversive writings, became restless and longed to leave their convent. On Good Friday 1523 a haulier smuggled them out hidden in empty herring barrels. Five of them settled in Wittenberg, the very eye of the storm, and one of them – Katharina von Bora – scandalised the world by marrying the revolutionary former monk. Following a near miscarriage, she is confined to her bed to await the birth of their first child; during this time, she sets down her own story. Against a backdrop of 16th Century Europe this vivid account of Katharina von Bora’s early life brings to the spotlight this spirited and courageous woman.

Purchase from Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katharina-Luther-Nun-Rebel-Wife-ebook/dp/B01J95GP8W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1473953274&sr=1-1&keywords=anne+boileau

About the author: Anne Boileau (also known as Polly Clarke) lives in Essex. She studied German in Munich and worked as interpreter and translator before turning to language-teaching in England. She also holds a degree in Conservation and Land Management from Anglia University and has written and given talks on various aspects of conservation. Now she shares, writes and enjoys poetry; her work has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines; she has also won some awards, including First Prize with Grey Hen Press, 2016. She translates modern German poetry into English with Camden Mews Translators and was Chair of Suffolk Poetry Society from 2011 to 2014.

Published By: Clink Street Publishing

Publication Date: 4th October 2016

I.S.B.N: 978-1911110613

Format: Paperback

Price: £8.99

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Review: ‘Hall of Heroes: A Fellowship of Fantasy Anthology’

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: 21 Jun. 2017

I.S.B.N.: 978-1548275334

Format: EBook or Paperback

Price: £0.00 (Ebook); £12.57 (Paperback)

Blurb

Twenty-Seven Thrilling Tales from Amazing Fantasy Authors!

Whether they are unwitting, plucky, or just plain epic, heroes capture the imagination and rescue us from everyday life. With stories set in fantastic, magical realms, gritty urban landscapes, and fairytale kingdoms, our heroes stand fast as defenders of good. Struggling against evil governments, wicked demi-gods, wrathful nature, supernatural con-men, and their own insecurities, each must find the strength to triumph and the will to persevere.

In the second anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy, twenty-three authors explore the theme of heroes, covering genres ranging from steampunk and fairytale to urban and Arthurian. These are the heroes you’ve been waiting for.

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Review: ‘Grimsby Streets’, by Emma Lingard

Published By: Pen & Sword History

Publication Date: 6th July 2017

I.S.B.N.: 9781473876019

Format: Paperback

Price: £12.99

Blurb

Grimsby Streets is a journey through time, which examines the meaning of many of the towns names and their association with the Danish settlers, through to the Victorian era, and the men who helped develop the town and build its surrounding docks.

Names of the great and good that were forgotten until now are explored, as well as some of the many famous people who were born there, and where they lived. The book also covers the many incidents, which occurred on Grimsby’s streets, to give a colourful insight into the history of this once famous fishing port and some of the many wonderful buildings that stood in this proud port.

Included throughout are a selection of old photographs, some of which have never been published before, which for many folk will give them a reminder of what this town used to be like before change and demolition in the 1960s.

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Review: ‘The Mask of Sanity’, by Jacob M. Appel

Published by: Permanent Press

Publication Date: 31st March 2017

I.S.B.N.: 978-1579624958

Price: $25.91

Blurb

On the outside, Dr. Jeremy Balint is a pillar of the community: the youngest division chief at his hospital, a model son to his elderly parents, fiercely devoted to his wife and two young daughters. On the inside, Dr. Jeremy Balint is a high-functioning sociopath–a man who truly believes himself to stand above the ethical norms of society. As long as life treats him well, Balint has no cause to harm others. When life treats him poorly, he reveals the depths of his cold-blooded depravity.

At a cultural moment when the media bombards us with images of so-called sociopaths who strive for good and criminals redeemed by repentance,The Mask of Sanity offers an antidote to implausible tales of evil gone right. In contrast to fictional predecessors like Dostoyevesky’s Raskolnikov and Camus’ Meursault, Dr. Balint is a man who already has it all –and will do everything in his power, no matter how immoral, to keep what he has.

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Review: ‘Women in the Great War’, by Stephen Wynn and Tanya Wynn

Women in the Great War

Published by: Pen and Sword Military

Publication date: 5th June 2017

I.S.B.N.: 9781473834149

Price: £12.99

Blurb

The First World War was fought on two fronts. In a military sense it was fought on the battlefields throughout Europe, the Gallipoli peninsular and other such theatres of war, but on the Home Front it was the arduous efforts of women that kept the country running.

Before the war women in the workplace were employed in such jobs as domestic service, clerical work, shop assistants, teachers or as barmaids. These jobs were nearly all undertaken by single women, as once they were married their job swiftly became that a of a wife, mother and home maker. The outbreak of the war changed all of that. Suddenly, women were catapulted into a whole new sphere of work that had previously been the sole domain of men. Women began to work in munitions factories, as nurses in military hospitals, bus drivers, mechanics, taxi drivers, as well as running homes and looking after children, all whilst worrying about their men folk who were away fighting a war in some foreign clime, not knowing if they were ever going to see them again.

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Review: ‘Childhood & Death in Victorian England’, by Sarah Seaton

Imprint: Pen & Sword History
ISBN: 9781473877023
Published: 19th June 2017 Price: £12.99

Blurb

In this fascinating book, the reader is taken on a journey of real life accounts of Victorian children, how they lived, worked, played and ultimately died. Many of these stories have remained hidden for over 100 years. They are now unearthed to reveal the hardship and cruel conditions experienced by many youngsters, such as a travelling fair child, an apprentice at sea and a trapper. The lives of the children of prostitutes, servant girls, debutantes and married women all intermingle, unified by one common factor – death. Drawing on actual instances of Infanticide and baby farming the reader is taken into a world of unmarried mothers, whose shame at being pregnant drove them to carry out horrendous crimes yet walk free from court, without consequence. For others, they were not so lucky. The Victorian children in this publication lived in the rapidly changing world of the Industrial Revolution. With the introduction of the New Poor Law in 1834 the future for some pauper children changed – but not for the better. Studies have also unearthed a religious sect known as the ‘Peculiar People’ and gives an insight into their beliefs. This book is not recommended for those easily offended as it does contain graphic descriptions of some child murders, although not intended to glorify the tragedies, they were necessary to inform the reader of the horrific extent that some killers went to. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in the social history of the Victorian period.

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Review: ‘Best Day Ever’, by Kaira Rouda

Best Day Ever Paperback by

ISBN: 9781848456914
Imprint: HQ
On Sale: 07/09/2017
Format: Paperback
List Price: £7.99

LINK

Blurb

A loving husband. The perfect killer?

‘I wonder if Mia thinks I have a dark side. Most likely as far as she knows, I am just her dear loving husband.’

Paul Strom has spent years building his perfect life: glittering career, beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in the suburbs.

But he also has his secrets. That’s why Paul has promised his wife a romantic weekend getaway. He proclaims this day, a warm Friday in May, will be the best day ever.

Paul loves his wife, really, he does. But he also wants to get rid of her. And with every hour that passes, Paul ticks off another stage in his elaborately laid plan

Behind Closed Doors meets Liane Moriarty in this creepy, fast-paced psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming!

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Moving day cometh and I have loads of books.

Almost.

I am packed. The washing machine is running through a last load before I put some cleaning stuff in it. The fridge-freezer has been turned off, ready for both to be collected tomorrow morning. My internet gets turned off tomorrow but I’ll be back online on Saturday afternoon when my new house gets connected up.

I am stressed. It’s not fun, this moving lark. The clinical psychiatrist I was seeing to sort out my anxiety and depression says because of my obsessive and ritualistic traits any change in my routine causes upset and anxiety. There is nothing more disturbing to my routine than moving. Everything is out of place because I’ve had to pack it all up and I really don’t like my stuff being moved about.

I collect my keys and sign the paperwork tomorrow afternoon. I shall be calmer once that is done and then I’ll really relax once I’m moved, and have got everything back in its place.

A box of books arrived today, from Pen & Sword books. Two more arrived on Tuesday from HQ, and I also received a book from an author who had contacted me directly for a review. That’s ten books this week. I have so much to read, it’s brilliant. It’ll keep me entertained for a few weeks anyway. At the moment I’m reading Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda from HQ. I’m enjoying it so far.