Introverted Reader

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Kendra and Seth have been shipped off to stay with their dad's parents, the grandparents they barely know. Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson rarely show up for visits and they never invite the family for a visit. But when there's no one else to turn to, they reluctantly agree to let Kendra and Seth stay with them for about three weeks. They find out that things are not quite what they seem at their grandparents' house. They've been forbidden to enter the woods. Insects gather in droves around a mirror left outside. Seth finds a crazy old witch living in a shack when he decides to explore the woods on his own. And Grandma Sorenson is nowhere to be found. Just what is going on at Fablehaven? I loved this book. It seems like it's been a while since a book grabbed me so hard. I just wanted everything else to be put on hold so I could finish reading. I love the whole concept of havens for fairy tale creatures. Of course their lives would be getting hard in our quickly-shrinking world. And of course there would be people who want to offer them all--good and bad--sanctuary. What a cool place to visit! What a fun idea to read about! I liked Kendra and related to her a lot. I would not have been venturing into the forest after I was told not to. I would have been frustrated with my fearless younger brother. And speaking of younger brothers--Seth irritated the heck out of me. He was too much of a rule-breaker. At first, it was just sort of "Oh, my gosh, how irritating. Glad he's not my younger brother!" Then, after he should have learned his lesson in a very hard way and he's still breaking rules, I had…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Over the past week I've Posted:A review of Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons Pictures of my birthday loot A Character Connection featuring Calpurnia Tate A review of Deception Point by Dan Brown Read:Fool Moon by Jim Butcher Currently Reading:Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain Up Next:I still need to read The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop before I return it to the library, and I still need to read more banned books. Right now I'm thinking about Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. We'll see though. I said pretty much the same thing last week! As I write this on Saturday afternoon, I'm planning on making a stop by the library in a few minutes, so these plans are definitely subject to change. ETA: I came out of the library with an armful of graphic novels. That's about all my attention span can handle at the moment, so it's a good bet some of those will be coming up soon. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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August 1, 2011

Deception Point by Dan Brown: Book Review

NASA, a hot-button topic in a contentious presidential election, has made the discovery of a lifetime in the Arctic Circle. The organization calls in civilian scientists to confirm the validity of their findings. The President is ready to announce the discovery and virtually assure his victory in the election. But then questions arise and the civilians--Rachel, Michael, Corky, and Norah--are required to brave the Arctic elements to perform one last test. That's where the adventure begins. Overall, this was a fun book with likeable characters. I really liked Rachel and Micheal, and even quirky Corky. The pace was a little bit slow for me at the beginning, but that's probably because I was expecting to get sucked into this book the way I have in other Dan Brown novels. About a third of the way in, the action finally took off and I couldn't stop reading. I noticed that the writing was a little awkward in this one. I know other people have had that complaint about Dan Brown since he burst onto the scene, but I honestly never noticed until now. The foreshadowing was very heavy-handed. "Oh, Rachel fell through the ice as a kid? That's going to fit in somewhere." It really was pretty bad. Also, I never understood why Rachel was in the Arctic in the first place. The explanation was pretty weak and I was left feeling like she was there as an excuse for the scientists to explain what was going on to us non-scientist readers through dialog. Dialog's always better for me than description, but give me a plausible reason for it. The technical explanations also verged on being too much for me. They never quite crossed that line, but, please, I'm not a weapons expert. I'm happy just knowing that a secret helicopter…

Introverted Reader Features

Character Connection: Calpurnia Tate

I apologize for not posting last week. I got busy with a lot of things. I will make a point in the future to at least have Mr. Linky scheduled to post every week. Now. Calpurnia Virginia Tate. Calpurnia, or Callie Vee, is a girl ahead of her time. It is 1899 in The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, and Callie is 11 years old. She is living at the turn of a new century, new inventions are making lives easier, but she is still a girl living in a man's world, and she's not too happy about it. At first, she doesn't really seem to be too aware of it. She is still a child and she gets to run around and play and mostly do what she wants to do. Eventually though, she feels her mother starting to rein her in. She is forced to do more knitting, sewing, and cooking, and she hates it. She is not built for such pursuits, because she is a naturalist at heart. She first ventures in this direction when she tries to figure out why some grasshoppers are green and some are a brownish yellow. She asks everyone, but few have time for her questions and none know the answer. Out of desperation, she ventures into her eccentric grandfather's laboratory, and a deep friendship is born. With a few hints, Granddaddy points her in the direction of natural selection, and it's like a light bulb goes on in Calpurnia's head. This, she understands. This fascinates her. But she still has to face her mother and learning how to run a household. Because what else are girls good for? Calpurnia knows that she is meant for more than a husband, children, and endless rounds of housework. She chafes constantly against…

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July 28, 2011

Personal Stories

Birthday Loot!

So my birthday was last week. (Great big 33, if you must know. The 30's are starting to seem a little...real) Of course that means I have to dish about what I got! My big gift was a new bike. My old one was more of a mountain bike and it was heavy and clunky and just not very pretty. We have discovered that I like to ride on paved roads (less hard on the tush!), so I really needed something different. My husband surprised me with a beauty! My sister got me a very pretty fairy wind chime. My mom got me an Adele cd and she also supplied me with the books. I've already spread them out around the house, so I'm probably forgetting something. Down in the Garden by Anne Geddes The Frogs and Toads All Sang by Arnold Lobel Juniper Berry by M. P. Kozlowsky Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken I'll Be Watching You by Charles de Lint That ribbon in the center is a very pretty bookmark my grandmother got for me. My mom also had my uncle make me a couple of things. He's been doing a lot of wood working recently and we think he's getting good at it! She got me this cute little rocker (in my favorite shade of blue) that can be used as a bird feeder: And an adorable bird house, called The Love Shack. So many pretties! I'm shamelessly spoiled! I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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July 27, 2011

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams In English by Natasha Solomons: Book Review

Jack Rosenblum and his young family were some of the fortunate Jews who escaped Berlin before WWII started. When they disembarked in Great Britain, they were given a pamphlet entitled While you are in England: Helpful Information and Friendly Guidance for every Refugee. Mr. Rosenblum becomes obsessed with the idea of living his life according to these rules and becoming a perfect English gentleman. As time goes by, he realizes that the list is incomplete. He begins to add to it and to cross items off the list. The original list states that only English should be spoken. Mr. Rosenblum thinks that every English gentleman owns a suit that was tailored for him on Savile Row. He crosses both items off his list. Things proceed swimmingly for a few years, then Jack hits a snag. Every English gentleman must belong to a golf club. Mr. Rosenblum tries and tries and tries again to join one. No golf clubs are admitting Jews. Jack, being an eternal optimist, decides to buy a place in the country and build his own. It shouldn't be too hard. I'll admit that I was a little nervous about this book as I got a good start on it. I was really liking optimistic Jack and there seemed to be so much room for heartbreak in his story. I don't generally like heart-breaking books. There are heart-breaking moments, but the overall tone is one of hope. Much more my style. I just couldn't help but like and root for Mr. Rosenblum. I wished that he could be comfortable in his own skin and with his own identity, but I understood where he was coming from. He felt that he could only be safe if he became a proper English gentleman. He came from such a hard time…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. We did go out of town for my birthday, so I was AWOL last week. And I really do mean last week. I only got one post up! Let's call it my summer vacation, even though I was just gone for a long weekend. Over the past two weeks I've Reviewed:The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Stephen King, Peter David, et al. Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris Sabriel by Garth Nix I also wrote tiny reviews of The Phantom of Pemberley by Regina Jeffers and Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, read by Robynne Young Read:Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess' Stardust Labyrinth by Kate Mosse Currently Reading:Fool Moon by Jim Butcher Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson, read by Peter Altschuler The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain Up Next:The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop is due back at the library in a couple of days, so I'll be starting it. I also need to work on reviews for Banned Books Week, so I'll be thinking about one of those, possibly Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

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July 25, 2011

A couple of books I “Did Not Finish”

I will usually finish any book I start, but I am slowly learning that sometimes it's better to cut my losses and move on. Here are two that I've given up on recently. The Phantom of Pemberley by Regina Jeffers Synopsis from GoodReads: Newlyweds Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet knew their first year of married life at Pemberley would present challenges, but who could have guessed they would need to solve a mysterious case and nab the murderer before he got to them. Written in the language of the era and including Austen's romantic intrigue and sardonic humor, this suspense-packed sequel to Pride and Prejudice recasts Darcy and Elizabeth as a husband and wife detective team - the Nick and Nora of England's Regency era. When inexplicable encounters and deadly accidents begin occurring at Pemberley, the locals blame the strange happenings on the Shadow Man - a spirit haunting the manor. But Darcy believes the truth is much more menacing - someone is targeting them, someone who seeks revenge on the Darcy family. The author tries a little too hard to copy Austen's "voice" and it fell very flat for me. "'Must we?' Elizabeth Darcy gave her husband an expectant look. 'I so enjoy being alone with you--away from the responsibilities of Pemberly.'" Flat yet nauseatingly sappy. Not a good combination for me. The phrases from Austen's original work that were inserted actually distracted me rather than adding to the book. It was quickly turning into a game of Spot the Original Phrasing. "Darcy took in her countenance. Hers was a face he had once described as being one of the handsomest of his acquaintance, but now he considered that compliment a slight to the woman. Her auburn hair, her fine sea-green eyes, her pale skin, her delicate features, and…

Sabriel by Garth Nix: Book Review

Sabriel has just graduated from her boarding school in Ancelstierre when she receives a message from her father letting her know that he's in trouble and needs help. The problem? Her father, Abhorsen, is a talented necromancer whose job is making sure that the dead stay dead. Sabriel has some magic training, but she's going to need a lot of help. I hate to say it, but this didn't really grab me. It was a quick read, and I did enjoy it, but I also felt like this is a book that I could forget quickly. I think my problem is that I never felt like I knew Sabriel all that well. I need a connection to characters to really love a book, and that just didn't happen for me here. To be honest, that may have been done purposefully. Sabriel is eighteen. She doesn't really know herself and her powers yet. How can I know her if she doesn't quite know herself? There were a couple of things that made me think that she might eventually have an inner struggle about how she's going to use her power. If that happens, it could get really interesting. I did like that I felt like I was learning along with Sabriel. I don't know anything about The Old Kingdom? Neither does she. I don't understand anything about Mogget? Neither does she. So I did feel like we were on the journey together. There were two other characters that I liked a lot--Mogget and Touchstone. I'm curious to find out Mogget's story, and I have a feeling that Touchstone could turn into a major book crush! I'll definitely keep reading the trilogy, but I really hope that I get to know Sabriel better. Reviewed May 31, 2009 Read an excerpt. Find author…

Introverted Reader Features

Character Connection: Matthew Cuthbert

Anne of Green Gables was my favorite book as a child. The first time I read it, I hate to say, I thought it was boring and gave up. I tried again later and fell in love. I've read all the books in the series (and all of L. M. Montgomery's books) countless times since then. I haven't written about many of her characters, and that's because I just love them all too much. They're like family and friends. I wouldn't do them justice. But I watched Anne of Green Gables for the first time in umpteen years over the weekend, and I fell in love all over again. So here's my attempt to sing Matthew's praises. Matthew is a silent farmer. He avoids women when he can and blushes and stammers around them when he can't. But some woman missed a good thing in Matthew. He is the first person to love Anne. Oh, I just know that her parents loved her when she was an infant, but he's the first to love her within her memory. I do believe she charmed him on their first ride together on the way to Green Gables. He, along with Marilla, gave Anne what she needed to grow into the well-rounded character that so many people love. He agrees early on to stay out of Marilla's way when it comes to "raising" Anne. But he is a wise man who knows when to choose his battles. He lies low most of the time, silently watching and absorbing everything going on around him, but when he speaks his mind, Marilla listens. And he ultimately gets his way. The confirmed, painfully shy old bachelor somehow knows that a child needs laughter and light as well as discipline. Marilla provides for everything that Anne needs,…

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July 14, 2011