I hesitated over this book for a long time. I’d somewhere picked up the idea that it involves a lot of Philosophy, which I read as Big, Boring Thoughts That Have No Practical Application to Anyone’s Life. Is that bad? Probably. But I came across it in Will Schwalbe’s memoir, The End of Your Life Book Club and it piqued my…
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie: Book Review
Two young men, children of parents that the Communist government in China deems enemies of the state, are basically exiled to a remote mountain for “re-education.” Their parents’ “crimes” don’t even warrant the word; they’re basically just too educated for the government’s comfort. The teens find a harsh life waiting for them on the mountain. […]
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: Book Review
Walter Hartright finds a woman, all in white, wandering down the road to London in the middle of the night. As they talk and walk, she mentions that her happiest times were spent at Limmeridge House as a child. By coincidence, Walter is leaving to become a drawing teacher at this house the very next […]
The Child Thief by Brom: Book Review
In this very, very dark telling of Peter Pan, Peter is abused and unwelcome everywhere he wanders until he stumbles onto the island of Avalon. There, he finally carves out a home for himself, although not without a certain amount of danger. As conditions on the island deteriorate, Peter recruits children from the world of […]
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: Nothing. Where does all my time go? Read: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. This was a re-read for my book club. I won’t review it again but you can find my original review here. (Hint: It’s one of my favorite […]
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler–4 Stars Read: The Child Thief by Brom Currently Reading: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly–Re-read for book club. This is one of my favorite books! The Trivia Lover’s Guide to the […]
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: Book Review
4 Stars. I didn’t like this quite as much as Cinder but I definitely still enjoyed it. By introducing Scarlet, Marissa Meyer managed to avoid my common complaint that the second book in a series is just filler. Had she stayed exclusively with Cinder’s story, I’d probably be complaining. By shifting the focus, she fills in a lot […]
Weekly Update for November 11, 2013
Welcome to my weekly update for November 11, 2013! It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Twice in a row! This must be a posting record for me! Posted: Southwest National Park Vacation Report Review: One Child by Torey Hayden–5 Stars Review: The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes […]
Southwest National Park Vacation Report
Suey at It’s All About Books asked for a vacation report. Since she and a few more of you were kind enough to suggest alternates when the government shutdown threatened to shutdown my National Park Vacation as well, I owe you all an update. Note: I didn’t share any of our pictures, I just linked […]
One Child by Torey Hayden: Book Review
Torey Hayden is what I can only call a special ed teacher. At some less-politically-correct point in her career, she agreed to teach the “garbage class” (her words, not mine) that consisted of the abused, unteachable, unreachable kids. The class of eight students, a teacher’s aide who lacked even a high school diploma, a high […]
The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey: Book Review
In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, a force called the Tradition tries to fit likely young men and women down the well-trod paths of fairy tale characters. Now it’s trying to work its magic on Princess Rosamund but Godmother Lily is doing her best to thwart it. The Queen has just died and Lily sees the […]