Memorial Day 2013

Both my father and father-in-law proudly served our our country and are laid to rest in a beautiful National Cemetery.
Please take a moment and remember what today is really about.

Seduction by M. J. Rose Review~

About Seduction... "From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost journal of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening a mystery that spans centuries.
In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, Hugo began participating in hundreds of séances to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with the likes of Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus—and even the Devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published. Or so it was believed.
Recovering from her own losses, mythologist Jac L’Etoile arrives on the Isle of Jersey—where Hugo conducted the séances—hoping to uncover a secret about the island’s Celtic roots. But the man who’s invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, has hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different—Hugo’s lost conversations with someone called the Shadow of the Sepulcher.
What follows is an intricately plotted and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists."

About M.J. Rose... M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. 

  Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s i 

n advertising, has a commercial in the Mus 

eum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com.  The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members 

of Internation 

al Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype.  She is also the co-founder ofPeroozal.com and BookTrib.com.

Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Let's talk about the obvious first... the absolutely STUNNING cover! That is what initially drew me to this book... yes, I judge books by their cover! It is just so perfect for this book. It encompasses exactly how I felt reading this novel. 

I will just say, to the dismay of English teachers everywhere, that I have not read much Victor Hugo. I did, however, read The Hunchback of Notre Dame in French in high school. But, beyond that... I have never really been a fan. That said, I don't feel that it was a detriment in reading and enjoying Seduction. 

At its essence, it is about the relationship between a parent and a child and that's what "got" me. Yes, I enjoyed learning about Hugo but this novel, in my opinion, eclipses that. 

M.J. Rose is a lyrical author... not only does she write a story that twists around to an amazing conclusion but the prose is beautiful. She is, truly, a storyteller. And, in this age where there is a glut of "authors", a true storyteller makes reading such a joy!

As I read this novel, I was struck by the intricate plotting. There are so many branches to the story and Ms. Rose connects them into a novel that I think is my favorite M.J. Rose creation!

~~Thanks to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and M.J. Rose for providing a copy of Seduction in exchange for my review~~

Seduction by M.J. Rose

I am so excited to share this novel, "Seduction" by M.J. Rose. I will post my review tomorrow but wanted to whet your appetite for this rich and textured novel which would be a perfect way to kick off your summer reading. 

“Let us say in passing, to be blind and to be loved, is in fact--on this earth where nothing is complete--one of the most strangely exquisite forms of happiness. To have continually at your side a woman, a girl, a sister, a charming being, who is there because you need her, and because she cannot do without you, to know you are indispensable to someone necessary to you, to be able at all times to measure her affection by the degree of the presence that she gives you, and to say to yourself: She dedicates all her time to me, because I possess her whole love; to see the thought if not the face; to be sure of the fidelity of one being in a total eclipse of the world; to imagine the rustling of her dress as the rustling of wings; to hear her moving to and fro, going out, coming in, talking, singing, to think that you are the cause of those steps, those words, that song; to show your personal attraction at every moment; to feel even more powerful as your infirmity increases; to become in darkness, and by reason of darkness, the star around which this angel gravitates; few joys can equal that. The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves--say rather, loved in spite of ourselves; the conviction the blind have. In their calamity, to be served is to be caressed. Are they deprived of anything? No. Light is not lost where love enters. And what a love! A love wholly founded in purity. There is no blindness where there is certainty.” 

― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Excerpt from SEDUCTION - From Chapter 1

            My love for my daughter is at the heart of this story. My delightful daughter. My sunshine. I know every father says this, but she truly was special. Even in this world she was visibly living a higher life. I had seen her soul. It had touched me. In this world of misery, suffering and horrible injustice, Didine was my own wonder, my own happiness. And in Jersey, she became my own madness.

            After someone you love so dearly dies, you are absent from the world for a time, living only loss. The pain of existing without the other is too hard to bear. Only slowly do you return to life. To being hungry, not just eating for sustenance. To pouring a glass of good wine, not just drinking to quench a thirst. To hearing the words of those around you and answering. To being stirred into having indignation at the statesmen, at the clergy, at the government. One returns slowly. And then one dawn as you watch the sun rise, you realize your daughter is dead but you are still alive.

            What I didn’t know then was that an ache, as steadfast as my love, would remain. My grief for Didine is a living thing. My longing to see her again has never abated, never lessened. I never stopped yearning to hear her speak, to watch her eyes fill with laughter, to feel her lean over my shoulder to read what I am writing. Oh, if only I could just once more engage in conversation with my daughter about my ideas—my ideas that were hers also.

To hear what other readers think about Seduction, here is the tour schedule.

Remember to come back to Bags, Books & Bon Jovi tomorrow to read my review.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

It's a gorgeous day here and we're headed to brunch at one of our favorite restaurants. They make the best Huevos Rancheros which we will enjoy on their patio by the creek... LOVE it!

I hope you are spending today with your loved ones, as well!

Roots of Betrayal by James Forrester

From the author's website... "May 1564: Catholic herald William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms, is the custodian of a highly dangerous document. When it is stolen, Clarenceux immediately suspects a group of Catholic sympathisers, the self-styled Knights of the Round Table.
Francis Walsingham, the ruthless protege of the Queen's Principal Secretary, Sir William Cecil, intercepts a coded message from the Knights to a Countess known to have Catholic leanings. He is convinced that Clarenceux is trying to use the document to advance the cause of the Catholic Queen.Very soon Clarenceux enters a nightmare of suspicion, deception and conspiracy. He finds himself on the run, alongside charismatic outlaw and pirate Raw Carew. United in rooting out the truth, they are divided by their character and methods: one is a man of faith, the other is quick to draw his knife. As England teeters on the brink of bloody conflict, Clarenceux knows the fate of his country and countless lives will be determined by their actions."

If you have yet to read this series, you have a treat in store. 

Roots of Betrayal by James Forrester is the second in The Clarenceux Triology... and as with most trilogies... the story just gets better... YAY!!! 

I love historical fiction... historical mysteries, in particular. I get lost in both the mystery and the world that the author has immersed it in. Mr. Forrester continues not only the intricate and exciting mystery but shows that when a story is well-written, it will be devoured... LOL! Yes, I read this book very quickly. Now, comes the difficult part... waiting for the third installment.

The characters in this books are rounded and real. There was not a time when I didn't believe that they lived in this tale... their speech, their ideas and behaviors "fit" how I believe (from a lot of period reading) they should. I truly appreciate that from any author I read.

 Because that belief was there, I was more focused on the mystery. It did not disappoint! I was hooked from the first page and found that the mystery was all-encompassing. The author never varied from his story to include extraneous details or red herrings. The story was focused and the ending was perfect! It concluded this story but also left the door open for the conclusion to the trilogy. 

~~Thanks to Nicole at SourceBooks and the author, James Forrester for this book in exchange for my review.~~

Absolute Genius! The Best of Both Worlds!

My daughter, M, is OBSESSED with One Direction... obsessed is actually putting it mildly. I am obsessed (notice my obsession does not warrant all capital letters ...lol) with Downton Abbey!

So, when our two obsessions meet... it's AMAZING (yes, I feel the need for all capital letters now)!! Especially when Lord Grantham says FLABBERGASTED... it's her favorite word!

This "mash-up" is brilliant! I can't wait to show it to M when she gets home from school today.


Here is the original with M's "boys"... pay special attention to the blond one, Niall. Around our house, he's known as her "little Leprechaun" or, more importantly... our future son-in-law...LOL!!!

Elusive Dawn by Gabriele Wills

From GoodReads..."It happened slowly at first. Thread by thread, the fabric of privilege and complacency enveloping the Wyndham family began to unravel. A carefree summer at their island house, disrupted by the arrival of long lost kin, ended in tragedy, betrayal, and war. Now, in the compelling sequel to the acclaimed epic, The Summer Before The Storm, Ria and her friends find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control. It's late summer, 1916. While some members of the Wyndham family revel in the last resplendent days of the season at their Muskoka cottage, others continue to be drawn inexorably into the Great War, going from a world of misty sunrises across a tranquil lake to deadly moonlight bombing raids, festering trenches, and visceral terror. For Ria, too many things have happened to hope that life would ever return to normal, that innocence could be regained. Caught in a vortex of turbulent events and emotions, she abandons the safety of the sidelines in Britain for the nightmare of France. Her fate as an ambulance driver remains entwined with those of her summer friends, all bound by a sense of duty. Living in the shadows of fear and danger awakens the urgency to grasp life, to live more immediately, more passionately amid the enormity of unprecedented death. Together, their lives weave a tale of liberation and loss, evolution and redemption. Those who survive this cataclysmic time are forever changed, like Canada itself.Impeccably researched, beautifully written, Elusive Dawn will resonate with the reader long after the final page has been turned."

The best thing about trilogies, at least, in my opinion (and  this is my blog, so it my opinion matters...lol!) is that they (usually) get better with each new book. Elusive Dawn is no exception! 

It was so easy to open this novel and start reading about this wonderfully crafted world. I felt as though I had never left it. Elusive Dawn showed events, both big and small in a changing world, and how characters that I love deal with them and each other. 

The second book of The Muskoka Novels was more intense but written with scenes of simplicity and beauty. I felt the characters evolved more and their actions, both good and bad, were completely in keeping with how I believed they should behave.

I think one if more difficult things a writer can try is to put her characters in historical situations. We all know (to some extent, of course) what WWI did to our world. Ms. Wills writes eloquently and evocatively  about  the changing  world and how  it affected the Wyndham family and the other characters.  Lesser authors sometimes gloss over events like that, using them to provide a backdrop. In Elusive Dawn, the horrors are ever present and, sometimes, I turned the page apprehensively... not always wanting to know what happened but also needing to know. Yes, I read  this book so quickly and cannot wait for the final book in the series... which I will tear through but with a little bit of sadness as I know  it will be my final time in this wonderful world that is Gabriele Wills' creation.

~~Thanks to Teddy Rose at Virtual Author Book Tours and the author, Gabriele Wills for providing  Elusive Dawn in exchange for this review.~~

Gabriele Wills~Author of Elusive Dawn~ Guest Post

Gabriele Wills is the author of The Muskoka Novels, a wonderful series that captured my imagination with book one, The Summer Before the Storm, which I reviewed HERE. The second book in the series, Elusive Dawn (what a wonderfully evocative title!) continues this series and I am very excited to review it later this week.

I would like to thank Gabriele Wills for sharing her thoughts in this guest post...

Intrepid Women

By Gabriele Wills

The “girls” of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) laughed uproariously when they read a British newspaper article during WWI about women motor drivers, which declared, “Women’s outlook on life will be distorted by the adoption of such a profession, her finer instincts crushed,” and that she would be robbed “of much feminine charm”.   The FANY was a corps of plucky young women – most in their early 20s - who volunteered to drive ambulances and run field hospitals in war-torn Belgium and France. They were well bred, often aristocratic, and cultivated an image of fierce independence, self-confidence, gaiety, flair, and audacity.

Although the Belgians gratefully accepted the FANYs’ services shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914, it wasn’t until 1916 that the British allowed them to set up a convoy in Calais. They had to deal with skeptical military personnel, and male drivers who resented them encroaching on their territory, and doing it without pay. The locals were impressed by the eccentric and fearless English mademoiselles, who drew a crowd when expertly changing tires or repairing their vehicles.

The FANYs’ work was difficult, dirty, and dangerous. They maintained their cars mechanically, but also had to cleanse them of blood and other bodily effluences. They transported wounded, ill, and dying men from trains and barges to hospitals and ships, often at night and in all weathers, frequently driving through bombardments. One FANY was seriously wounded when a torpedo exploded in front of her ambulance, killing the orderly beside her, but she managed to crawl 200 yards to a hospital, refusing aid until the men in her charge had been treated. During one of 197 air raids on Calais, shrapnel so narrowly missed injuring some FANY that it shredded bits of their clothing and was embedded in their bedroom walls. 

Those on night duty in winter had the arduous task of hand cranking every vehicle hourly to keep them from freezing up. During a major offensive, like Passchendaele, they worked endless days without sleep or time for proper meals or even a wash, snatching naps on stretchers in their ambulances while awaiting yet another train. They assisted when an ammunition dump outside Calais was bombed, creating a crater “big enough to bury a village”, dodging live shells that littered roads up to five miles away. The place was an inferno, and armaments kept exploding, raining shrapnel down around them.

But the “girls”, as they called themselves, also had fun when off-duty, and were renowned for their hospitality - hosting teas, dances, and entertainments for officers, many of the women being accomplished musicians. They borrowed horses, sometimes riding out with officers and participating in races on the beach. Some romances and marriages ensued. In her memoir, FANNY Goes to War, Pat (Waddell) Beauchamp describes encountering the Prince of Wales in Calais, and receiving a delightful smile and “wonderful salute”.

It’s amazing to realize the many hardships that these gently reared ladies endured - with stoicism and grace - in their bid to “do their duty” like their brothers and sweethearts. FANY members earned 136 medals and decorations during WWI, including Pat Waddell, who lost a leg in the line of duty.  

Janet Lee’s War Girls gives a comprehensive account of the corps during WWI. The FANY is still in existence, and you can see vintage photos on their website. Their motto is “arduis invictus”, meaning “unconquered in hardships”, which is indeed apt.

I pay tribute to these intrepid women in Elusive Dawn through my fictional WATS (Women's Ambulance and Transport Service), heavily based on FANY history.  Victoria Wyndham, the heroine of The Muskoka Novels, becomes a WATS, and penned the following ditty to the popular wartime tune, “Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers”, which encapsulates the WATS - and FANY - experience:

Cousin Katy’s driving on the wrong side in Calais,

She responds to calls for help with never a delay,

Bombs and shells may fall but she’ll keep driving through them all,

She’s a WATS and that’s what WATS do – heed the battle call.

But in her scratchy khaki she still likes a dance or two,

For she’s a lady fair and there is nothing she can’t do.

Cousin Katy cleans the carburetor,

Vulcanize, decarbonize, oil, grease, and then much later

She dances and she sings until the telephone rings, then

Cousin Katy cranks and cranks and cranks the cranky car again.

She drives and drives through darkness that is dangerous, undaunted,

Taking troops and top-brass anywhere where they are wanted,

Meeting ships and trains, soon she’ll be flying aer-o-planes!

She’ll defeat the Hun with her grease gun and never she complains.

But when she’s not in breeches, and underneath her car,

She likes champagne from crystal, and a taste of caviar.

Please come back to Bags, Books & Bon Jovi later this week to read my review of Elusive Dawn by Gabriele Wills. To whet your appetite... click HERE to go to the author's website to read an excerpt. I hope you enjoy it as much I did!

India Black and the Rajah's Ruby by Carol Carr

From the publisher's website... "India Black uses her wit and wiles as both a madam and a spy, proving she’s the best there is when it comes to undercover work…

 Drawn into intrigue by her lover Philip Barrett, India finds herself being used as a pawn to help him steal a valuable jewel. Turning the tables, she proves that India Black answers to no man, no matter how attractive he may be…"

I don't usually review novellas but when it's the latest installment of one of my favorite series...I'm all over it!!

I have followed India's adventure since the beginning and am so happy that she is back for more! 

Set before Lotus House, French and her "merry band of misfits"... it tells a story of how India Black became the India Black we know and love. It was fun to read this tale from the perspective of "knowing" her now. I enjoyed reading just about her. I do love her "merry band of misfits" (yes, I love that phrase so much, I'm using it again!) but she is what makes the series and to see her before them just made me more excited for her next adventure! 

In the book world... it's all about the cover, isn't it? Well, this cover is strikingly beautiful! It is my favorite of the series. I LOVE it!

After reading India Black and the Rajah's Ruby, I was so ready to read the next installment and boy, let me tell you... it doesn't disappoint! But, you'll just have to wait for that review...lol... not long, though, I promise!

In the meantime... here is the gorgeous cover of India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy...

The Tainted Coin The Fifth Chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon by Mel Starr

You can buy Hugh de Singleton's fifth chronicle here

From the publisher... "It is the autumn of 1367. Master Hugh is enjoying the peaceful life of Bampton when a badly beaten man is found under the porch of St. Andrew's Chapel. The dying man is a chapman--a traveling merchant. Before he is buried in the chapel grounds, an ancient, corroded coin is found in the man's mouth.

Master Hugh's quest for the chapman's assailants, and his search for the origin of the coin, begins to make progress--but there are men of wealth and power in league with his old nemesis, Sir Simon Trillowe, who wish to end his search . . . permanently.

But Master Hugh, and his assistant, the groom Arthur, are determined to uncover the thieves and murderers, and the source of the chapman's coin. They do, but not before they become involved with a kidnapped maiden, a tyrannical abbot, and a suffering monk--who needs Master Hugh's surgical skills and in return provides clues that assist Hugh in solving the mystery of the tainted coin."

About the author...Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren. www.melstarr.org

Click here to read an excerpt

Bags, Books & Bon Jovi... Four Years!

Today is the four year anniversary of Bags, Books & Bon Jovi!! 

Thank you to all who take a little bit of time to read what I write. 

João Cerqueira~Guest Post

João Cerqueira is the author of The Tragedy of Fidel Castro and has written this guest post for my blog... 

"Books can kill you!

(And beware of writers)

It’s often said that books can save us. The words ‘this book saved my life’ cross the lips of many of us. But allow me to disagree. It wasn’t the book, the movie, the song or theater play – art isn’t usually referred to as a lifesaver – but rather the person uttering the words who saved himself or herself. Just like someone who gives you a good piece of advice is not the main reason for the success or failure of your future actions, they just show us the path to take, the books, some books, simply play this role - which is no mean feat.

Other people and certain animals, buoys, life jackets and parachutes, can save us, but not books. They are not thrown into the water to prevent us from drowning; they don’t enter a burning building to rescue us from the fire; nor do they perform a surgical operation to save us from a disease. Try jumping out of a plane with a copy of Don Quixote in your hand – you’ll come face to face with Cervantes within minutes. You just can’t ask that much from a book. In fact, we are the ones doing the saving and we have been doing so for centuries.

Books can kill us however. No word of a lie! Or rather, books can trigger a process in which they act as the catalyst for a reaction, the outcome of which is the death of the author or the reader. Through drowning, fires, and more recently, firearms or sharp objects, books have been responsible for the death of many humans.

It could be argued, once again, that the responsibility is not theirs seeing as other people killed or intend to kill the author, the translator or the reader of the cursed book. This might be the case. But that doesn’t stop these objects from being very dangerous.

The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was the first list of banned books – by the Catholic Church. Reading or owning a book on the list could be punished with death. Scientists such as Galileo, Bruno, Copernicus, or thinkers such as Erasmus, Spinoza, Machiavelli, and Locke, were placed on the list.

Giordano Bruno – who claimed that the universe was infinite – was condemned to the stake for his discoveries and his blasphemous books. Galileo had better luck, although he had to renounce his book Dialogo sopra i due sistemi del mondo massimi, which held that the Earth revolved around the Sun

At that time, even the Bible itself, if translated from Latin or Greek, became a dangerous book. William Tyndale was burned alive in the 16^th century for having the holy work translated into English – a scene depicted in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall – at the instigation of Thomas More – someone who was also obsessed with writing books.

In today’s world, Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, is seen as the greatest victim of his books. Even without reading the work the Ayatollah Khomeini decided that it insulted his religion and issued a fatwa against Rushdie in which he was sentenced to death for blasphemy. The fatwa has not been carried out however, and although the writer may never again feel totally safe anywhere, he is still alive. Unlike his Japanese translator Igarashi Hitoshi who was murdered. His Italian translator and Norwegian publisher have also suffered attacks.

So, dear reader, always be wary of books and also of writers – those guys think they’re so smart. They can cause you endless problems. How can you trust someone who is always inventing stories and things that have never existed? How can you be friends with someone who causes you misfortune or takes inspiration in your flaws to create a miserable character? Take the case of Proust who ridiculed everyone’s relationships in Remembrance of Things Past or of Dostoyevsky, who was imprisoned, and only then wrote his best books.

And who can guarantee that when the writer kills off his characters he is not revealing a secret desire? If – as some art historians claim –Picasso’s etchings in which Minotaurs are depicted raping women represent the unconscious wishes of the Spanish painter, why can the same not be said of authors of books in which characters die or suffer atrocities?

My novel The Tragedy of Fidel Castro is not destined to kill anyone however – I wouldn’t advise you to take it to Cuba though, for now – and only one character dies who hasn’t been alive for a long time. This is therefore one of the few books you can read in safety – provided you don’t approach its author."

If you found his post intriguing, you might want to check out his novel, The Tragedy of Fidel Castro...

"The Tragedy of Fidel Castro is a political and religious satire where Jesus comes to Earth to prevent a war, Fidel Castro writes his memoirs and makes a pact with the Devil, whores and farmers refuse Marxism, monks start a revolution in a monastery, and, in the end, a true miracle happens. Because of the European crisis, protesters occupying Wall Street, India and China’s rise and the North Korea's problems, I think this book – which debates Capitalism and Socialism – addresses issues of critical interest in discussions on the problems of today's world. The target audiences are readers who like historical and literary fiction and also those who are interested in politics.But people interested in religious subjects will also be drawn to the book (the miracle of Fátima in 1917 in which the Virgin Mary predicted the end of Communism).

The book was considered book of the year in Portugal in 2009 by the magazine Os meus Livros. The literary agencies Kontext (Scandinavia), Ilene Kreshka (Germany),  Nova Litera (Russia), Book Seventeen Agency (South Korea), Nabu (Italy), The Book Publishers Association of Israel e Partha Malik (Índia) are looking for a publisher. Please see the synopsis below and more information in my webpage.In attachment: press release. Thank you for your attention. Sincerely, João Cerqueira Viana do Castelo Portugalwww.joaocerqueira.com http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Fidel-Castro-Joao-Cerqueira/dp/1938416163/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1355946698&sr=8-3&keywords=jo%C3%A3o+cerqueira

Synopsis God receives a request for help from Fatima because a war between Fidel Castro and JFK is about to start. Worried, God asks his son Jesus to return to Earth and difuse the conflict. Meanwhile, JFK and his counselor are about to interrogate a captured Fidel Castro’s spy (Varadero). Following a testy Communism versus Capitalism debate, JFK set him free and Varadero returns to Cuba. However, his faith in Fidel Castro is shaken and the spy begins to suspect that he is supporting the wrong side. In Cuba, Fidel Castro faces protests on the streets and realizes that he is about to be overthrown. Suspecting Varadero betrayed him, Fidel imprisons the spy as he previously did with the revolutionary hero Camilo Ochoa[1]. Desperate, he decides to invade JFK’s country as a way to divert people's attention from his own problems. Fidel’s' army invades part of JFK’s country but cannot conveniently convince the inhabitants of the advantages of Marxism. Whilst peasants refuse a land reform, whores prefer free enterprise. Castro is then forced to ask Varadero for advice. Varadero seizes the opportunity accusing him of having betrayed the revolution and responsible for Cuba’s misery. Disturbed and distressed, Fidel isolates himself in unknown territory and following a fall which leaves him amnesiac. He is found by monks who take him to a solitary convent where mad people are ministered by the Church. Once inside he see’s the fools are enslaved, Castro starts a revolution against the friars. The course of events reignites his memory. By this time, Christ has arrived on Earth accompanied by Fatima, who is convinced she can create a miracle to avoid the ultimate battle between JFK and Fidel Castro. Back with his army, Fidel Castro receives a visit from the Devil and makes a pact: he sells his soul in exchange for being remembered as a hero who fought for a better world. In the future, nobody will call him dictator. Finally the two armies meet in battle, but JFK proposes to fight Fidel Castro in a duel to avoid wholesale carnage. Fatima, Christ and Varadero watch the duel behind a bush. After a violent struggle, JFK overthrows Castro with a stone.  [1] Combination of Camilo Cienfuegos and General Arnaldo Ochoa, sentenced to death in 1989."

Two of My Favorite Things!

Is it kind of weird that I'm really curious as to the title of his book?

Happy New Year!

Blogger Day of Silence... and Support