Helpful votes received on reviews:
55% (46 of 84)
Location: Concord, CA USA
In My Own Words:
nickname is 'tilla. I graduated from NAU in 1975 with a BS of Ed in English and History. I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area after moving up here from LA in 1993. Married with two grown sons (Brian and Jaymes), a cat (Ra (Tav'lyn passed away in February)), a huge collection of books and a mortgage. I've worked in Information Systems Security since 1990 starting in the Aerospace in… Read morenickname is 'tilla.
I graduated from NAU in 1975 with a BS of Ed in English and History. I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area after moving up here from LA in 1993.
Married with two grown sons (Brian and Jaymes), a cat (Ra (Tav'lyn passed away in February)), a huge collection of books and a mortgage.
I've worked in Information Systems Security since 1990 starting in the Aerospace industry (Northrop Aircraft and Allied Signal Aerospace). Moved to the Bay Area in 1993 to work in the Insurance (CSAA) and Brokerage (Charles Schwab & Co) industries and have been in Data Processing (Information System) since 1976.
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Contributions
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Good authors, good stories. You have to be a real fan, though, to get through some of them. Several authors I've never read before and there are a few I'll never read again, if these stories are any indication of what they normally produce. They're GOOD, don't get me wrong, but just too bloody for me and there's nothing at all to relieve the bloodshed - no humor, no sympathetic characters you can root for - nothing, nada, zilch.
Greg Keyes' "The Undefiled" was one of the worst offenders. I loved his Briar King series but his Fool Wolf character has no redeeming qualities at all. Tim Lebbon's "The Deification of Dal Bamore" was almost as bad. Some people may enjoy… Read more
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I may be biased since I've never read anything by Berg that I *didn't* like but I went through this like greased lightening - the plot really moves, the characters are fascinating and I was so caught up in it, I could hardly put it down. The story is told in the first-person by Portier de Savin-Duplais, librarian at the Collegia Magica and a distant cousin of Sabria's King Philippe. Philippe doesn't believe in 'magic'; he's more a fan of the natural sciences - astronomy, biology, etc. His queen, however, *does* believe and strongly. That's not the problem. The problem is, somebody seems to be trying to kill Phillipe and blame the Queen. Portier is assigned the role of agents confides… Read more
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4 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Frankly, this is something of a disappointment. The blurb was interesting but the book seems more 'lecture' than 'story'. I've been trying to get through this one for 3 months and haven't been able to get past chapter 2 which is sad because this whole period really interested me. I took classes in British History in college but will admit I prefer the Plantaganets to the Tuders. "The Sisters Who Would Be Queen" is well-researched and could probably serve as a text book for the period. Unfortunately, what I've read so far is as dry as dust and even as a text would turn me off.
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I'm a huge fan of historical novels, especially British and early American history although I will go as far back as Alexander the Great if the story's well told.
These are books I've read over and over again
Wish List
Favorite Items
Reading is one of my favorite things - I love Science Fiction/Fantasy and have for years but I also enjoy Georgette Heyer's historical romances. Lately, I've gotten seriously into Richard III who must be one of the most maligned rulers in history. Just finished reading The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman - excellent book!
These are just a few of my favorites - real keepers -
The Talisman Ring, My Lord John, Royal Escape, The Tollgate, Venetia, and The Grand Sophy (all by Georgette Heyer)
George R. R. Martin's - A Song of Ice & Fire (A Clash of Kings, A Feast for Crows, etc)
S.M. Stirling's novels of The Change (Island in the Sea of Time, Dies the Fire, The Scourge of God, The Sword of the Lady, etc)
E.E. Knight's Age of Fire (Dragon Champion, Dragon Strike, Dragon Rule (coming in December), etc) - these are such fun all told from the POV of the dragons.
I also really like Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora, Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind and the Melusine series by Sarah Monette. Really liked HaveMercy, Shadow Magic and Dragon Soul by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Classic rock - mostly
love The Temptations, Four Tops, The Byrds, Jefferson (before they became the Starship) Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Dylan, Warren Zevon but I also like Josh Groban - man that kid can *sing*
Movies - again Science Fiction/Fantasy but also some action and light comedy
Transformers (both original and Revenge of the Fallen) - had excellent special effects and a pretty cool storyline. Stardust - what a beautiful movie. Star Trek - so good! May just kickstart that franchise all over again.
Iron Man, The Hulk (the new one) - MARVEL RULES! Batman Begins and The Dark Knight - okay, maybe DC rules, too. 27 Dresses - was such a cute movie. Lord of the Rings trilogy - probably 3 of the best movies ever made and I'm eager to see what they do with The Hobbit and the Temeraire series. Peter Jackson is probably one of the best directors around today. Pirates of the Caribbean - absolutely loved all three. Johnny Depp has got to be one of the best actors current. That guy can play anything including Al Capone and the Mad Hatter. Can hardly wait to see what he does next. Enchanted - Disney rocks!
UP was an excellent movie - I cried buckets but I cried bucket at the end of Toy Story 3 and Shrek: Forever After, too.
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