3 Stars. The book was a little bit of a slog but that’s partly on me. I can only remember one scene from the movie and it’s a sad one. I don’t particularly like sad books so I kept avoiding it. The writing is also an odd mix of a lot of action buried under very dense sentence structure. I had to take my time […]
3 Stars. According to the introduction to this edition, Northanger Abbey is the earliest of Jane Austen’s published novels but the last to be published, and even then it was published posthumously. I could tell this was an early work of hers, because her sarcasm and social commentary is much more obvious and pointed than in the other […]
2 Stars. I’m sorry to say that this didn’t quite work for me. I’m disappointed since so many other readers love it. The tales of the family misadventures were hilarious. Larry, the budding author, is a know-it-all who can steer his mom in any direction he chooses. Leslie, the avid huntsman, shoots his guns and scares the wits […]
Ugh. This book. There was so much meat to dig into and at the same time it is not aging well. Not aging well at all. I apologize in advance for the length of this review essay. I’ve tried to cut it down but I have a lot to say….
I’m 42 as I write this so it’s been 30 – 35 years since I read any of Beverly Cleary’s books. I always enjoyed them as a child, and can clearly picture exactly where they were on my local library’s shelves. I called it a good library day when I found a new one. Who am I kidding? Every library visit was a good library day, but…
Julian, Dick, and Anne are disappointed when their parents announce plans to vacation alone in Scotland. The children quickly change their tune when they learn that they will be spending the summer at their aunt and uncle’s house on the coast with their cousin George (Don’t ever call her Georgina) and her dog, Timmy. What follows…
I was looking for a book featuring a private investigator to complete a reading challenge, so when I saw this was available (and that it was short–it’s the end of the year and time was running out), I jumped on it. I’ve never seen the movie and didn’t really have any idea what it was […]
I honestly picked this up for a reading challenge, not expecting to enjoy it. I do love fantasy but science fiction isn’t really my thing, with only a few exceptions. I read Fahrenheit 451 back in 8th grade and didn’t care for it, but there was very little reading that I had to do for school that I did like. Imagine my surprise […]
5 Stars. I read this back in college and loved it so much that I still have my copy from that class. I decided to re-read it when my husband and I visited the coast of Maine last month. I might love it even more now. The narrator, who remains unnamed, is accepted in this tightly-knit community, but she’s still enough of an […]
Young orphan Jim Burden is sent from Virginia to Nebraska to live with his grandparents. There is a Bohemian family on the train with him. None of them really speak English. They all get off at the same station in Black Hawk. It turns out that the family has just bought the farm next to Continue Reading…
Soooooo……..yeah. I just rated Walden, one of the great American classics, two stars. That probably says more about me than it does about the book, doesn’t it? Don’t answer that. But here’s the thing–well, a few things. 1. I’m not generally an abstract ideas kind of person. I like narrative and stories and characters that Continue Reading…