Reading in Review: September and October

Nov 04, 2011 20:47

Yeah, didn't do one of these for September . . . the start of October was crazy. So, here's two months' worth for you!

September
 * The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathrynne M Valente
* Storyteller by Edward Myers
* Pegasus by Robin McKinley
 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
* Once a Witch by Carloyn MacCullough
* Daughters of the Sea: Hannah by Katherine Lasky
* The Black Book of Buried Secrets by Rick Riordan and others
* Finally by Wendy Mass
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
* North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
October
* The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
* Matched by Ally Condie
* I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Franstino
* Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C Wrede
* Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C Wrede
* Just Jane by Wiliam Lavender
The Winter of Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory

Gracious, I read a lot of new books over the past two months. Okay, here we go!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathrynne M Valente

So, this book was just whimsical. I don't know if you got that from the title or not. It's one of those few books that I picked up to read entirely because of its title, because in my experience, stories with titles like that are always good fun. And that was certainly true of this story. I love that the main character is so clearly flawed in the way of small children, and that a major part of the story is how inherently selfish she is, not out of any malice or desire to cause harm, but simply because she is a little girl and she doesn't really know how to empathize. As one review says, this is "a book that is both deeply in love with fairy tales and sharply critical of them," and if you know me at all, you know that I'm in favor of that. I love that we see both the light and the dark side of this fairy world, and that the book doesn't shrink away from showing the dark side just because it's "for children." All in all, I loved the style, and I highly recommend it.

* Storyteller by Edward Myers

I love books that are about the telling and construction of stories, and this one was beautifully done (on an unrelated note, I also love it when my milestone books are worthwhile reads, and this one certainly did not disappoint.). Again, a flawed narrator, which I really appreciate. Jack, the storyteller in question, makes poor choices, selfish choices, trying to save his own skin, and in the end, hurts a lot of the people he cares about. He also disappoints many of them, which is, in many ways worse. Naturally, he comes around in the end, but it's a real story of growth and change, rather than just "good-hearted farmboy gets what he deserves." Definitely worth a read.

* Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley is an evil, evil woman. Seriously. Hate her. Except that I love her, and I love her stories, a lot. She is a masterful storyteller, and this book works around a very intriguing and unique idea -- that humans are bound to Pegasi, but not in the way we'd usually think of being bonded, for they can't speak to one another. Pegasi have a hard time understand the language of humans, and humans certainly can't speak or translate Pegasi. Which is why the Sylvi's ability to communicate with her pegasus is such a world-changing thing. High recommended, BUT don't pick it up if you don't like cliffhangers, cause this book has a hell of a one. Ms. McKinley? BOOK TWO, NOW. Thank you!

* Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

This book definitely had a very interesting premise, though it also confirmed my theory that no character named Alistair has ever been or will ever be a good guy. I really liked the concept of growing up in a family of powerful witches as the only person who doesn't have a magical talent. That being said, I think the book would have been a lot better if, in reality, the main character had in fact, not had a magical talent. But of course, as is fairly predictable, the one with "no talent" actually ends up having the most powerful gift of them all that was just unrecognized by all the powerful witches. I enjoyed the read, but the book played up a lot of cliches and fell into a very predictable pattern in the end.

* Daughters of the Sea: Hannah by Katherine Lasky

Meh. That's all I really have to say about this one. It was very meh. Didn't like it, didn't hate it, had some good moments, but also had some eye-rolling ones. Not worth your time, really.

* The Black Book of Buried Secrets by Rick Riordan and others

If you've read the 39 clues series (all 11 books, mind), then definitely, pick this on up. It's a supplemental book, full of all those little tidbits that the various authors used to write their individual novels, and all the behind the scenes info. It's a fun read, especially if you like extras from an author.

* Finally by Wendy Mass

I have come to really respect Wendy Mass as a writer for her demographic. She doesn't write universal books, by any means, but what she does write (books for the 11-14 year old girl), she writes very well. This followed a (Finally!) 12-year-old who had been waiting to turn twelve so she could do all the things she'd been denied her entire life. Yeah, she kept a list. But as she gains the right to try all these things -- having a phone, shaving her legs, staying home alone, getting a pet -- she comes to realize that they're really not as big a deal as she thought they'd be. It was a very realistic look at adolescence, especially the self-centered not-quite-teenage girl that we follow.

* North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

New favorite period author! LOVED this book. Saw the miniseries first, and then jumped right into the first copy I could get my hands on. If you like Austen and the Brontes, go for Elizabeth Gaskell. She's a little more politically minded (since she was writing modern fiction about 50 years after Austen), so this book deals with factory mills and the conditions of the working class in industrial England. But it's a romance, too, don't worry. Very lovely book.

October:
* The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry

This is a fun little read aimed at kids. A typical teaching values in a silly way kind of book, it doesn't try to be more than it is. Great read for eight-ten year olds.

* Matched by Ally Condie

Dystopia! And a very good one (my standards are high). Similar in many ways to The Giver, this takes place in a society where you are matched with your spouse once you turn 17. Emotions haven't been eliminated, but they are carefully regulated, as is most of daily life under the Society. There is little wilderness left, and little personal control over one's life. One of the things I liked best about this Society was the 100 rule. When the Society took over, they decided that culture had gotten too widespread, so they choose 100 of each cultural branch -- 100 poems, 100 songs, 100 books, 100 paintings,etc -- to survive into the next era, and the rest were destroyed. A very good read -- I can't wait for the sequel!

* I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Franstino

A Dear America novel, one that got published after I stopped reading, but since they've started rereleasing these, I've started picking up a few of them here and there. This one's about the Salem Witch Trials, so I had to read it.  What I enjoyed about the book was how the focus really wasn't on the trials. It was on these two sisters and the life that they were living without male protection and trying to keep themselves safe while living the kind of life others were being called out for. On the other hand, what I didn't like was how the story didn't follow to the end of the trials. They left halfway through before the true horrors were unleashed. It was fine for what it was, but I missed the reaction of the sisters to what happened after the witches were convicted. It didn't feel like the story was finished to me.

* Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

My favorite professor lent me this book a year ago, so I thought I ought to read it. The premise intrigued me -- Jane Eyre from the perspective of the crazy wife in the attic -- but the execution . . . yeah, not so much. The novel put forth that Bertha wasn't crazy when Rochester married her; Rochester made her crazy. It's very political and 1970s wave feminist, which wouldn't bother me. I mean, that's a perspective and sure, let's explore it. I won't deny that feminist aspect was a bit off putting, but what turned me really off the story was just how poorly it was told. It randomly changed first person perspective without warning, motivation and characterizations were spotty, and it just became a trial to read by the end.

* Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C Wrede

The sequel to Patricia Wrede's Thirteenth Child (which you can read my opinion of here) was most anxiously awaited by me! And it did not disappoint. I love the world Wrede has created here, and I love the journey Eff is taking. Watching her grow from a five-year-old into an eighteen-year-old has been a pleasure, and this book has her finally finding herself and figuring out her future. It was wonderful, and I can't wait for the third installment!

* Just Jane by Wiliam Lavender

I first picked up this book because I thought it might be about Lady Jane Grey whom I adore. It wasn't. It was an American Revolution historical fiction novel about an English heiress who came to America to start a new life and has to decide where her loyalties lie. It was very well done, overall, even if it wasn't about my favorite British monarch.

Currently Reading:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
The Beguilers by Kate Thompson
Tortall and Other Tales by Tamora Pierce

Current Tally:
Total: 119
New: 64
Reread: 55

reading challenge 2011

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