Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) joined the church at the tender age of 8 with Jutta von Sponheim. Her history has been chronicled and tells the story of a woman who devoted her life to the church and to spreading the teachings which were sent to her in visions through her music, writings, and botanical research. She was eventually named a saint and has been used as an example of feminine wisdom and empowerment by numerous groups during history but Mary Sharratt doesn't want to reimagine just her scholarly side, she wants to invite you into the soul of the child and woman who experienced the realities. Sharratt has taken the historical facts and used them to create a personal account of Hildegard and her continual growth in spiritual acumen and the trials of pride she faced as she boldly strode forward to create a path for herself and her teachings and faced hardships few other women of her time could have understood. In doing this we come closer to appreciating the way Hildegard must have seen the world, how she helped to create one where the nuns under her direciton were able to achieve so much more than they had been enabled to before. Through her daring and innovative teachings, her fearlessness and determination Hildegard forged a new way forward not only in Germany but across Europe and into the future. When you read this story you are not just reading about a religious woman but a character who has been treated with the love and intelligence that she deserves. Sharratt gives you Hildegard von Bingen, full of grace and you cannot ask for anything more.
Max Kilgore has the kind of name that conjures up images of daring feats and out of this world adventures but he's just another geeky, never done no wrong kind of kid. So when he decides to steal a glitzy kitty for his sick mom, the tension is real. After all, the path to hell is paved with good intentions and bejeweled critters of all kinds. When this one act starts to cause Max sleepless nights he turns to the mountain by his home to dig away the stress and maybe stumble on an undiscovered dinosaur find. But Max winds up unearthing a crater to hell and what comes out of it is Max's worst nightmare in a tracksuit. Not only is the guy a real devil adamant on Max being responsible for making his vacation dreams come true but he's a real asshole to boot. Now Max finds himself having to commit all kinds of petty crime to make him happy. But soon Max realizes that there is no end to the things he'll need to do to satisfy this evil sleazeball and with his mom's life on the line Max will do anything he has to. With the help of a young girl named Lore who is all to familiar with the situation Max finds himself in, he'll need to figure a way to get rid of this resident evil if he ever hopes to get things back to the way they were. Armed with just his sadistic cat and a surprising core of strength he didn't even know he possessed Max is ill prepared to pull a fast one on an unsatisfied devil who craves sugars and fats. It's time for Max to think outside of the box on this one and trust in himself.This book like Damico's other titles is full of hysterical moments that cover a core story of young people facing situations that demand they face their uncertainties and discover their hidden strengths. She keeps it real and doesn't pull any punches but you're all the more thankful for this as her characters ring true and honest. Haven't read one of her stories yet that didn't make me laugh and cheer along. Definitely recommend.
This is the second book in The Archived series which should be read in order.Mackenzie barely escaped with her life when she managed to stop Owen from fulfilling his plans of destroying the Archives but it didn't stop there. In her nightmares she relives those moments on the rooftop blurring the line between dream and reality. Sleep starts to become a luxury she can't afford. And as a new year begins at a new school all Mac wants is to be normal again. Haunted day and night she soon begins to doubt her sanity and questions are arising at home as well. When an incident occurs that causes her self harm she begins to wonder if she truly is losing touch with reality.But when people start disappearing without any trace and all they have in common is Mackenzie herself, she becomes convinced that someone in the Archives is out to finish what Owen started and blame her in the process. But with no idea of who it could be who can she trust if she isn't even sure of what's happening herself. As she becomes the prime suspect Mackenzie knows it's only a matter of time before she loses her role as Keeper and possibly more, even her life.This sequel is more than a match for the first in the series. We finally get a true understanding of the pathos that Mac is trying to work through. The loss, betrayals, and suspicions she is facing are a true test of her perseverance in the face of machinations concealed and the determined force of those who want to see her taken down. Nothing is safe anymore, not even that which she knew to be fact. Will she be able to emerge as herself or will she become just another history tucked away in a drawer, left to remain unread.As always, Schwab delivers you a heroine who far from being broken by her flaws and experiences, emerges from the fires forged not from steel but by the humanity they refuse to let go of. A definite recommendation for anyone who likes their characters to sweat blood and tears as they fight to remain true to themselves and do what is right.
Mr Howard is an evil genius that has invented a world full of characters that I wouldn't hesitate to shot if need be but I secretly have to admit to a great deal of affection for. This is a series that does need to be read in sequence but I assure you that they are worth the effort.Cabal has come across arcane knowledge that leads him to believe that there is a place where he may find the very thing to bring back his beloved from the dead. The only problem is that the journey will take him and his mainly willing assistants into places that don't exist on any maps or in time or reality actually. But these small pitfalls won't stop Cabal. After all, he's done his research very carefully. Death is not assured, some may even survive, minus a limb or so. With the help of his brother Horst, a young woman who Cabal may have one time considered killing, and a devil who has given her solemn dib dib not to eat, seduce, or maim him and all right, his friends, Cabal sets out to claim his prize. But as their journey progresses something is becoming crystal clear. Everything Cabal thought he knew is wrong and the fact starts to occur to Cabal, he has made a serious mistake and fallen into a trap of great conniving. For an enemy is pulling all the strings but what neither of them can understand is the sheer evil that is playing them both. This time around Cabal may find himself against something that even he can't understand. As each game piece falls into play Cabal finds himself with fewer and fewer moves. Will this be the very death of our necromancer or only the very beginnings of his eternal damnation?
Flavia looks forward to Christmas, a time when she can put into affect a plan to trap Father Christmas to prove to her sisters that he is indeed real. But to help abet the financial hardships her family faces this year there will be an extra load of people for the holidays; a famous movie star will be shooting a new film at Buckshaw and it promises to be an event no one will forget. Before filming commences the vicar persuades the star to put on a charity event for the village at Buckshaw. Amidst a raging blizzard, the folk of Bishop's Lacey eagerly watch the magic happen. But when they find themselves stranded at the house, things begin to take a turn for the worse. Not only is half the village splayed about the house as they wait the storm out but a murderer lies amongst them. When Flavia finds the star dead in her room dressed in a costume straight out of one of her movies there is no doubt that this will take her special talents to solve. As the storm continues and turmoil starts to bubble below the surface of gentility can Flavia figure out what's happening or could this be her own final curtain call?
Flavia's mother has finally returned home, unfortunately as a frozen corpse found in the Himalayas. At this pivotal point in Flavia's short life her aunt and father decide that the best thing to do is send her away to boarding school at Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Toronto, Canada. Although this is the prestigious school Harriet also attended as a girl, to Flavia leaving Buckshaw and her family is akin to being banished to the ends of the earth.Upon reaching her new home Flavia's luck runs true and she is greeted her first day by a body falling from her chimney and a head coming to rest at her feet. Although secretly delighted by this new happenstance, the rest of the school is disturbingly silent about the event. As Flavia comes to realize that strange happenings such as disappearances among the girls are quietly accepted she suspects that there are machinations in place that no one is talking about. Destiny at Miss Bodycote's has a strange way of revealing itself. With her mother's legacy overshadowing her what does it have in store for Flavia?With a murderess for a teacher, possible spies on all sides of her and a secret organization that must not be spoken of Flavia finds herself digging for clues as to the body in the chimney, could it be one of the missing girls or has the murderer done away with someone for reasons entirely different. Flavia is on the case and even if she is away from all she knows and loves, you can be sure that she'll find the answers.
