I read this for my Free Square for Book Bingo. It was suggested to me, because I read Austenland. I love Shannon Hale's novels and this one was just as good as the first book. You could read this one and not have read Austenland, because the stories only slightly connect.
Charlotte has been dumped by her husband who had been cheating on her for months, but Charlotte is nice, so she bottles up all her emotions and does not fight back. She is also an overprotective mother who basically stalks her daughter's boyfriend, because she is afraid that all men are terrible. With all this self-doubt and for her children, Charlotte decides to take a vacation. Since she just read all of Austen's collected works, she decides on England and her travel agent sets her up with an extra special vacation at Austenland. This Austen-themed park is right up Charlotte's alley and she is paired with the brooding Mr. Mallery and she is given a brother in the sweet Edmund Grey. What really peaks Charlotte's interest is a murder mystery that just may be real. Part Agatha Christie and part Austen, Hale creates a heroine who is just recognizing her strength and gives her the perfect setting.
I loved the romance and mystery in this one! It really felt like she had captured some of the Christie mystery style with the subtle romance of Austen. I love reading Christie's novels and I loved the one Jane Austen I read, so this was a great read for me. I feel like I should definitely read more Austen soon. I also loved that Charlotte remained nice, but finally learned to express healthy anger and pride.
Favorite Character: Charlotte. As corny as it sounds, she really grew throughout the story, but maintained her goodness. She is meek and nice at the beginning and by the end she knows proper boundaries and reactions. She can be nice without being a doormat.
Favorite Quote: "But how do you know if the ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page?" I am bad about reading the ending and then the story and this quote really made me think about the wrongness of that.
I loved the story and Charlotte and I really hope Hale writes more of these! 5 cups of cocoa for sure!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monster Review-a-thon
So I didn't really drop off the face of the earth, but work has kicked my butt lately! We are so short-staffed and I end up doing most of my prep work for programs and school visits at home now, so little reading, reviewing, and blogging here. I do hope to review my 3 backlogged books, but I don't know if I will finish them all by Friday. My goal is to write at least one tonight and hopefully finish a couple on Friday. Hopefully I will be back posting a little more regularly very soon!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Monster Read-a-thon Updates
I will just include all my updates for this read-a-thon in one post.
Day 1:
Currently reading: Unstoppable, Along for the Ride
Pages read: Along for the Ride- 5 pages, Unstoppable- 238 pages
Day 2
Currently reading: Unstoppable, Along for the Ride, and Midnight in Austenland
Pages read: Unstoppable- 122 pages and finished!, Along for the Ride- 5 pages, Midnight in Austenland- 10 pages, Dirty Little Secrets- 112 pages
Day 3
Currently reading: Along for the Ride, Dirty Little Secrets, Midnight in Austenland
Pages read: Dirty Little Secrets- 112 and finished!, Along for the Ride- 18 pages, Midnight in Austenland- 39 pages
Day 4
Currently reading: Along for the Ride
Pages read: Along for the Ride- 4 pages
Day 5
Currently reading: Didn't read my books at all today :(
Pages read: None :(, too many household chores, sigh
Day 6
Currently reading: Midnight in Austenland
Pages read:Midnight in Austenland- 21 pages
Day 7
Currently reading: Midnight in Austenland
Pages read: Midnight in Austenland- 13 pages
Saturday, November 9, 2013
The Monster Read-a-thon
This is hosted by Kate and Kristen @ Book Monsters. Since I am not doing so great with my reading lately, I think it is definitely time for another read-a-thon! As far as the reviewing goes, we will see if I can actually finish some books. Since I am doing booktalks with the high school librarian next month and we really need to decide on books, I will be focusing at least the first part of the week on these. We are going to do a March Madness reading challenge and present our "teams," aka books and characters. Books may come and go, if I realize they are not going to work, but for now this is the list:
For booktalks:
Unstoppable by Tim Green-finished!
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu- reread and finished!
For fun:
Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
Splintered by A. G. Howard
Champion by Marie Lu
I also realize it is November and I need to finish up some of year-long challenges. I still have to find several Everybody has read this, but you books and a few new authors. Good luck everyone with the reading and thanks to Book Monsters for hosting. I will do an update post soon!
Friday, November 1, 2013
R.I.P. VIII Wrap-up
This challenge is hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings and runs from September 1 through October 31. I was able to finish four book, well five if you count House of Hades. Even though these books would probably not creep out anyone else, they were as scary and/or suspense as I can stand!
1. Always a Witch by Colleen MacCullough
2. Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
3. Teacher's Pest by Charles Gilman
4. Something Borrowed, Someone Dead by MC Beaton- no review
5. House of Hades by Rick Riordan
I also read all of the short stories by Poe that are in the Nevermore Poe Collection. I had never read William Wilson before and it had Poe's usual twisted ending. I still like Tell-Tale Heart the best, because the guy just had to tell what he did. This collection also included the Raven, which is one of my favorite poems, perfectly sad and creepy! Thanks to Carl for hosting and I hope to do this again next year!
House of Hades by Rick Riordan
This is the fourth book in the Lost Heroes of Olympus series, so this review will definitely have spoilers for the first three books. It will also have spoilers for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which should be read before the Lost Heroes of Olympus series.
While Percy and Annabeth are suffering their way through Tartarus, the rest of the crew of the Argo II are trying to make their way to the House of Hades, a temple dedicated to Hades that just so happens to also link to the Doors of Death. For Percy and Annabeth to survive, they will have to make their way to the Doors and to stop the monsters from regenerating they will also have to shut the Doors after they have made it inside. A seemingly impossible task, but some beings from the past could be their way to survive or their worst nightmare. Percy must face that he is not the completely nice and unselfish guy that he thought he was and Annabeth must face that she cannot always be the one to control her own destiny. Leo will have to make a difficult choice, love or duty, and Frank will have to embrace his destiny as a son of Mars/Ares. Hazel must learn to use the magic given to her by her mother's blood and Piper learns that to be a true warrior means to see her beauty as the weapon it is. Jason learns to let others lead and that being a true friend is sometimes the best remedy for someone with a broken heart. Poor Nico must reveal his unrequited love and hope for acceptance. The two demigod camps are heading to battle and Reyna must decide if she can trust the Greeks and just how much of herself she can sacrifice. If the group can embrace their flaws they may survive the House of Hades and have a greater chance of saving the world from Gaea.
I think this book could also be entitled "Everybody Loves/Hates Percy." I won't reveal too much, but we do see Percy's main flaw, that he often forgets his friends once the immediate danger is over. He has forgotten Calypso, he forgets the titan Bob, and he finally has to face all those he has killed in a unique and painful way. Riordan makes the characters grow up in this one and that is why the publisher recommended age is a little higher on this one. If you didn't feel sorry for Nico before this book, you will at the end and that is all I will mention or I will give away a pretty big spoiler. I will say I love how the characters matured and dealt with the huge flaws that hang over their heads. This is a great penultimate book and I am kind of afraid of the last book in this series. I am hoping we do not have to say goodbye to anyone of the seven or Nico.
Favorite Character: Hmm, my favorite is kinda of a spoiler, but I won't reveal too much about the situation. Calypso captured my heart in the first series and she does again in this one. Life is so unfair for her. She supported her dad, but she has paid for the support she gave, just let her have someone! I love her transformation in this one and there are two scenes with her in this book that broke my heart! One is an indirectly related scene and the other is with her.
Favorite Quote: "Not giving people a second thought...that can be dangerous." This is pretty much the theme of the entire book, but it is true in life as well.
Riordan's books are always 5 cups of cocoa for me. His writing style is awesome and you grow attached to his characters. I can't believe I have to wait another year for the next and last one in this series!
While Percy and Annabeth are suffering their way through Tartarus, the rest of the crew of the Argo II are trying to make their way to the House of Hades, a temple dedicated to Hades that just so happens to also link to the Doors of Death. For Percy and Annabeth to survive, they will have to make their way to the Doors and to stop the monsters from regenerating they will also have to shut the Doors after they have made it inside. A seemingly impossible task, but some beings from the past could be their way to survive or their worst nightmare. Percy must face that he is not the completely nice and unselfish guy that he thought he was and Annabeth must face that she cannot always be the one to control her own destiny. Leo will have to make a difficult choice, love or duty, and Frank will have to embrace his destiny as a son of Mars/Ares. Hazel must learn to use the magic given to her by her mother's blood and Piper learns that to be a true warrior means to see her beauty as the weapon it is. Jason learns to let others lead and that being a true friend is sometimes the best remedy for someone with a broken heart. Poor Nico must reveal his unrequited love and hope for acceptance. The two demigod camps are heading to battle and Reyna must decide if she can trust the Greeks and just how much of herself she can sacrifice. If the group can embrace their flaws they may survive the House of Hades and have a greater chance of saving the world from Gaea.
I think this book could also be entitled "Everybody Loves/Hates Percy." I won't reveal too much, but we do see Percy's main flaw, that he often forgets his friends once the immediate danger is over. He has forgotten Calypso, he forgets the titan Bob, and he finally has to face all those he has killed in a unique and painful way. Riordan makes the characters grow up in this one and that is why the publisher recommended age is a little higher on this one. If you didn't feel sorry for Nico before this book, you will at the end and that is all I will mention or I will give away a pretty big spoiler. I will say I love how the characters matured and dealt with the huge flaws that hang over their heads. This is a great penultimate book and I am kind of afraid of the last book in this series. I am hoping we do not have to say goodbye to anyone of the seven or Nico.
Favorite Character: Hmm, my favorite is kinda of a spoiler, but I won't reveal too much about the situation. Calypso captured my heart in the first series and she does again in this one. Life is so unfair for her. She supported her dad, but she has paid for the support she gave, just let her have someone! I love her transformation in this one and there are two scenes with her in this book that broke my heart! One is an indirectly related scene and the other is with her.
Favorite Quote: "Not giving people a second thought...that can be dangerous." This is pretty much the theme of the entire book, but it is true in life as well.
Riordan's books are always 5 cups of cocoa for me. His writing style is awesome and you grow attached to his characters. I can't believe I have to wait another year for the next and last one in this series!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I read this for the R.I.P challenge and because Neil Gaiman's books tend to creep me out, in a good way. This was a short novel and a fairly quick read, but as usual it is a really deep read too.
The male protagonist returns to his old country neighborhood, because of a funeral. He goes to where his old house used to stand and walks down the road to the Hempstock farm. There he remembers an incident in his childhood, when magic and evil collided and he became friends with Lettie Hempstock. The boy starts the tale with the death of his kitten and the suicide of an opal miner. This leads him to meet the Hempstock women and to go on an adventure with Lettie that ends with an evil presence invading his life. To get rid of the evil, it will require a huge sacrifice and the boy will never be the same.
All of Gaiman's books have a deeper meaning to them. This seems to be about the magical Hempstock family, but it is also about the loss of innocence in childhood. It also seemed to me to be about memory and how we choose to remember things in our past. The man in his flashback remembers most of the story, but even that is clouded and he never remembers the story in the same way. You are always left breathless at the end of a Gaiman novel.
Favorite Character: Lettie and really any of the Hempstock women. Lettie is self-sacrificing, her grandmother is wise, and her mother is strong. What great heroines!
Favorite Quotes: "Different people remember things differently, and you'll not get any two people to remember anything the same, whether they were there or not. You stand two of you lot next to each other, and you could be continents away for all it means anything."
"You don't pass or fail at being a person, dear."
A quick deep read with just a touch of creepiness. 4 cups of cocoa!
The male protagonist returns to his old country neighborhood, because of a funeral. He goes to where his old house used to stand and walks down the road to the Hempstock farm. There he remembers an incident in his childhood, when magic and evil collided and he became friends with Lettie Hempstock. The boy starts the tale with the death of his kitten and the suicide of an opal miner. This leads him to meet the Hempstock women and to go on an adventure with Lettie that ends with an evil presence invading his life. To get rid of the evil, it will require a huge sacrifice and the boy will never be the same.
All of Gaiman's books have a deeper meaning to them. This seems to be about the magical Hempstock family, but it is also about the loss of innocence in childhood. It also seemed to me to be about memory and how we choose to remember things in our past. The man in his flashback remembers most of the story, but even that is clouded and he never remembers the story in the same way. You are always left breathless at the end of a Gaiman novel.
Favorite Character: Lettie and really any of the Hempstock women. Lettie is self-sacrificing, her grandmother is wise, and her mother is strong. What great heroines!
Favorite Quotes: "Different people remember things differently, and you'll not get any two people to remember anything the same, whether they were there or not. You stand two of you lot next to each other, and you could be continents away for all it means anything."
"You don't pass or fail at being a person, dear."
A quick deep read with just a touch of creepiness. 4 cups of cocoa!
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