The Book of Mordred by Vivian Vande Velde

For you fantasy fans, here's a good read...

Summary:

Booklist (September 15, 2005 (Vol. 102, No. 2))

 Mordred's story unfolds over 10 years in sequential stories told from the points of view of three women: Alayna, who appeals to Mordred for help after the kidnapping of her five-year-old daughter Kiera; Nimue, who wears Merlin's ring and wields her own magic; and Kiera, who has always seen visions and, at the age of 15, finds her gift an increasingly heavy burden. In many versions of Arthurian tales Mordred is simply cast as the traitor who brought down Arthur and Camelot, but in this novel he is no cardboard villain. On the contrary, he embodies many of the virtues of chivalry, though he remains an enigmatic figure. With its many characters and complex background, this novel can be confusing at times. Still, many fantasy fans will enjoy the adventure and occasional humor, while those familiar with Arthurian legend will find this a richly imagined retelling of traditional lore. Other novels that focus on Mordred include Sarah Thomson's The Dragon's Son (2001), Nancy Springer's I Am Mordred (1998), and Elizabeth Wein's The Winter Prince (1993).

The Week in Rap 4/15/11

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Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson

Here's a great non-fiction book that reads like a novel:


Summary:


Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend, and how his death impacted those closest to him. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The Week in Rap 4/8/11

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The Week in Rap 3/25/11

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The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

Here's a book that's generated a lot of buzz.  I can't wait to start reading it!
This will be a good companion to Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns...


From the Publisher: With The Bookseller of Kabul, award-winning journalist Asne Seierstad has given readers a first-hand look at Afghani life as few outsiders have seen it. Invited to live with Sultan Khan, a bookseller in Kabul, and his family for months, this account of her experience allows the Khans to speak for themselves, giving us a genuinely gripping and moving portrait of a family, and of a country of great cultural riches and extreme contradictions. For more than 20 years, Sultan Khan has defied the authorities-whether Communist or Taliban-to supply books to the people of Kabul. He has been arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned, and has watched illiterate Taliban soldiers burn piles of his books in the street. Yet he had persisted in his passion for books, shedding light in one of the world's darkest places. This is the intimate portrait of a man of principle and of his family-two wives, five children, and many relatives sharing a small four-room house in this war ravaged city. But more than that, it is a rare look at contemporary life under Islam, where even after the Taliban's collapse, the women must submit to arranged marriages, polygamous husbands, and crippling limitations on their ability to travel, learn and communicate with others.

The Week in Rap 3/18/11