Literature | FrogenYozurt.Com - Online Literature Magazine

The Coldest Night – The Heaven of First Love and the Hell of a Battlefield by Robert Olmstead

On May 23, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Historical Novel, by Editor

Robert Olmstead’s riveting new novel is not only a passionate story of love and war, it is a timeless story of soldiers coming home to a country with little regard for, and even less knowledge of, what they’ve confronted. Through his hero, Olmstead reveals an unspoken truth about combat: that for many men, the experience of war is the most enlivening, electric, and extraordinary experience of their lives.

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership – Lessons by Colin Powell

On May 23, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, by Editor

It Worked for Me is filled with vivid experiences and lessons learned that have shaped the legendary public service career of the four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. At its heart are Powell’s “Thirteen Rules”—notes he gathered over the years and that now form the basis of his leadership presentations given throughout the world. Powell’s short but sweet rules—among them, “Get mad, then get over it” and “Share credit”—are illustrated by revealing personal stories that introduce and expand upon his principles for effective leadership: conviction, hard work, and, above all, respect for others. In work and in life, Powell writes, “it’s about how we touch and are touched by the people we meet. It’s all about the people.”

Jubilee Hitchhiker: The Life and Times of Richard Brautigan – A Biography of the Novelist and Poet by William Hjortsberg

On May 23, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Editor

Confident and robust, Jubilee Hitchhiker is an comprehensive biography of late novelist and poet Richard Brautigan, author of Troutfishing in America and A Confederate General from Big Sur, among many others. When Brautigan took his own life in September of 1984 his close friends and network of artists and writers were devastated though not entirely surprised. To many, Brautigan was shrouded in enigma, erratic and unpredictable in his habits and presentation.

Dorchester Terrace: The Latest Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel by Anne Perry

On May 22, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense, by Editor

Anne Perry’s acclaimed Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels have made London’s exclusive world of wealth and power an addictive literary destination for readers everywhere. This new masterpiece, a haunting story of love and treason, invites us not only into the secret places of Britain’s power but also into the innermost sanctums of the fin de siècle Austro-Hungarian Empire.

My Cross to Bear: Confronting the Ghosts of the Past – A Memoir by Gregg Allman

On May 22, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Entertainment, Music, Nonfiction, by Editor

As one of the greatest rock icons of all time, Gregg Allman has lived it all and then some. For almost fifty years, he’s been creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he’s traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has spanned across the years.

Don’t Cry, Tai Lake: A Chief Inspector Chen Novel by Qiu Xiaolong

On May 22, 2012, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense, by Editor

Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is offered a bit of luxury by friends and supporters within the Party – a week’s vacation at a luxurious resort near Lake Tai, a week where he can relax, and recover, undisturbed by outside demands or disruptions. Unfortunately, the once beautiful Lake Tai, renowned for its clear waters, is now covered by fetid algae, its waters polluted by toxic runoff from local manufacturing plants.

Bunch of Amateurs: A Search for the American Character by Jack Hitt

On May 21, 2012, in Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, Social Studies, by Editor

Beginning with Ben Franklin’s kite and leading all the way to the current TV hit American Idol, Hitt argues that the nation’s love of self-invented obsessives has always driven the country to rediscover the true heart of the American dream. Amateur pursuits are typically lamented as a world that just passed until a Sergey Brin or Mark Zuckerberg steps out of his garage (or dorm room) with the rare but crucial success story. In Bunch of Amateurs, Hitt argues that America is now poised to pioneer at another frontier that will lead, one more time, to the newest version of the American dream.

Assignment to Hell: The War Against Nazi Germany with Correspondents Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney, A.J. Liebling, Homer Bigart, and Hal Boyle by Timothy M. Gay

On May 21, 2012, in Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, by Editor

In February 1943, a group of journalists—including a young wire service correspondent named Walter Cronkite and cub reporter Andy Rooney—clamored to fly along on a bombing raid over Nazi Germany. Seven of the sixty-four bombers that attacked a U-boat base that day never made it back to England. A fellow survivor, Homer Bigart of the New York Herald Tribune, asked Cronkite if he’d thought through a lede. “I think I’m going to say,” mused Cronkite, “that I’ve just returned from an assignment to hell.”

Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens – A History of European Astronomers by Andrea Wulf

On May 21, 2012, in Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, Science, by Editor

Chasing Venus brings to life the personalities of the eighteenth-century astronomers who embarked upon this complex and essential scientific venture, painting a vivid portrait of the collaborations, the rivalries, and the volatile international politics that hindered them at every turn. In the end, what they accomplished would change our conception of the universe and would forever alter the nature of scientific research.

Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis – A Book About the Struggle to Keep Faith by Lauren Winner

On May 20, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Religious Studies, by Editor

Witty, relatable, and fiercely honest, Winner lays bare her experience of what she calls the “middle” of the spiritual life. In elegant and spare prose, she explores why—in the midst of the overwhelming anxiety, loneliness, and boredom of her deepest questioning about where (or if) God is—the Christian story still explains who she is better than any other story she’s ever known. Still is an absorbing meditation combining literary grace with spiritual wisdom. It is sure to resonate with anyone looking to sustain a spiritual life in the midst of real life.