Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Wednesday 25 August 2021

Author in the picture: Elizabeth Moore

Thank you very much for participating in your author in the picture blogpost of
MyCrazyLifeWithBooks blog.

I ‘met’ you via the We Love Memoirs Group on Facebook and I read and
reviewed two books of you: From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi’s City and the
second one From Gaudi’s City toGranada’s Red Palace.

I immediately felt a connection because you told with lots of passion about
your travels and you even gave me some new travel ideas.

That’s why I asked you to participate in an author in the picture blogpost.
So here we go with the questions.





1/ Can you tell me more about Elizabeth Moore?

I was born in country Queensland, Australia and moved to Brisbane
to attend high school and University. On graduating, I worked in a large hospital
in NSW, married and had two children. I was then employed for 20 years
at our local university before retiring in 2014. My travels started after cancer
treatment in 2011 and I began writing about my adventures in 2016 my
first book, From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi’s City, in my Someday Travels series,
was published in 2017; my second, From Gaudi’s City to Granada’s Red Palace in 2020.

2/ What is speech pathology exactly?

The term applies to the diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders in adults
and children. It’s probably better known as speech therapy but the name was
revised some years ago to better reflect the scope of the profession.





3/ I read in your books you were diagnosed with cancer.
I admired your strength and your will to live and to travel very much.
How do you feel today?

I’m fine now – aging but healthy. I am still very careful to attend my yearly
scans and medical assessments.






4/ What does the We Love Memoirs group on Facebook mean for you

We Love Memoirs is my happy place. When I first joined, I was delighted to
find many of the authors I had read and admired were already members and
the dynamic between readers and writers was wonderful. If I hadn’t been a
member, I doubt my travel memoirs would have been published.
I discovered Ant Press and with their professionalism and mentoring,
my first book was published.


5/ How did you find the name EJ Bauer?

Memoir authors are often advised to use a pseudonym when writing as it
offers a degree of anonymity for both the writer and people mentioned in
their books. I chose ‘EJ’, the initials of my first names, and ‘Bauer’ is a
family name from my mother’s side. It was also a name that didn’t
appear with any regularity when Googled. My real name, Elizabeth Moore,
is incredibly common and I wanted my author name to be more individual.






6/ Do you like other things than traveling and writing?

I read voraciously and since retiring, I have had time to rediscover the joys
of gardening. Our local birdlife also offers a never-ending passing parade of
antics. I also have 5 grandchildren and they are a joy. Life keeps me busy.


7/ Do you have new travel plans?

Travel plans for the world are on hold but it doesn’t stop me dreaming.
My daughter and her family relocated to Europe just two months before the
pandemic hit. My dream of having a base there and travelling to all sorts of
wonderful destinations has not been realised. When travel is safe, I have Greece,
Germany, Scotland and the USA on my ever expanding list.





8/ Which is your favourite country/place to visit?

That’s like asking about a favourite child. I love France and have visited there twice.
The fact that I sometimes fancifully check real estate listings in various departments
probably speaks to my enduring love of the country. It narrowly beats Italy and Spain
into equal second place. My love of all things French was inspired by my first language
teacher in early high school. I reveal this in some detail in the first chapter of
From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi’s City.





9/ Do you have new writing plans?

My third book on some travel exploits in Italy is well underway. I have book four
taking shape as well. This will cover more time in France and the UK. In both books,
there will be lots of sightseeing, some history, a few interesting encounters and of
course glasses of delicious bubbles.

10/ I always end with the same questions: What are your wishes
for yourself and the world?

It’s hard not to ignore the two large elephants in the room. Of course I want the
current pandemic to be reined in and controlled long term. I also want sensible
and effective worldwide cooperation on climate control. This planet is so precious.
For myself, I want family and friends to stay safe and healthy, but I really want a
transporter so I can see my three grandchildren and their parents who have been
overseas for over 18 months.




More about Elizabeth Moore 

Elizabeth Moore has a website under the name EJ Bauer on this link
You can find her on Facebook on this link

Tuesday 10 August 2021

Bookreview: Fat Dogs and French Estates Part 3

What a brilliant series!


Summary

When Beth and her grumpy husband, Jack, buy their dream country estate,
it fast becomes obvious that they've taken on a renovation nightmare.

Managing a team of eccentric French builders, getting lost in their own
forest, dogging stampeding wild boar, battling stinking bugs and
outwitting athletic dormice are just a few of the challenges they must face.

Will they succeed?

This is the third instalment of the Haslam's French adventures.






My Review


I started reading with the third book of the series, but I could follow easily,
although now I wanted to read them all, because it's a brilliant series!

It is written so funny and so clear. The author is a fantastic story teller and
I can imagine she speaks the way she write. 

I experienced a lot of feelings in this book: sadness, happiness and laughter.
I enjoyed reading about the author's daily life and adventures in France.

I would recommend this book to all people who like to read personal 
memoirs. 

Without any doubt, I want to give this book a 5 star rating! Sad I couldn't
give even more stars! 


About the author

Beth Haslam was brought up on a country estate in Wales. Deep in the
countryside her childhood was spent either on horseback, helping the
gamekeepers raise pheasants or out sailing.

After a serious car crash in 1991, she set up her own consultancy business. 
Beth and her husband, Jack decided to buy a second home in France.

This became a life-changing event where computers and mobile phones
swapped places with understanding the foibles of the French and tackling
the language. 




We Love Memoirs 

I received a free copy of Fat Dogs and French Estates Part 3 via the
We Love Memoirs group which is really the most friendliest group
on Facebook! 

Monday 14 June 2021

Bookreview: Napoleon's Downfall

 interesting read about Napoleon Bonaparte



Summary

Napoleon Bonaparte and Juliette Recamier were both highly influential
and well-known in France, yet they were often at odds with each other.

Their story played out on the European stage during a period of political
upheaval and new political ideas.

Along the way, Juliette would have to face the testy Emperor, and she would
find that his own brother would fall for her. Even some of Napoleon's 
greatest enemies would woo her. 






My Review

This is a very interesting read about Napoleon Bonaparte written in the
typical style of the author. 

If I learned new things about the French Emperor? No, but it was easy reading 
and very structured, which I like. 

This is a fantastic work for people who want to know more about 
Napoleon Bonaparte and Juliette Recamier. 

That's why I want to give a 5 star rating for this work. 





The Author


Geri Walton has long been fascinated by history and the people who create it.
After a long career in technical writing and publishing in the computer
industry, Geri returned to history as her first love. She worked on several different
books, articles and blog ideas. She started her current blog in 2013. 


Kobo plus


I'm able read all Geri Walton's interesting books via Kobo plus subscription, which
is like the Kindle reader from Amazon but very popular in The Netherlands and
Belgium. 

Thursday 25 March 2021

Bookreview: The Heir and the Enchantress

 

What a great love story! 


Summary

Hazel Trethow is infatuated with a notorious rake despite her father's plan
to betroth her to the heir of wealthy barony. Her scheming to find a love
match for her dearest friend and herself turns into a scandal that could
ruin them both.

Harold Hobbs returns home from business in India with a plan to save his
family from ruin. He does not anticipate his father's plot to wed him to Miss
Trethow....





My review

What a great love story! 

The Heir and the Enchantress really is a wonderful book. I enjoyed the story
and the characters as well. It also has a nice cover! 

It was written very good, clear and it read fluently. I liked the way the author
worked out the plot and the characters. 

It was a lovely, laid back reading which I like a lot. I recommend this amazing
book to all who enjoy reading historical love stories. I give this with lot of 
pleasure a 5 * rating. 


The author

Celebrated for her complex characters, realistic conflicts and sensual love
scenes, Paullett Golden puts a spin on historical romance. Her novels, set
primarily in Georgian and Regency England with some dabbling in 
Ireland, Scotland and France. Her stories show love overcoming adversity.
Whatever our self-doubts, love will out. 

Booktasters


I received a free copy via Booktasters and the author. Thank you very much!



Thursday 28 January 2021

Bookreview: From Moulin Rouge To Gaudi's City

"A wonderful memoir with surprising travel ideas"


Summary


When Elizabeth (EJ Bauer) receives a diagnosis of breast cancer, she
reassesses her life's to-do-list. Having always suppressed her travel longings,
she opens her neglected 'someday' ledger and takes a much closer look at the
contents.

After an opportune invitation from a friend to meet in Paris, and her sister's
enthusiastic agreement to be part of the adventure, a plan begins to take shape. 

Join the Australian trio as they savour the sights of France and Spain, where no
trip is complete without a morsel of local cuisine and a sip of something
sparkling. 






My Review

Paris and Barcelona are two of my favourite cities, so I was very keen to read 
From Moulin Rouge To Gaudi's City. It didn't let me down!

I was surprised by the author's eye for detail. The book is written very clear,
structured and easy to read. 

This was not just a story about Paris and Barcelona. It even gave me
some new travel ideas, which I hope to complete as soon
as it is possible to travel again.

I recommend this book to all people who like to read memoirs about Paris 
and Barcelona. I really enjoyed reading. Therefore I would like to give this
book a 5 star rating. Can I give more?! 


The author

Elizabeth (EJ Bauer)  has lived in Australia all her life. Her working career
began as a speech pathologist and subsequently morphed into the unrelated
field of retail management in a university science centre and planetarium. 

Her passion for travel was brought into stark focus when she was diagnosed
with breast cancer and, following her treatment, a travel plan formed. 

Guam was first, followed quickly by European and North American adventures.
Her illness nudged another long-held interest to the fore and Elizabeth began
chronicling her trips with extensive photography, promising herself she would also 
write about her exploits.

She is happily married, a mother of two, grandmother of five and devoted assistant
to Lucy, a bossy tortoiseshell cat. 


We love memoirs


I received a free copy from the We love memoirs group.
I leave this honest review voluntarily and honestly. 




Source picture: Bookcover 

Sunday 22 November 2020

Bookreview: The Heretics' Revenge

The Heretics' Revenge

A final search for the Holy Grail

written by Martin Barrett


"A Nice story with exciting jumps in time"


Condemned as heretics by the Catholic Church, the 13th-century Cathars are persecuted, 
tortured, and finally burned alive at MontsĆ©gur. But according to legend they hide their 
riches  and relic beyond the castle walls on the eve of their demise.

In the 1930s, Otto Rahn dedicates his life to recovering the long forgotten relic, 
and coerced by Himmler joins the SS to find the ‘Holy Grail’ for the Nazis. Exposed 
as both Jewish and homosexual, Rahn commits suicide. But not before he entrusts his 
notes to his niece. Notes that have never been found.

Seeking a challenge after retiring early, businessman Steve Jackson embarks on a 
modern-day search for the fabled Cathar cache. With French girlfriend, 
Manon Lubin, they locate Rahn’s abandoned clues in the Black Forest. 
The notes become a key to locating a religious discovery even greater than the 
Dead Sea Scrolls, and unleash a 750-year old time-capsule of revenge that threatens 
to shake the Church of Rome to its foundations.

The massacre of the Cathars and the true story of Otto Rahn are interweaved and then 
continued with the fictional search for the treasure and relic. Rich in historical detail, 
this fascinating and absorbing story, set in France and London, climaxes with a 
thought-provoking and controversial conclusion that brings The Heretics’ Revenge.





My review


History and especially royal history always had fascinated me a lot. That's why I 
decided to read the book "The Heretics' Revenge" written by Martin Barrett.

It is a very interesting story with a good mix of history and fiction, which I like.
I immediately was into the story due to the strong characters.

Some chapters made a jump forwards in time and this was mentioned well except
with the present time. So, It was a bit confused, but due to the new characters, I
realized soon, the story was in another time, the present.

I enjoyed reading the book "The Heretics' Revenge" because the way of living of
the characters was described very well.

Although the plot "looking for the Holy Grail" isn't that original, the way Martin
Barrett told the story - in a novel - transformed it into a real treasure. 

I certainly will recommend this book to others who are interested in historical
fiction. 
So, I give this book a 4 star on 5 rating. 


BookSirens


I received an advance review copy for free by BookSirens and I am
leaving this review voluntarily. 



Source picture: Book cover

Tuesday 18 August 2020

Wellington against Junot

The first French invasion of Portugal in 1807 - which was commanded by Junot, one of Napoleon's most experienced generals - was a key event in the long, brutal Peninsular War, and it was the first campaign fought in the Peninsular by Sir Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, yet it tends to be overshadowed by more famous episodes in the six-year conflict that followed. David Buttery, in this original and perceptive new study, sets the record straight - his tightly focused narrative covers the entire campaign in vivid detail.

Readers of my blogs: https://allaboutroyalfamilies.blogspot.com/ and 

https://mycrazylifefullwithbooks.blogspot.com/  already know that I'm interested in royal history and especially about Russia, Napoleon, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) and Queen Victoria. So, I was very happy that Kobo plus offers a series of books about General Wellington and the Portuguese invasion. This is a period during the reign of Napoleon which is less known for me. I read three books:

- Wellington against Junot



- Wellington against Soult


At the heart of David Butterys third book on the Peninsular War lies the comparison between two great commanders of enormous experience and reputation Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, and Jean de Dieu Soult. In Soult, Wellesley met one of his most formidable opponents and they confronted each other during one of the most remarkable, and neglected, of the Peninsular campaigns. Soults invasion of Portugal is rarely studied in great depth and, likewise, the offensive Wellesley launched, which defeated and expelled the French, has also received scant coverage. As well as giving a fresh insight into the contrasting characters of the two generals, the narrative offers a gripping and detailed, reconstruction of the organization and experience of a military campaign 200 years ago.



- Wellington against Massena


Wellington's clash with Massena was one of the most remarkable contests between two commanders in the Peninsular War. These two formidable generals carried on a campaign of maneuver, battle and attrition across Spain and Portugal in 1810 and 1811 which had a decisive impact on the outcome of the war. Wellington's reputation was enhanced, Massena's was ruined.David Buttery's close analysis of this extraordinary encounter offers a penetrating insight into the personalities of these two outstanding soldiers. Using a variety of sources, in particular eyewitness accounts from both sides, he reassesses the famous confrontations at Ciudad Rodrigo, Almeida, Busaco, the lines of Torres Vedras and the final bitterly fought battle at Fuentes de Ooro.He sheds new light on this pivotal episode in the Napoleonic Wars and his account corrects the one-sided view of the campaign that has survived to the present day. In particular he reconsiders the true cost of the scorched earth policy that was employed against the French


All the books are talking about the Invasion of Portugal in the Napoleonic Wars. They are published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd. 

Wellington shouldn't be introduced to the English readers of this blog and to the history lovers. But perhaps the Generals of Napoleon Bonaparte are less famous. Nevertheless these series are clearly written and very interesting to learn about the different invasions in Portugal. It is an excellent reading to know the people and even the spirit of the age. So it's very recommendable for royal history lovers. 


Source pictures: Book covers