Books for October
HOW is it November already???
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune*, 4/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
A reread as the sequel's just come out.
So very, very different from TJ Klune's other books. It never fails to surprise me how easily he navigates between different styles and genres. This is unlike any of the other books I've read by him (although he still loves the word 'dashing' ;) ), but just as charming as any of them.
I grew very fond of all the children at Marsyas Orphanage and found it surprisingly difficult to leave them all behind when the story ended. It's not really a book that lends itself to sequels, but I do hope that TJ Klune will explore this universe further, and perhaps let us see how the children fare in the future, as visitors in other books.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea - T.J. Klune, 3/5, Audiobook ~16hrs
Unfortunately I didn't like this as much as I had expected to.
When I finished the first book I wrote in my review: "It's not really a book that lends itself to a sequel". That is still my opinion, and also reflects in the rating I ended up giving here. This sequel lacked most of the charm I found in the first book in the series.
I still enjoyed Linus' and Arthur's interactions, I loved the kids (especially Sal), and I really enjoyed seeing the kids relate to the townspeople. But where the main mood of the first book was hopeful and optimistic, the mood in this one just felt flat. Both Rowder and Miss Marblemaw seemed cartoon-like in their evilness, and were without any kind of depth. I could have excused that in Rowder, as she only paid a small part, but Miss Marblemaw just ended up annoying me. She was the kind of villain you hate to hate - a bit like Umbridge in HP5.
Also, I didn't feel that Arthur's angst about his anger rang true. I know that THitCS is written from Linus' point of view, and we therefore don't get to see much beneath the surface of Arthur, but I still thought there was a significant change of his character between these two books. And at the same time, the "voices" of the two books were so similar that I kept forgetting that we were hearing Arthur's thoughts rather than Linus'.
And finally the ending just didn't work for me. Too perfect, too deus ex machina. But with T.J. Klune making Rowder as evil as he did, I'm hard pressed to see how else it could have ended.
So why still 3 stars instead of 2? At the end of the day, T.J. Klune writes incredibly charming books, so even at "not his best", is books are still better than most. I loved getting to read more about the kids, and giggled at all the references to his other books - especially the Verania series :D
Indigo - Audrey Faye*, 3.5/5, 167 pages
I loved the characters and I loved the story. I'm a sucker for small towns where everybody gets into everybody's business, and Indigo certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. I loved the quirkiness of a mothering ghost and an artist on skateboard.
What detracted a few stars for me was the huge role astrology played in the characterization of Indigo. It seemed overdone, and turned her into somebody who would probably be more than a little "too much" in real life - actually regardless of whether or not you put any stock into it yourself. Fortunately, she redeemed herself near the end, and I loved her and Drew together.
And hopefully the focus will change in the later books, where Indigo's no longer the main character.
Blue - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 158 pages
A lot better than the first one. I loved seeing Blue and Grim together, and read most of it with a huge smile on my face. Just goes to show that I'd much rather read about carpentry and clay throwing than chart reading any day of the week ;-) And the characters are charming as always. Can't wait for the last book in the series now!
Gone-Away Lake - Elizabeth Enright*, 5/5, 172 pages
This was one of my favourite books as a child, and I'm happy to say that it completely passed the test of time. It's just as charming as I remembered it, and Elizabeth Enright really made me feel like I knew the characters and I got to care for them.
Usually I can take or leave illustrations in a book, but the illustrations in my copy of the book (or rather, my mother's copy) - done by Beth and Joe Krush - are gorgeous, and really add to the story.
Return to Gone-Away - Elizabeth Enright*, 4.5/5, 145 pages
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but then it is hard to improve on perfection ;) And it's still really excellent, and a wonderful comfort read, even if the plot isn't as interesting and a tad more repetitive.
Also, there was far too little Min and Pin in this one! I missed them!
The Year of Plenty - Rebecca Brammer*, 5/5, 175 pages
Written in the style of American classics like the Little House series we get to follow the life of a family - we hear about their holiday traditions, their joy and sorrows, their schooling, their friendships and relationships, and - my favourite parts - the running of the farm. I've always been utterly fascinated by all the every-day chores that came with running a farm 100 years ago, and the work necessary for setting away food to last through the winter.
The Year of Plenty is one of those books you sink down into, and it's almost torture to have to come back out again. I came to care about all the members of the family, and wanted to hear more about what happened to them. Rebecca Brammer shows an incredible gift for in-depth characterizations and creating an atmosphere with her words. Her writing seems effort-less and the plot tight. I hope to meet the Fraley family again in future books.
His Perfect Faithfulness - Eric & Leslie Ludy*, 4/5, 62 pages
I first read this book back in 1999, and was blown away by the beauty of it. I'd read it a few times since then, but not since 2007, so when I picked it up this time it was with a touch of cynicism and trepidation, whether it would be able to live up to my memory of it.
Fortunately, it mostly could. Sure, it's still hopelessly idealistic, but Leslie and Eric remained true to their own convictions and weren't pressured into anything. They walked with God every step of the way, and while their form of courtship wouldn't work for everybody, it so clearly worked for them.
The story is quickly read - just 62 pages if you skip the "Guy talk" and "Girl talk" at the end of the book (which I always do) - and it remains a sweet read. There was less focus on "this is the only way to have a holy courtship" than I had feared, and more focus on "follow God's will for your life" -- which I'm obviously totally in favour of!
Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer*, 5/5, Audiobook ~20hrs
While the other books were great in their own right, it really felt as if they were just setting the scene for this one. Not that that makes Breaking Dawn better than any of the others, it just made it feel more complete. I loved that Bella became a vampire so early in this book, that we got to see how she reacted to that as well, and how she adjusted to her new life. Which also means that I actually preferred the first half to the last half.
Like with the other books in the series, I just couldn't put it down and ended up listening to all 20 hours in about a week.
Books Read: 94
Pages Read: 13.771
Hours Listened to: 451
Book of the Month: None - I've reread a lot, and the new reads weren't amazing.
Biggest Disappointment: Same.
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune*, 4/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
A reread as the sequel's just come out.
So very, very different from TJ Klune's other books. It never fails to surprise me how easily he navigates between different styles and genres. This is unlike any of the other books I've read by him (although he still loves the word 'dashing' ;) ), but just as charming as any of them.
I grew very fond of all the children at Marsyas Orphanage and found it surprisingly difficult to leave them all behind when the story ended. It's not really a book that lends itself to sequels, but I do hope that TJ Klune will explore this universe further, and perhaps let us see how the children fare in the future, as visitors in other books.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea - T.J. Klune, 3/5, Audiobook ~16hrs
Unfortunately I didn't like this as much as I had expected to.
When I finished the first book I wrote in my review: "It's not really a book that lends itself to a sequel". That is still my opinion, and also reflects in the rating I ended up giving here. This sequel lacked most of the charm I found in the first book in the series.
I still enjoyed Linus' and Arthur's interactions, I loved the kids (especially Sal), and I really enjoyed seeing the kids relate to the townspeople. But where the main mood of the first book was hopeful and optimistic, the mood in this one just felt flat. Both Rowder and Miss Marblemaw seemed cartoon-like in their evilness, and were without any kind of depth. I could have excused that in Rowder, as she only paid a small part, but Miss Marblemaw just ended up annoying me. She was the kind of villain you hate to hate - a bit like Umbridge in HP5.
Also, I didn't feel that Arthur's angst about his anger rang true. I know that THitCS is written from Linus' point of view, and we therefore don't get to see much beneath the surface of Arthur, but I still thought there was a significant change of his character between these two books. And at the same time, the "voices" of the two books were so similar that I kept forgetting that we were hearing Arthur's thoughts rather than Linus'.
And finally the ending just didn't work for me. Too perfect, too deus ex machina. But with T.J. Klune making Rowder as evil as he did, I'm hard pressed to see how else it could have ended.
So why still 3 stars instead of 2? At the end of the day, T.J. Klune writes incredibly charming books, so even at "not his best", is books are still better than most. I loved getting to read more about the kids, and giggled at all the references to his other books - especially the Verania series :D
Indigo - Audrey Faye*, 3.5/5, 167 pages
I loved the characters and I loved the story. I'm a sucker for small towns where everybody gets into everybody's business, and Indigo certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. I loved the quirkiness of a mothering ghost and an artist on skateboard.
What detracted a few stars for me was the huge role astrology played in the characterization of Indigo. It seemed overdone, and turned her into somebody who would probably be more than a little "too much" in real life - actually regardless of whether or not you put any stock into it yourself. Fortunately, she redeemed herself near the end, and I loved her and Drew together.
And hopefully the focus will change in the later books, where Indigo's no longer the main character.
Blue - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 158 pages
A lot better than the first one. I loved seeing Blue and Grim together, and read most of it with a huge smile on my face. Just goes to show that I'd much rather read about carpentry and clay throwing than chart reading any day of the week ;-) And the characters are charming as always. Can't wait for the last book in the series now!
Gone-Away Lake - Elizabeth Enright*, 5/5, 172 pages
This was one of my favourite books as a child, and I'm happy to say that it completely passed the test of time. It's just as charming as I remembered it, and Elizabeth Enright really made me feel like I knew the characters and I got to care for them.
Usually I can take or leave illustrations in a book, but the illustrations in my copy of the book (or rather, my mother's copy) - done by Beth and Joe Krush - are gorgeous, and really add to the story.
Return to Gone-Away - Elizabeth Enright*, 4.5/5, 145 pages
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but then it is hard to improve on perfection ;) And it's still really excellent, and a wonderful comfort read, even if the plot isn't as interesting and a tad more repetitive.
Also, there was far too little Min and Pin in this one! I missed them!
The Year of Plenty - Rebecca Brammer*, 5/5, 175 pages
Written in the style of American classics like the Little House series we get to follow the life of a family - we hear about their holiday traditions, their joy and sorrows, their schooling, their friendships and relationships, and - my favourite parts - the running of the farm. I've always been utterly fascinated by all the every-day chores that came with running a farm 100 years ago, and the work necessary for setting away food to last through the winter.
The Year of Plenty is one of those books you sink down into, and it's almost torture to have to come back out again. I came to care about all the members of the family, and wanted to hear more about what happened to them. Rebecca Brammer shows an incredible gift for in-depth characterizations and creating an atmosphere with her words. Her writing seems effort-less and the plot tight. I hope to meet the Fraley family again in future books.
His Perfect Faithfulness - Eric & Leslie Ludy*, 4/5, 62 pages
I first read this book back in 1999, and was blown away by the beauty of it. I'd read it a few times since then, but not since 2007, so when I picked it up this time it was with a touch of cynicism and trepidation, whether it would be able to live up to my memory of it.
Fortunately, it mostly could. Sure, it's still hopelessly idealistic, but Leslie and Eric remained true to their own convictions and weren't pressured into anything. They walked with God every step of the way, and while their form of courtship wouldn't work for everybody, it so clearly worked for them.
The story is quickly read - just 62 pages if you skip the "Guy talk" and "Girl talk" at the end of the book (which I always do) - and it remains a sweet read. There was less focus on "this is the only way to have a holy courtship" than I had feared, and more focus on "follow God's will for your life" -- which I'm obviously totally in favour of!
Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer*, 5/5, Audiobook ~20hrs
While the other books were great in their own right, it really felt as if they were just setting the scene for this one. Not that that makes Breaking Dawn better than any of the others, it just made it feel more complete. I loved that Bella became a vampire so early in this book, that we got to see how she reacted to that as well, and how she adjusted to her new life. Which also means that I actually preferred the first half to the last half.
Like with the other books in the series, I just couldn't put it down and ended up listening to all 20 hours in about a week.
Books Read: 94
Pages Read: 13.771
Hours Listened to: 451
Book of the Month: None - I've reread a lot, and the new reads weren't amazing.
Biggest Disappointment: Same.