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patriciau36's reviews
906 reviews
Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay by Andrew L. Erdman
4.0
Before Madonna, Katy Perry, and Lady GaGa, there was Eva Tanguay. Never heard of her? Neither had I, but by the time I finished this entertaining biography, I knew more about the First Lady of Vaudeville than I ever needed to know.
Tanguay began performing at the tender age of 8, and went on to become the most celebrated performer of her time, despite regular reports that she could neither sing nor dance. She made up for her lack of talent with her outrageous performances, which she undertook with enthusiasm and joyful abandonment. She became known for songs such as “It’s All Been Done Before, But Not the Way I Do It,” “Go As Far As You Like,” “That’s Why They Call me Tabasco,” and her most famous ditty, “I Don’t Care.”
At one point in her career, she was the highest paid performer in Vaudeville, earning as much as $3500 a week, unheard of at that time, especially for a woman. Erdman does a fine job of recounting Tanguay’s life and rise to stardom. The photos sprinkled throughout the text show a vivacious woman, usually grinning or winking at the camera, who obviously loved what she did for a living.
Anyone with a taste for pop culture should find this biography highly entertaining, just like Eva Tanguay.
Tanguay began performing at the tender age of 8, and went on to become the most celebrated performer of her time, despite regular reports that she could neither sing nor dance. She made up for her lack of talent with her outrageous performances, which she undertook with enthusiasm and joyful abandonment. She became known for songs such as “It’s All Been Done Before, But Not the Way I Do It,” “Go As Far As You Like,” “That’s Why They Call me Tabasco,” and her most famous ditty, “I Don’t Care.”
At one point in her career, she was the highest paid performer in Vaudeville, earning as much as $3500 a week, unheard of at that time, especially for a woman. Erdman does a fine job of recounting Tanguay’s life and rise to stardom. The photos sprinkled throughout the text show a vivacious woman, usually grinning or winking at the camera, who obviously loved what she did for a living.
Anyone with a taste for pop culture should find this biography highly entertaining, just like Eva Tanguay.
The Blood Gospel by James Rollins
5.0
I've been reading James Rollins for a few years but confess I was getting a little tired of his Sigma Force series. I was intrigued when I found this new collaboration between Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell, and I was not disappointed. A blend of Rollins' signature save-the-world, mystical conspiracy adventure novels and the best of supernatural adventure, Blood Gospel is the first in a series based on the premise that Jesus composed a gospel written in his own blood that reveals the source of his divinity.
Archaeologist Erin Granger is drawn into a maelstrom when she is summoned to Masada from a dig where she has discovered physical evidence of Herod's Massacre of the Innocents. Masada has been split in half by a powerful earthquake that has led two warring factions to believe the Blood Gospel has finally been found. She joins forces with mysterious priest Rhun Korza and Army Ranger Jordan Stone in a frantic search that spans the globe, culminating in a startling climax deep beneath the Vatican (of course!). Along the way, we learn about a powerful race of vampires, the Strigoi, and their sworn enemies, the Sanguinists, also vampires but vampire priests sustained by the transubstantiated Blood of Christ, or consecrated wine. Throughout the fast-paced adventure, we meet Nazis, enormous vampire bats, werewolves, Rasputin, Elisabeth Bathory the Blood Countess of Hungary, St. Peter, Lazarus (the first Sanguinist) and Judas, the leader of the mysterious but powerful Belial, the evil organization in opposition to the Sanguinists.
This is Rollins at his best, with Cantrell adding a new dimension to his signature adventure novel. The characters are likable and original, and the story moves fast. I look forward to next in the series.
Archaeologist Erin Granger is drawn into a maelstrom when she is summoned to Masada from a dig where she has discovered physical evidence of Herod's Massacre of the Innocents. Masada has been split in half by a powerful earthquake that has led two warring factions to believe the Blood Gospel has finally been found. She joins forces with mysterious priest Rhun Korza and Army Ranger Jordan Stone in a frantic search that spans the globe, culminating in a startling climax deep beneath the Vatican (of course!). Along the way, we learn about a powerful race of vampires, the Strigoi, and their sworn enemies, the Sanguinists, also vampires but vampire priests sustained by the transubstantiated Blood of Christ, or consecrated wine. Throughout the fast-paced adventure, we meet Nazis, enormous vampire bats, werewolves, Rasputin, Elisabeth Bathory the Blood Countess of Hungary, St. Peter, Lazarus (the first Sanguinist) and Judas, the leader of the mysterious but powerful Belial, the evil organization in opposition to the Sanguinists.
This is Rollins at his best, with Cantrell adding a new dimension to his signature adventure novel. The characters are likable and original, and the story moves fast. I look forward to next in the series.
A Gathering of Shades by David Stahler Jr.
3.0
“Sixteen year old Aidan’s grandmother has a secret recipe. She feeds ghosts.”
This opening line in the flyleaf description of A Gathering of Shades is what made me take the book home. An old lady who feeds ghosts. What a powerfully creepy image. And I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. This story is one of the better books for teens I’ve read in a long time. Evocative, eerie, and heartbreaking…all at once.
Aidan’s grandmother does indeed feed ghosts, but he doesn’t find out until a few days after he and his mother arrive back at the family homestead in The Kingdom, an area in upper Vermont. After Aidan’s father is killed in a car accident, his mother decides to pull up stakes from the suburbs of Boston and head back home to heal. Aidan, having only visited The Kingdom as a child and having listened to his father talk about how much he hated it when he was growing up, is less than thrilled about the move. He’s uncomfortable around his odd grandmother, but is curious enough about her lengthy after-dinner walks that he follows her one night and discovers her secret. She’s been feeding the ghosts of The Kingdom for years, helping them pass the time until they’re ready to move on. She’s surprised that Aidan can see the ghosts, but seems pleased to have flesh-and-blood company among the ectoplasm, until she figures out that Aidan joins her every evening only because he’s hopeful his father’s ghost will put in an appearance. Aidan spends the better part of the summer chasing his father’s ghost until he finally manages to say goodbye.
There are plenty of messages here, but none are pushed to the point of being annoying. The futility of chasing ghosts, the difficulty of moving on and letting go after a tragedy, the reliving the memories of the dead time and again…all are addressed with lovely, gentle writing. Reading this story is a little like floating down a stream tucked in an inner tube. Give it a try…
This opening line in the flyleaf description of A Gathering of Shades is what made me take the book home. An old lady who feeds ghosts. What a powerfully creepy image. And I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. This story is one of the better books for teens I’ve read in a long time. Evocative, eerie, and heartbreaking…all at once.
Aidan’s grandmother does indeed feed ghosts, but he doesn’t find out until a few days after he and his mother arrive back at the family homestead in The Kingdom, an area in upper Vermont. After Aidan’s father is killed in a car accident, his mother decides to pull up stakes from the suburbs of Boston and head back home to heal. Aidan, having only visited The Kingdom as a child and having listened to his father talk about how much he hated it when he was growing up, is less than thrilled about the move. He’s uncomfortable around his odd grandmother, but is curious enough about her lengthy after-dinner walks that he follows her one night and discovers her secret. She’s been feeding the ghosts of The Kingdom for years, helping them pass the time until they’re ready to move on. She’s surprised that Aidan can see the ghosts, but seems pleased to have flesh-and-blood company among the ectoplasm, until she figures out that Aidan joins her every evening only because he’s hopeful his father’s ghost will put in an appearance. Aidan spends the better part of the summer chasing his father’s ghost until he finally manages to say goodbye.
There are plenty of messages here, but none are pushed to the point of being annoying. The futility of chasing ghosts, the difficulty of moving on and letting go after a tragedy, the reliving the memories of the dead time and again…all are addressed with lovely, gentle writing. Reading this story is a little like floating down a stream tucked in an inner tube. Give it a try…