The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence by Jennifer Bell

The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence 
Jennifer Bell

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7

projected publication date: January 2017
4/5 stars

The Uncommoners: The Crooked Sixpence is a fantasy-adventure, the first in a projected series, intended for children 8-12 years-old.  In this story, Ivy Sparrow and her brother Seb find themselves in a strange adventure after their grandmother has an accident.  While she is in the hospital, her home is ransacked and two very odd policemen chase them with a horse-drawn hearse.  Soon they find themselves in an underground city, Lundinor, where ordinary objects do unusual things and the dead walk the streets with the living.  They become immersed in a life or death mystery as they try to unravel their grandmother's forgotten past.

This is an enjoyable book, with a feisty heroine and an interesting plot.  The plot is just convoluted enough to keep a middle grade reader engaged and guessing, without being difficult to follow  It is faced paced and should hold the attention of the appropriate aged group..  Bell's descriptions of Ludinor and the explanations of that world are well-written and, while the characters aren't fully fleshed out, they are appealing.

The plot of the Crooked Sixpence relies a great deal on coincidence, and was therefore not believable to this adult reader.  I don't know that it would be a problem for the intended audience, though.

There were also several things that were reminiscent of other popular fantasy series, but I can't really hold that against Bell.  The very nature of fantasy is full of common tropes; it's impossible for a fantasy writer to be completely original.

Despite it's length (over 300 pages), I think this book is quite suitable for--and should be enjoyable for--the older end of the intended audience.

(I was given this ARC by the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
3/5 stars

Shadow and Bone is a fantasy set in a country that resembles Tsarist Russia, called Ravka.  In Ravka's world, magic is real and their exists a caste of magicians referred to as Grisha.  Splitting Ravka in two is the Dark Fold, a shadowy stretch of land inhabited by monsters that is impassable without the aid of the Grisha, and sometimes not even then.

Alina, a cartographer in the army, is discovered to have a rare form of magic and is uprooted to the world of the Grisha to learn to use her power.  The leader of the Grisha, the Darkling, takes her under his wing and tells her that together they can free Ravka from the Dark Fold.  Alina becomes involved in intrigue and treachery, risking her life and that of her best friend, Mal.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it.  The plot was interesting, and the world of magic well created.  Ravka and how the world functioned was fascinating, but I didn't feel enough time was given to explaining this world.  In addition, the two romantic/emotional plot lines didn't ring true.

Alina's background was not fully explained, which isn't always a bad thing, but as a result in this novel, there were not always explanations for her way of reacting to situations.  Alina was also not fully convincing as a character, nor was she endearing in any way.  She was not a particularly strong character, and though flaws are important to make a character real, her obsession over her looks, her low-self esteem and her inexplicable naivete were frustrating.  I simply could not become invested in her as a main character.

I read it all, and found most of it interesting, but not engrossing enough to finish the series.

July OwlCrate

I forgot to show off my July OwlCrate!  The theme was "Good vs Evil" and half the boxes were "good" and the other half "evil".  I got the "good" crate and here is what was in it:

• 

  
  Hard cover copy of This Savage Song (which I read immediately) by Victoria Schwab, with a letter from her and an autographed book plate. 
  .
  Alice bookmark from Jane's Tiny Things.  (The "evil" box got the Queen of Hearts.)
  .
  Full sized Dobby Funko Pop.  (The other "good" one was Luna Lovegood; the "evil" box got either Draco or a Dementor.)
  .
  Millennium Falcon necklace from Vector Engraving. Look at the detail! It's become my new favorite necklace! (The "evil" box got the Deathstar.)
  .
  Illuminae sticker from Drop and Give Me Nerdy. I've not read this book yet, but I picked it up from the library today.  (The "evil" box got a different quote from the same book.)

Sunday Salon: The Little Prince

Musing for this week's Sunday Salon.

This week I started reading the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

I'm about to make a lot of people upset, but. . . 

I didn't really like it.  

I went into the experience with high expectations, due to the devotion this book engenders.  I kept waiting to be charmed and awed, but I never was.  I made it about a quarter of the way through, and dreaded having to go back to it, so I gave up.  

I don't know what exactly about it I didn't like, only that I didn't like it.  

One smallish thing that colored my view of the book was this:  I think he got sheep and goats mixed up.  Sheep don't eat everything, like he said.  The eat grass and clovers and the like.  Goats eat EVERYTHING and would have had no trouble eating the baobab shoots.  I found this most distracting!

Then there was the shifting of point of view.  Sometimes the pilot is talking to the reader, and sometimes to the Little Prince.  This kept the narrative from running smoothly and drove me batty.

On the positive side, I loved the artwork.  It was enchanting and appealing--like I expected the prose to be.

Have you read it?  Did you love it?  What am I missing?  Why is this a classic of children's literature?

Anyone got answers for me?

This Savage Song by Victoria E. Schwab

This Savage Song
Victoria E. Schwab
5/5 stars

I'm struggling with how to describe This Savage Song.  It was so good, just so darn good--how can I convey just how good it was?

This dark, urban fantasy takes place sometime in the future, in a world where monsters now exist.  The location, Verity City, is split between two factions: one ruled by Harker and his tame monsters, and the other governed by Flynn and his task force.  The children of these two men, August Flynn and Kate Harker, become schoolmates, enemies and then allies as they try to prevent another war between the two factions.

Don't think this is some sort of Romeo and Juliet love story.  It's not.  There is no romance: just a lot of action, violence, strong emotion and darn fine story telling.

Schwab had me hooked from the beginning, and I became more and more involved as the story went along.  She drops the reader straight into this world, and the reader spends several pages picking up clues and arranging them to discover just what sort of world this is, where the monsters come from, and how our two protagonists fit.  It was fantastically well done, actively involving the reader right from the start.

The prose is as good as the plot, with some nicely turned phrases such as "The thoughts fell like dominoes inside his head, one knocking into the next into the next into the--"  I also found the character development to be impressive; the characters grew into complex personalities as the book progressed.

I know that this is a book I'll be raving about all year; I highly recommend it.

Red Books

100 Dresses: If the Magic Fits by Susan Maupin Schmid

100 Dresses: If the Magic Fits
Susan Maupin Schmid

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 - 7
• projected publication date: October 2016
• 5/5 stars

100 Dresses: If the Magic Fits is a delightful novel with a spunky 11-year old heroine, Darling.  Darling works in the castle kitchen and dreams of having just one adventure.  She discovers a room full of enchanted dresses and her dream of adventure comes true.

In this part-fantasy, part-mystery, Darling overhears a plot to release the stone dragons of the castle and take over the kingdom.  Using the magic of the dresses, she seeks a way of thwarting the villains.

This book is charming, funny and well written.  Despite being well over the intended audience age, I was captured from the first page and enjoyed reading all the way through.  Darling is well-rounded and believable--the kind of girl one would want for a friend and a heroine that any child could safely emulate.  

Schmid is an excellent writer, and used several fun descriptive passages, such as "The fabric slipped on like butter over toast. . . " and "(the word) hung in the air of the dressing room like a damp petticoat on a laundry line."

The only potential problem with this book is it's length.  At nearly 300 pages, it is, perhaps, too long of a novel for readers of the younger end of the suggested age-range.  Older pre-teens, though, would be a perfect audience.

This book was such a joy to read--enough so that I, as an adult, plan to watch out for the next installment of Darling's story.

(I was given this book to read by the Amazon Vine program in return for an honest review.)

The Water Room by Christopher Fowler

The Water Room  
Christopher Fowler
4/5 stars

The Water Room is the second in the Bryant and May series.  I found the first, Full Dark House, to only be worthy of 3 stars, but liked the characters enough to try the second novel.  It was much more polished and with a better plot, and I did enjoy it.

Bryant and May are senior citizen detectives that work in the Peculiar Crimes Unit--the department that is given any bizarre cases that the Met doesn't wish to tackle.  They've been partners in the PCU for 50 years and have the rapport of a golden anniversary married couple.

The plot begins when an elderly woman is found dead, sitting in a chair, fully clothed and dry, yet she appears to have died by drowning.  Her brother asks Bryant to help out, and he willingly involves the PCU.  As they investigate her death, other strange things seem to be happening on the same street, culminating in another murder.  Bryant and May scramble to solve the case before an impossible deadline set by their supervisor.

The characters of Bryant and May are both well developed with distinctive, and engaging  personalities.  The mystery was interesting, and the solution believable.  Bryant's tangents into more eccentric possible solutions is a great addition to the main story line.

The Water Room is a solid, entertaining read, and I look forward to reading more in the series.

Sunday Salon: Week in Review

Musings for this week's Sunday Salon.

Gave up on another novel this past week: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.  I read her second novel, the Summer Before the War, and other than wondering why it had been misnamed, thoroughly enjoyed it (5 star read).

Major Pettigrew is her first novel. The writing is good, and I was quite interested in the relationship between Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali.  I was not, however, interested in the other conflicts in the book.  I kept getting bogged down with these episodes, skimming pages and trying to get back to Mrs. Ali.  Finally, I decided to skip to the last chapter and call it quits.

---

I managed to buy nine books this week.  Nine.  I bought books at the used bookstore, the thrift store, Sam's Club and the Dollar Tree.  I'll never get all I've got read, thanks to the library book sale last month and going overboard this week.  I've got to give myself a book buying ban again.

After I wrote this, I remembered the tenth book I bought this week, using the Amazon Prime Day discount, so the grand total of books purchased is ten.  I really need to slow down!

---

Speaking of the local used bookstore, here is what is looks like:

---

It was a good week for reading; I read and thoroughly enjoyed three novels, and am enjoying the one I started last night (a Court of Thorns and Roses).

Plus I'm listening to Agatha Christie's Autobiography and it is fantastic.  She was born in the tail-end of the Victorian age, and has so many interesting things to tell about her childhood.  I'm not up to the Great War yet, so I don't know if her style will change as the book progresses, but so far it is engaging, delightful and informative!

---

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Every Exquisite Thing 
Matthew Quick
5/5 stars

(I was given this ARC by the Amazon Vine program in return for an honest review.)

Eighteen-year-old Nanette has spent all her life living up to the expectations of others, too afraid to do what she really wants with her life. She is given a book with a protagonist that "quits", rebels, and does things his own way, which changes her outlook on life. Nanette becomes friends with the author, gets her first boyfriend (an aspiring poet who is also a fan of the book), and begins to make her own decisions--becoming a rebel herself. She finds that rebelling can have drastic repercussions on herself and others.

Every Exquisite Thing, like Quick's other novels, deals with the serious subject of mental health issues. Again, as with his other novels, he treats this subject with delicacy and understanding, and without condescension. For those not familiar with mental health issues, this book will reveal a world that needs to be comprehended; for those that are familiar with these issues, it will be a comfort to see that they are not alone.

Told by Nanette in first person, this moving novel is immediately engrossing and stays so until the end. The situations are real, the characters well developed, and the prose excellent. It is marketed as a Young Adult book, but I found it equally suitable for an adult.

While it wasn't as stunning as the Silver Linings Playbook or the Good Luck of Right Now, Every Exquisite Thing is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.

Why the Dutch Are Different by Ben Coates

Why the Dutch Are Different
Ben Coates
3/5 stars

(I was given this ARC by the Amazon Vine program in return for an honest review.)

In Why the Dutch Are Different, a Brit living in the Netherlands writes a mix of travelogue, history, anecdotes and personal narrative apparently with the intent of showing just why the Dutch are different.  Coates visits throughout the Netherlands and, in a rambling way, gives a great deal of information about each location.  For the most part, though, this information gives a feeling of how the Dutch came to be "Dutch", but not why they are different.  Frankly, he covers that early in the book, with the reason for the Dutch being how they are due to the obvious answer of land and water issues--an answer which honestly does not take nearly three hundred pages to explain.

This book is densely packed with information; so much so that it is overwhelming.  Since much of it didn't seem to relate to the point I was expecting him to eventually make (why the Dutch are different), and since the prose was not engaging, I found myself wanting to skim and skip.  I think this book would be best read by picking it up occasionally and reading one or two of the short essays, instead of trying to read it all at once.

Coates seems ambivalent toward the Dutch.  At one moment he is admiring their ingenuity, the next he is using stereotypes in a derogatory way.  I'm sure it's his way of introducing humor  (". . . shared the common Dutch belief that there was no such thing as too much hair gel"  and "towns with names that could choke a child") but it seemed disrespectful to the people that he was showcasing.

Furthermore, while Coates writes well technically, there was no sparkle to his prose; he never pulled me in and made me genuinely interested.  I don't know if this is the fault of the writer or of the reader.

Why the Dutch Are Different is certainly interesting, but not gripping.  I think a better title--a more achievable central idea--and a lot of editing out of anecdotes would have improved it.  This is, of course, only my personal opinion (which is what a review is, after all) and I've no doubt it will appeal more to some readers than it did to me.

Note: This is just my opinion; 41% of the reviews are 4 stars.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard
4/5 stars

Red Queen is the first in a projected four part series.  To give a synopsis of this novel is difficult.  It is a dystopia where the world is divided into two types of people: the Silvers (silver-blooded with magical powers) who keep the Reds (red-blooded, with no power) under oppressive rule.  Mare, after discovering that she is unique from the other Reds, helps to start a revolution against the Silvers.  (I realize this doesn't sound particularly exciting, but that's due to my poor explanatory skills.)

At first, I was skeptical.  Seventeen-year-old Mare--with suddenly found magical powers and just as unexpectedly engaged to a prince--seemed to me to be a Mary Sue*.  Despite my reservations, I was soon drawn into the story and invested in the characters, and the improbability drifted away as unimportant.
*from Wikipedia: A Mary Sue is an idealized and seemingly perfect fictional character, a young or low-rank person who saves the day through unrealistic abilities

Aveyard builds her world well and makes it believable. The characters were equally real, with actions, and the reasons behind those actions, being convincing.  The plot was exciting, and even though I anticipated the plot twist, it was still thrilling.

Red Queen is a fun and fast read that should appeal to those who enjoy a credible dystopia, a little romance, and a good deal of action.  I certainly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next installment.

Persuasion

The Black Dream

The Black Dream
Constance and Gwenyth Little
4/5 stars


Constance and Gwenyth Little were sisters who co-wrote mystery novels during the 1940s-50s.  Channeling the popular humor of the time, these books are screwball comedies with a fast pace, witty dialogue, and bizarre plots.  I've yet to read one that disappointed me, though some are, of course, better than others.

In the Black Dream (1952), Agatha keeps a boarding house of sorts and employees a cook, Em, that she despises.  A funky clause in Agatha's father's will keeps her from being able to fire Em.  Agatha has been under so much stress lately that she's been walking in her sleep; when she discovers Em's murdered body, she just knows that she killed Em while sleepwalking.  She hides the body, and then things get complicated.

With a full boarding house of characters it could be difficult to give them various personalities and quirks, but the Littles pull it off nicely.  The sub-plots running along side the major plot are funny and add to the general mayhem without detracting from the mystery.  There were enough twists in the plot to keep me guessing, even when I was certain I knew the answer.

While this isn't the best of the Little mysteries, it is a delightful novel and well worth a read.

Sunday Salon: Reviewing the Week

Musing for this week's Sunday Salon.

I finished a Nicholas Blake mystery (Thou Shell of Death) this week on audio book.  It was the second in the series and the second I have read.  I have mixed feelings about these books.

Nicholas Blake is the pseudonym for Poet Laureate Cecil Day Lewis.  There are times when these books are so pompous and affected that I feel as if the author is saying, "I'm Poet Laureate and I'm just playing at writing mysteries".  Of course, maybe he was saying just that.

---

The bookmarks I ordered from craftedvan arrived this week.  They are lovely and kawaii, but they are not as sturdy or as magnetic as I would wish.  If I had held them in my hand before I bought them, I probably would have passed them by.  However, they make me smile every time I see them in my books, and an extra smile is worth it.

---

I have reached 100 followers on my bookish-only Instagram account.  A rather big deal, when you consider I've only been using that account for over a week.  I am really enjoying the bookstagram community.  I've met some nice ladies and discovered quite a few books that I've added to my want-to-read list.

---

Also finished reading to Cinder as an audio book.  I liked the plot but the narrator wasn't very good.  Unfortunately, she reads the whole series.  I'm still going to listen to the next book, though, as I'm interested in what is going to happen.  I'm not going to give it a real review--the plot is too convoluted to explain--but it was good.  I'd give it 3.5-4 stars.  Some of the conversation seemed stilted, but I think that was due to the narrator.  I'd have to visibly read the book and see if the flow is better before I'd be willing to commit myself to a real review.

Books and Chocolate

From my Instagram; prompt was "book and chocolate".

A Not-Quite-Review of the Housekeeper and the Professor

The Housekeeper and the Professor
Yoko Ogawa

I have a confession to make.  Tonight I gave up on one of the books I was reading: the Housekeeper and the Professor.

I read a friend's 5 star review and it prompted me to want to read it.  (I just reread that review and it nearly made me want to give this book one more try.)  The cover is beautiful, too, and convinced me that I would love the book.  (Don't judge a book blah blah, yes, I know.)

I started and stopped it, then returned to it and have now stopped again.  Ogawa's writing is beautiful, and the relationships between the three characters is developing so nicely, but. . . It's not you, novel, it's me.

You see, I am mathematically challenged.  This book revels in the beauty of mathematics and numbers.  I want to see this beauty, I know it's there, but I'm in over my head every time they start adding up simple numbers; the complex problems cause me great discomfort.  When I am faced with any kind of math, my brain tends to freeze; it's been a problem since the 4th grade.  (I did try skimming over the math bits, but they are integral to the story.)

Like I said: it's not you, it's me.

I would recommend the Housekeeper and the Professor to those that are good at math; I think those people would enjoy both the beauty of the writing and the beauty of the mathematics.  I'd also be more than glad if  someone would tell me how it ends because I care about the unnamed Professor, his unnamed Housekeeper, and her unnamed son.  I do.  Unfortunately, I can't overcome my arithmophobia enough to be able to read it through to the end.

(See how beautiful the cover is?!)

Black Books

This is from my Instagram account; the prompt was "black books".

More Pirates

First Line

This is from my Instagram account; the topic was first lines.  I chose Transparent Things by Nabokov because I'm about to reread it.

Happy Independence Day!

The Classics Club: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

In this sometimes charming, sometimes snarky novel, Pym explores a few months in the life of Mildred Lathbury, one of the "excellent women": thirty-something genteel spinsters who do good works in the parish or neighborhood. Pym's ability to create comic characters and situations, as well as the everyday, is exceptional.

(about the classics club)

.

This is another classic I found while browsing the used bookstore.  I had never heard of Barbara Pym, but Excellent Women looked interesting, so I bought it.  Afterwards, I found that it was considered to be a modern classic, and therefore perfect for the Classics Club.

What caught my interest about this book was that one reviewer mentioned that she was a 20th century Jane Austen.  Austen being my favorite author, I was intrigued.  I have to say, I was not disappointed.  Excellent Women is a social commentary as well as a light comedy, with a gentle style of storytelling.  I was reminded at times of Mansfield Park and other times of Pride and Prejudice, but Excellent Women was never a copy of Austen.  

The "excellent women" are those spinsters over 30 who find themselves involved in all sorts of doing-good, from interfering in marriages to working in church bazaars.  While most of the characters were condescending to the excellent women, Pym shows a great sympathy towards them.  (Could this be that she, too, was an over 30 spinster?)   It is told from the first person point of view of Mildred, one of the excellent women, and this was perfectly done, with Mildred's voice being well-defined.




I thought about the resemblance to Austen, of course.  I also thought about the plight of those excellent women, and pitied them deeply.  The ending brought me up short, and I realized that I had thought all along that it would end (I'm trying not to spoil anything here) with a more fairy-tale ending.  Instead, Pym made the ending quite real.

Well, to be quite honest, the first thing that comes to mind is  how much I needed a cup a tea while reading this.  Mildred makes a lot of tea throughout this book and it always made me crave a cuppa.

I didn't have any deep feelings while reading this book.  It was just an enjoyable read through and through.

"I did not then know to the extent I do now that practically anything may be the business of an unattached woman with no troubles of her own, who takes a kindly interest in those of her friends."

" 'Esther Clovis is certainly a very capable person.' he said doubtfully.  'An excellent woman altogether.'
'You would consider marrying an excellent woman? I asked in amazement. 'But they are not for marrying.' . . . 'They are for being unmarried.' I said, 'and by that I mean a positive rather than negative state.' "

Sunday Salon: June in Review

Musing for this week's Sunday Salon.

In June, I read nine books and listened to four audio books.  That's a low number of audio books for me, but two of them were longish nonfiction, and slowed me down.

Books Read:
The Blackout (1951) by Constance and Gwyneth Little
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper (2016) by Phaedra Patrick

The Madwoman Upstairs (2016) by Catherine Lowell
Wink Poppy Midnight (2016) by April Genevieve Tucholke
Mystery in White (1937) J. Jefferson Farjeon
The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman (2016) Mamen Sanchez
The Secrets of Wishtide (2016) by Kate Saunders
Britt-Marie Was Here (2014) by Fredrik Backman
Life and Death of Harriett Frean (1922) by May Sinclair

Audio Books:
The Magnificent Century (1951) by Thomas B. Costain
Final Curtain (1947) by Ngaio Marsh
The Three Edwards (1958) by Thomas B. Costain
The Leper of St. Giles (1981) by Ellis Peters

I didn't review The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, but it was well worth reading.  Maybe not quite 5 stars, but close.  The two I most recommend out of this month are Britt-Marie Was Here (my review) and The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman (my review).

I also took two trips to the library's annual used book sale--I went on the first day, and on the last day when books were $5/bag.  In addition, I got one book in my OwlCrate and three from the used book store, making a grand total of 32 books for the month. I've been so good over the past few years, trying to keep my book buying to a minimum, but I went wild in June.  Here is my haul, minus My Lady Jane.  Notice the matching set of Alcott books in the back of the top left photo.  They were from the 1950's and looked as if they'd never been opened!

  

Half-Blood Prince

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

My Lady Jane
Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Harper Teen (June 2016)
4/5 stars

This is the book that came with my first ever OwlCrate, and is an alternative history version of the story of Lady Jane Grey.  In real history, young King Edward VI dies, Jane becomes Queen for nine days, after which she is beheaded once Queen Mary takes over the throne.  In My Lady Jane, things happen quite differently.

Shape-shifting is a common thing in this version of Tudor England, with King Henry VIII having been a lion in nature as well as spirit.  The young King Edward VI and his cousin (and dear friend) Jane Grey have never shown signs of shape-shifting, much to their disappointment.  This shape-shifting is persecuted off and on, depending on the King, and Edward's sister Mary is intent that the persecution should begin again.

Bookworm Jane is married off to the youngest son (who becomes a horse during daylight hours) of the sickly King's adviser, and Edward is persuaded to make her his heir.  Treason and treachery abound, with Jane being used as a pawn.  This is a fairy tale, though, and so the reader can expect a happy ending for this Jane Grey.

This was a delightful, light, humorous, and enjoyable fantasy.  The characters were mostly well-developed and quite likable.  The plot was, naturally, fantastical, but also oddly believable.  The ambiance of the 16th century was mostly true to history, with the big exception being the addition of tea to a country that would need to wait another 100 years before experiencing it.  (Granted, this is a fantasy, and the authors can do what they want.)

The chapters rotated between the point of view of the three main characters, with each author responsible for one character.  This was effective, though there wasn't a definite distinctness of character voice.  Regardless, My Lady Jane was a fun read which kept me interested until the end and deserves a solid four stars.