Aug
18
This is a book I picked up at the library on a whim. Good choice!
The World Above is a retelling of the story of Jack & the Beanstalk. Only this time, Jack has a twin sister, they are returning to the home their mother left before they were born, and there’s even a bit of the Robin Hood legend tossed in for good measure.
The narrator, Gen (Jack’s sister), is appealing. She considers herself to be very practical and Jack to be… well… impractical. Yet she willingly embarks upon the adventure Jack brings home with him when he exchanges the cow for some beans.
The characters are interesting, the story compelling, and I quite enjoyed this take on the story. I will be requesting more of Dokey’s works over the next while; expect to see reviews of them soon!
Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult four stars
Aug
09
I used to read historical romance novels all the time. Victoria Holt (and her other pseudonyms) was a favourite author when I was in high school. It’s a pretty good way for a girl with no head for history to learn all about it.
Of course, Maid Marian is historical fiction that takes a folk heroine and gives her back story, character, and motivation beyond that which we typically see in the Robin Hood tales.
The story is a first person narrative, and follows Marian from the time her first husband was killed (she was married at the age of five; the marriage was never consummated). Marian is a headstrong sort, a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to do what she has to do in order to get it. She’s also a bit impulsive, and sometimes acts without thinking.
Marian meets Robin Hood on purpose, seeking his help with a scheme that she hopes will keep her from having to remarry a man she does not love. This scheme succeeds, but she is uncertain as to her next move. Robin rescues her, and she and her nurse go to live in Sherwood.
Over time, of course, Marian and Robin fall in love. They are well-matched in wit and knowledge of the world, and keep one another sharp. Together, they come up with a plan to obtain possession of Marian’s rightful lands (she is a Lady, after all), and put it into practice once they are wed.
The conclusion is predictable only in that we know they must, after all, succeed; for this is Robin Hood. I enjoyed the story’s twists and turns, even the ones I saw coming. The narrative voice is engaging, but I do think Marian spends rather too much time inside her own head. The woman needs more people to talk to!
Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult four stars
Apr
17
This cover was hard to photograph because it was all shiny. So I couldn’t use a flash. *sigh*
The third installment of the Knitting Club books is not just a Christmas book. But then again, it’s a Knitting Club chick lit book, so don’t expect it to be something it isn’t, either.
Once more we join everyone from The Friday Night Knitting Club and follow them as they deal with everything from romance to motherhood to career questions. Dakota (Georgia’s daughter) is studying to become a chef.
It’s another good romp. Everything you liked about the first two books is in this one – knitting, sex, romance, parenthood, career choices, friendship… it’s all there.
So you know what? Read it and enjoy it. I know I sure did.
Posted in ChickLit, Fiction four stars
Apr
10
No, Comfort Food isn’t another Knitting Club book. It’s by the same author, though, so it was totally enjoyable.
This book is about a cooking show host and her daughters. It’s got all the same goodness of the Knitting Club books, except this time there’s no knitting.
It’s about self-discovery, learning to let go, learning to grow up, and learning to love. I’m sure it’s about lots more than that, but those are the things I remember best.
One of the problems I had with the book, in retrospect, is that only Gus (the main character) is the only truly three-dimensional character in the book. Which isn’t the end of the world, because everyone is fairly well developed in the end, but it’s too bad because it keeps the book from being brilliant.
Oh, wait, of course… it’s chick lit. So there’s a magical ending that you can see coming but I, at least, kept hoping Jacobs wouldn’t go there.
Alas, it was not to be.
Posted in ChickLit, Fiction four stars
Apr
01
So we were at a book store (McNally Robinson), as we often are, and I was getting stressed about finding a book to buy because we go there to get a book and then sit in the restaurant and read and have food.
So I was starting to get anxious, because my fiance always seems to find books really quickly. And then, in the young adult clearance books, I came across a three-book boxed set of Levine’s books. Ella Enchanted I knew of, since I had seen the movie several years ago while babysitting (I get to see a lot of movies that way; I should start a movie review blog next year), so I grabbed the set and made for the cashier.
This was a great choice. And yet again, I must note that movies generally pale in comparison to the original written works upon which they are based. The book is so much richer than the movie! (I do think casting was excellent, it’s the script I take issue with.)
For anyone who doesn’t know what the book is about, well, it’s sort of Cinderella, but with a few twists. Ella had a “gift” given at her birth that makes her obedient unto death – if someone (anyone; there is no discrimination between parents, friends, acquaintances, or servants) tells her to do something, she must comply or face unbearable pain and discomfort. As a result, Ella is a rebel at heart… and compliant in action.
She finally gets tired of the whole thing and sets out in search of the fairy who gave her this “gift.” There are plenty of adventures, and of course it’s a fairy tale, so you know she gets the prince in the end, but how she gets there is the point of the book.
An enjoyable romp through a world I rather enjoyed and can’t wait to revisit.
Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult four stars
Mar
19
I read a bunch of author blogs (are you surprised? You shouldn’t be) and someone (I forget who) recommended this book to her general readership.
What a trip!
This is a Young Adult novel (really more for kids in middle school or junior high), but I think it’s one that adults will enjoy as well – especially if you have fond memories of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.
This isn’t comparable to L’Engle’s works; overall, it is a more simple story, told in a much simpler manner. But there are things about it that put it in the same class as A Wrinkle in Time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a relatively quick read, and one I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone of any age.
(There is some minor violence and talk of death in this book, so be aware if your reader is sensitive to those things.)
Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult four stars
Jan
22
So Juniper and I tend to go to the show at the cheap theatre in the mall, and often find ourselves in Zellers while waiting. Zellers has tables of books they’re selling for $5 or so, and Designer Knockoff was one such book. I picked it up because it’s the same kind of mystery novel as the crochet mysteries I was reading in the fall.
Lacey Smithsonian is a reporter for a marginally-respectable paper in Washington, DC. This is apparently the second book in the series. Lacey has an eye for fashion and writes the fashion column for the paper. Somehow, of course, she finds herself involved in solving crimes, with the assistance of her colourful assortment of friends.
Byerrum has an engaging writing style, but I’m afraid I’m just not as interested in fashion as I would need to be in order to find this book as fun as it should be. The mystery itself is a good one, and the pieces are laid out pretty well so that the reader can figure it out at the same time as the heroine.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable read, but I admit that it’s not a series I’ll be seeking out at the bookstore – because it’s not my cup of tea, not because it’s a badly-written book.
(The best part, for me, was the inclusion of little columns by Lacey. Those were funny and cute, and definitely the kind of thing you’d find in a newspaper like the one she works at in the book.)
Posted in Fiction, Mystery four stars
This is a book I picked up at the library on a whim. Good choice!
