Where to start with this review? First, I think I missed the boat on this one. I think had I read it in high school or college I would have enjoyed/appreciated it more. I’ve read more compelling dystopian novels and this one just doesn’t compare. Saying that, I feel like the wrath of the reading world will rain down upon me. “1984” seems to be a classic for many readers and I can appreciate it that. What was most powerful about the novel was the […]
Folktales Redux
Fairy tales have intrigued me due to the fact that they’re aimed at children yet carry very adult themes. If you’ve read Grimm’s you know that they almost always end in the maiming or death of someone. I find the fairy tale/folk tale genre is a short lesson that older generations pass on to the younger one. It’s dramatic enough to capture the young imagination, the lesson is clear enough, and there’s just enough fear to keep the young ones on the right path. Since […]
The Eyre Up There
One of the good things about joining a book club at my local library is that I am exposed to books that I wouldn’t normally choose. And since it’s run by the library, most of the selections are legit. In this case, I was shocked to find we were reading a book I had never heard of. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde was a very different read for me. Time travel, alternate history, and alternate literary endings are not usually all thrown into the […]
Can We Get Back to the Fantasy World?
In book four of the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Will and Evalyn have escaped thanks to Erak’s help, but have gone from the frying pan into the fire. The Tamujai are moving into the area. This is John Flanagan’s interpretation of the Huns. I don’t know that the Huns every tried to invade a Scandinavian country, but it’s an interesting story Mr. Flanagan tells with the Tamujai trying to invade Skandia to take over their ships. At the same time, I wonder if this move signals […]
It’s True What They Say, Middle Books Get Ignored
The third installment of John Flanagan’s The Ranger’s Apprentice series, The Icebound Land continues the story of Evelyn and Will’s journey to Skandia. Along the way, they are forced to hunker down on an island outpost with their Skandian captors. While they are treated fairly well, they know that they face life as a slave unless someone comes to rescue them. Of course, this being a coming-of-age story, there is someone who is coming to rescue them. Halt and Horace are fighting their way through […]
The Underground Railroad, Literally
This was a complicated read for me. On one hand I appreciated the style of writing. I was able to disappear into the plot and the characters. I could tear through page after page and not feel the time pass. On the other hand I wonder if people know that this isn’t a historically accurate book? Colson Whitehead takes us on a journey from a plantation in Georgia to…wherever Cora, the protagonist ends up. At first the book seems like it’s going to be similar […]
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