Literally any book that has a movie with Keira Knightley in period costume pieces is a win for me.
Leo Tolstoy’s classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky.
In their world frivolous liaisons are commonplace, but Anna and Vronsky’s consuming passion makes them a target for scorn and leads to Anna’s increasing isolation. The heartbreaking trajectory of their relationship contrasts sharply with the colorful swirl of friends and family members who surround them, especially the newlyweds Kitty and Levin, who forge a touching bond as they struggle to make a life together. Anna Karenina is a masterpiece not only because of the unforgettable woman at its core and the stark drama of her fate, but also because it explores and illuminates the deepest questions about how to live a fulfilled life.
Andrew “Ender” Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast.
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.
In a secluded society of inhuman beings, Rose is selected to be the queen of her colony and raised for one purpose: to breed. When she reaches maturity, The Elders murder her mother and awaken a dark power in Rose that she does not understand. Rose begins a war for control, but agrees to replenish their population on the condition of finding love on her own terms. Rose moves to California to explore the humans that she has fantasized about, yet may one day be forced to conquer. She finds two prospects. Noah is a sweet boy struggling with charm, but a complete gentleman. Austin is an attractive adventurer that challenges her authority at every turn. Rose’s goal is to create a real family and find a king to help overthrow The Elders, but she has taken very horrific measures in order to retain her purity. While trying to save her soul, she may have dammed us all.
An electrifying retelling of a classic tale, THE BEAST OF LONDON is the first book of the Mina Murray series.
Liz Meldon - Romance Author 