Many Mini Reviews
Title: Tuesdays at the Castle (Castle Glower #1)
Author: Jessica Day George
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: October 25th, 2011
Page Count: 254
Genre: fantasy
Audience: middle grade
Source: library
Rating: 4 I'd invite this book to a feast, so long as we could eat it at Castle Glower
Goodreads Summary:
Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic.
My thoughts: This was a cute middle grade fantasy complete with magical elements (in the case of the castle), the theme of good vs. evil, and some royalty (including our heroine, Princess Celie). None of the characters are very extensively developed, but it is interesting that the castle is almost a character in its own right. An enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Despite being a middle grade book, this one has definite crossover appeal for young adults (and even adults, like me!) who enjoy a good fantasy story. I'll definitely recommend it to students, but likely wouldn't teach it since there are plenty of other books with similar themes that I think have a bit more literary merit.
***********
Title: Ella Minnow PeaAuthor: Mark Dunn
Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing
Publication Date: October 1st, 2001
Page Count: 205
Genre: contemporary
Audience: could be adult or young adult
Source: library
Rating: 3 I'd write this book letters defying the commands to cease use of certain letters.
Goodreads Summary:My thoughts: I really enjoy books written in an epistolary style (meaning written through letters or diary entries, etc.), so I was pretty excited to read this. Honestly though, if it hadn't been for the fact that it was so short, I probably would not have finished it. The premise was interesting, but the story itself just wasn't all that exciting to me. If you really, really want to read this, I'd recommend it, but it's not a book that I'll probably recommend to people who have reading tastes similar to my own.
Ella Minnow Pea is an epistolary novel set in the fictional island of Nollop situated off the coast of South Carolina and home to the inventor of the pangram The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog. Now deceased, the islanders have erected a monument to honor their hero, but one day a tile with the letter “z” falls from the statue. The leaders interpret the falling tile as a message from beyond the grave and the letter is banned from use. On an island where the residents pride themselves on their love of language, this is seen as a tragedy. They are still reeling from the shock, when another tile falls and then another.... Mark Dunn takes us on a journey against time through the eyes of Ella Minnow Pea and her family as they race to find another phrase containing all the letters of the alphabet to save them from being unable to communicate. Eventually, the only letters remaining are LMNOP, when Ella finally discovers the phrase that will save their language.
***********
Author: JK Rowling
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: September 27th, 2012
Page Count: 17ish hours?
Genre: contemporary
Audience: adult
Source: bought audiobook
Rating: 4.5 I'd take this book to a fancy dinner at the country club followed by a nice relaxing counseling session
Goodreads Summary:
A big novel about a small town...When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations?
My thoughts: So...this book got a ton of flack and low reviews. I'm guessing a lot of that is because this absolutely NOTHING like Harry Potter. I love the Harry Potter series, but this is a whole other animal. And I loved it! It's not a book I would've picked up had it not been for my curiosity about Rowling's first adult book. But I was pleasantly surprised. This book is completely character-driven and it makes you realize that there are shades of grey to every person; each and every character in this book has flaws as well as moments where you kind of want to hug them and say "it's gonna be alright." I hope JK writes more books like this (though I don't know how many people in her fanbase would agree with me, there!). If you can handle a long character-driven novel, I highly recommend this! If you're thinking this will resemble HP in any way, you'll probably be very disappointed. There are drugs, sex, alcohol, bad kids, horrid parents, affairs, and some very crazy stuff. But it was great. Also, I listened to this on audiobook and I seriously gave a half-star just for the spectacular reading. I'll be looking out for more audiobooks read by Tom Hollander.
No comments:
Post a Comment