Monday, August 30, 2010

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (9)

Happy Monday everyone!! Unfortunately, there's nothing new on my reading list... yes, I'm still climbing the mountain that is Mists of Avalon. But I'm delighted to let you know I'm SO CLOSE to finishing!! In the meantime, I have some new reviews I'll be posting ASAP! Thanks for being patient with me. :)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Currently, I'm Reading:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley



Saturday, August 28, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (3)

Time for another hop!! Hosted by the lovely Crazy-for-Books.

Book Blogger Hop

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question comes from Books Are A Girls Best Friend!
Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

I do use a rating system for my book reviews. I feel that a rating system really reiterates what you personally thought about the book, just in case it was a bit unclear to readers in your review. Plus, I just think it's fun to do! My rating system is a simple 5***** rating system, with 5***** being the highest and 1* being the lowest.




Friday, August 27, 2010

Friday is for Fairytales (3)

Friday is for Fairytales is a meme hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read. Every Friday, you can choose a fairytale you love, or simply find interesting or haunting, and review it or simply say why you like it so much, or why it has captured your attention. Instead of a fairytale, you can choose a favourite fairytale character and describe him/her and tell us why you like them, or you can simply share an experience connected to a fairytale. Fairytales can be old and modern, written by a known author or anonymous, written down or passed on orally, short or in novel form (like re-writings of fairytales), international or typical for your country alone. In this case, present your country’s fairytale and we can all become acquainted with a new fairytale. So, make a post every Friday that is connected to the world of fairytales, be it a review, a character description or your own fairytale experience. Let’s celebrate fairytales and share our love for them.

MY POST IS ABOUT: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

I Loved, Loved, LOVED this fairytale when I was growing up. You really can't go wrong with Peter Pan. The cast of characters that Barrie wrote are so diverse, everyone can find something to love about this classic tale. Whether it's pirates, mermaids, or Indians, there's something for the kid inside you.

One of the things I love most about Peter Pan is the theme of a never-ending childhood, never having to grow up. I feel that as I'm growing up, you always kind of look back on the golden age of your childhood and wish for the good old days. Peter Pan reminds you of those times. It reminds you to make sure that you take time out to act like a kid and have fun every once in awhile, or else life is just not worth living. You've got to make sure you can escape to Never-Land every so often. :)

I can seriously remember watching the Disney version of Peter Pan at least once a day when I was a kid. It was that good. I loved the great villains, the mermaids, and of course, Peter himself. Such a classic tale. Peter Pan, put simply, makes me smile.



Wednesday, August 25, 2010

One Lovely Blog Award


Greetings everyone! I am so excited and very pleased to announced that Missy of Missy's Reads & Reviews has so kindly bestowed upon me the One Lovely Blog Award!! I am SO incredibly thankful, especially as a relatively new blogger, that I have recieved this award. It means so much to me!! All this hard work has payed off. :)

So, here's how the award works:
1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.

3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.


Here are my 15 recipients:



Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays (2)

Happy Tuesday everybody! Hope your week is going well. Sorry for being a bit stagnant on my reviews... Like I said in my post yesterday, I just started back at school. But I'm going to fix that!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



My Teasers:

'She drew herself up to her full height, and knew that for the first time in many years she spoke mantled in all the power and authority of a priestess of Avalon.
"Hear me, Arthur of Britain! As the force and power of Avalon set you on the throne, so the force and power of Avalon can bring you down into ruin!"'

--pg. 717. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley



Monday, August 23, 2010

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (8)

Hello again and happy Monday!! Unfortunately for me, today was my first day back at school. Hopefully I won't be too busy! But anyway, there's nothing really new on my reading list at the moment...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Currently I'm Reading:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley






Friday, August 20, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (2)

Yet another hop!! Hosted by the lovely Crazy-for-Books.

Book Blogger Hop

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question comes from Libraryscatbooks!
How many blogs do you follow?

I currently follow 34 blogs!! Wow! I didn't even realize how much that was! :)




Follow Friday (2)


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {
Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
Follow our Featured Bloggers -
http://edgyinspirational.blogspot.com/
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!



Thursday, August 19, 2010

Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (319 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

Daughters of a famed clairvoyant, the five Taylor sisters begin the twentieth century desperately searching for a home. Their mother takes them to the small town of Spirit Vale, where she makes a living of talking to the dead. The future, however, is something even she cannot clearly see.

The Taylor sisters are not destined to stay in Spirit Vale for long. Mimi's fate is mingled with that of rich society, and threatened by a secret surrounding her birth. Jane becomes involved in a feat of scientific intrigue that has the potential to alter the course of history--and the course of her greatest love. The twins, Emma and Amelie, appear ready to follow in their mother's footsteps. And the youngest, Blythe, will stop at nothing to make her dreams of wealth and fame come true.

All of the sisters' destinies converge on board the Titanic. A transatlantic voyage that promises great wonders--including a surprise wedding--soon turns into a fight for survival. Not everyone will make it through... for neither love nor sisterhood can escape the threat of death.

Or can they?


MY REVIEW

"Ah, so it's about the Titanic," I thought when first picking up this book. And let me tell you, that one little 7-letter word carries a LOT of weight and expectations for a story.

First of all, I gotta give this book props on its originality. Definitley complete polar opposite from what I've read and seen about the Titanic. Don't start reading this book thinking it will be just like the movie... it's completely different in its own right, and I think that was refreshing.

I LOVED the historical accuracy in this book! A lot of the time, historical fiction authors like to drop people's names like they're nothing, but not so here!! Ms. Weyn is even researched enough to write a 10-page author's note at the end that is called "What's Real In Distant Waves?" that details everything historical about the book. I absolutely love it when authors include stuff like that... it just makes the story all the more believeable.

I also loved our heroine Jane, because her character was so down-to-earth. She has real embarassments, real emotional challenges that I can relate to, even though I'm living in a different century. I really loved how Ms. Weyn wrote her.

As I said before, I liked the fact that this book had originality, but I didn't like how it came to play out in the book. For one thing, it made the ending super anti-climatic. Let's just say it involves a time machine, and the main characters end up bypassing the actual sinking of the Titanic, which was super dissapointing. I mean, come on... you're going to write about the Titanic but have your characters magically time travel to after the sinking?

Another part of the originality thing was the spirit world element. Basically, the five sisters' lives revolve around their mother, who is a psychic, and that world of spiritualism. I wasn't able to really connect with the book here; it never really spoke to me. It was just a little far out there for me, especially for this "prim and proper" time period.

I also think that having the story time divided up between five sisters was a little overkill. I think Ms. Weyn would have been much better off if she would have stuck with maybe only two sisters, like Jane and Mimi. I don't know... maybe Jane Austen is the only one who can pull off a good five-sister story. :)

Anyway, this book was just so-so in the end. Definitley not really anything special. I wished it could have been a little... more. Cool for the originality factor, but it ended up being too much and, in my opinion, hurting the book in the end.


MY RATING

3***



Friday, August 13, 2010

Friday is for Fairytales (2)

Friday is for Fairytales is a meme hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read. Every Friday, you can choose a fairytale you love, or simply find interesting or haunting, and review it or simply say why you like it so much, or why it has captured your attention. Instead of a fairytale, you can choose a favourite fairytale character and describe him/her and tell us why you like them, or you can simply share an experience connected to a fairytale. Fairytales can be old and modern, written by a known author or anonymous, written down or passed on orally, short or in novel form (like re-writings of fairytales), international or typical for your country alone. In this case, present your country’s fairytale and we can all become acquainted with a new fairytale. So, make a post every Friday that is connected to the world of fairytales, be it a review, a character description or your own fairytale experience. Let’s celebrate fairytales and share our love for them.


MY POST IS ABOUT: Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

Beauty and the Beast, next to The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, is my favorite fairytale of all time. I really love the theme of internal beauty that goes on in this tale. In a world that stresses outer beauty today, it's so refreshing to read a fairytale like this one; one that emphasizes the importance of looking inside for true beauty.

This fairytale is just simply beautiful. Belle, our heroine, is such a strong character, with an amazing heart. She turns what most people would consider a life-ending situation into a happy and fruitful one. She sees the best of things, and ultimately, that translates into how she ends up seeing the Beast, and ends up loving him, despite his appearance.

As far as the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast goes, it is my favorite Disney movie BY FAR. I LOVE how Disney translated this "tale as old as time" onto the screen. Every single time I watch the movie, I feel the power and the beauty of this wonderful fairytale. Belle is strong and has a mind of her own. She's not afraid to be different; she longs for a life outside the norm.

This fairytale is AMAZING, and will remain forever my favorite.

Art © Jackie Sullivan



Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays (1)

Happy Tuesday everyone! This is my very first Teaser Tuesday!!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teasers:

"They rode out of Meleagrant's castle two hours later, side by side, their hands reaching out between their horses to touch as they rode, and Gwenhwyfar no longer cared; she looked straight at Lancelet, her head held high with joy and gladness. This was her true love, and never again would she trouble herself to hide it from any man."

--pg. 519, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley



Monday, August 9, 2010

Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen & Robert Harris

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (390 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

Now called La Jardiniére, a resourceful and clever jester to the queen's court, Nicola was a most unlikely person to end up "fool" and friend to Mary, Queen of Scots. But Nicola isn't an ordinary comedian tumbling and clowning before the court; her quick wit and sharp tongue are rare amongst the fawning nobles. As fate takes Mary from France to Scotland, and into confrontations with rebellious lords and devious advisors, Nicola remains deep in the queen's inner circle. But when the Scots start to turn on Queen Mary, Nicola struggles to find something--anything--that she, just a fool, can do to save her friend.


MY REVIEW

The Elizabethan/Tudor time period in English history is one of my favorites. I really, really tried to like this book just for that fact, and for Mary, Queen of Scots. But I really just couldn't.

This novel hardly merits the name of "Historical Fiction." It was very, VERY lax in that area. Besides the place names and the people, it was hardly historical at all. I don't know if the authors were just too lazy to do good research or what, but it showed, and not in a good way. No real sense of the "presence" of history whatsoever.

Mary, Queen of Scots, the person for whom I was so originally interested in this book, remains aloof and distant. I mean sure, Nicola is our main character, but it's Mary Queen of Scots!! Queen Elizabeth I's counterpart! In this book, she does alot of agreeing, shows some strength at times, but not as much as I would have liked her to. I almost think maybe this was due to an unreliable narrator?

Moving on to our heroine Nicola. She started off great... full of witty quips and lovely vivacity. But she definitley didn't age well. As the book moved on, she really lost all of her wit and charm, which I was sorry for.

This book is emotionally DRY. Imagine leaving a wet sponge out in the sun till it shriveled up. Dry and brittle. I really couldn't feel any sympathy for the characters, except maybe a little for Mary at the end. But wow. VERY little emotion in this novel.

This book is SO plainly written! Again, that just ties into the emotionless aspect of it I think. The only really interesting part is Nicola's dialogue at the beginning.

Many of the Scottish nobles were so similar that they confused me. I couldn't keep track of them. Nothing really unique about them. They all played the same part in the same story.

Like I said before, I really wanted to like this book. Here's hoping that some of you out there might be able to.


MY RATING

2.5**/*



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (7)

Hello and happy Monday!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen & Robert Harris

Currently I'm Reading:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley





Friday, August 6, 2010

To Catch A Pirate by Jade Parker

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (226 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

When Annalisa Townsend's ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father's treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold. When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother. He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace. "A fair trade, m'lady," he tells her afterward, before disappearing.

A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father's treasure from him. But now she's in danger of him stealing something far more valuable this time: her heart.


MY REVIEW

Boy, I do love a good pirate story. And I was very surprised to find that this is one of the best I've read.

This one is truly a diamond in the rough. I must have spent hours on Amazon's 'You Might Also Like' list before I actually found it. The author, I had never heard of before. The book cover was plain and unimpressive. But it's what's inside that counts.

Annalisa, unlike other heroines, isn't born into the story with a will of iron. She starts the book off as a damsel in distress, really. But she earns her toughness, she earns her strong resolve. And the fact that she slowly earns it makes the change all the more believeable.

I also admire Annalisa's heart. For the sake of her father, she is willing to skirt the law, fight bloodthirsty pirates, and risk her own life. I'm definitley sure if I were in her shoes, I would do the same for my father, so of course it is easy to connect with her there.

Another character that was really special for me was James Sterling. A pirate for most of his life, James eventually discovers the good in his own self, and learns to give his heart to another, instead of hiding it away. A pirate with a soul, you ask? Is that possible? Yes, I assure you it is, and Jade Parker will show you how.

The plot of this story is really remarkable. It never has any dull points, ever! It takes many exciting twists and turns, complete with back-stabbings and double-crossings. I think every good pirate author should model their stories after this one!

The action is really great too! Once again, as a true pirate story should be. Plenty of swordfights and battles to go 'round mates!

The emotion in this book isn't too heavy, as I find it is sometimes in Y.A. books, but still retains it's poignancy. When the author wants you to feel, trust me, you'll feel. But it's not a constant battering of feelings, which was different, but I still really enjoyed.

This book is really brilliant. Don't judge this story by its semi-cheesy back-cover synposis. Pick this adventure up and read it! You definitley won't regret it. A truly great read.


MY RATING

4.5****/*



Follow Friday (1)


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {
Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
Follow our Featured Bloggers - not this week...
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!



Book Blogger Hop (1)

My first book blogger hop! Hosted by the lovely Crazy-for-Books.

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question comes from Chelle from The Prairie Library!
Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?

I do sometimes listen to music while I read, but I make it a rule that it has to be purely orchestral music, a.k.a music with no words. I feel that if the music has words, I have trouble concentrating on the words on the page! My favorite reading tunes are movie soundtracks from Hans Zimmer. His work is simply amazing!




Friday is for Fairytales (1)

Friday is for Fairytales is a meme hosted by Irena at This Miss Loves to Read. Every Friday, you can choose a fairytale you love, or simply find interesting or haunting, and review it or simply say why you like it so much, or why it has captured your attention. Instead of a fairytale, you can choose a favourite fairytale character and describe him/her and tell us why you like them, or you can simply share an experience connected to a fairytale. Fairytales can be old and modern, written by a known author or anonymous, written down or passed on orally, short or in novel form (like re-writings of fairytales), international or typical for your country alone. In this case, present your country’s fairytale and we can all become acquainted with a new fairytale. So, make a post every Friday that is connected to the world of fairytales, be it a review, a character description or your own fairytale experience. Let’s celebrate fairytales and share our love for them.


MY POST IS ABOUT: The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen


The Little Mermaid is by far my favorite of Andersen's fairytales, and one of my all-time favorites in general. I love the theme of the power of love. This mermaid girl, after seeing this prince guy just for the first time, decides to go after him. She will give up anything for him, including her precious mermaid tail, her beautiful voice, and, eventually, her very own life. The fact that she is willing to sacrifice all that for one man is priceless. Her love is a strong, eternal love that can never be broken.

Ever since I was a little girl, Princess Ariel (the little mermaid) was always my favorite Disney princess. Other than the fact that she is the only redheaded princess (like me), I just love her character. She has her own voice, her own strength. She longs to break free from the world she's seemingly trapped in, and I can really sympathize with her there.

I love The Little Mermaid because it really is a powerful fairytale of love and freedom. Even though the Andersen fairytale ends on a rather bittersweet note, I still love and enjoy this tale everytime I see it or read it.

Art © Jackie Sullivan



Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sovay by Celia Rees

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (404 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

For priveleged young maidens in the year 1794, adventure seems limited to primping, preening and sitting for portraits. But the beautiful Sovay is drawn to more thrilling pastimes - namely, donning a man's cloak and holding up stagecoaches in broad daylight. Posing as a highway robber began as a lark to test a suitor's devotion. But when Sovay lifts the wallet of one of England's most dangerous men, the stakes become critical: she discovers that her father, who is mysteriously missing, has been accused of treason.
Soon robbery is the least of Sovay's perils. On a mission to clear her family's good name, she becomes entangled in a web of deceit and duplicity. London's underground net of spies and informers hold tremendous power - and it is closing in quickly on Sovay.


MY REVIEW

In this exciting tale of intrigue and adventure, one girl defies all to save the ones she loves. Sovay, our fiesty heroine, will stop at nothing to bring justice to her family. Her motto: "I can take care of myself" (pg. 216).

Being a history buff for one, I thoroughly enjoyed the detail and period-corectness Ms. Rees puts into her novels. From the period dress, to inventions and architecture, it's all there, and I always appreciate when an author takes the time to make sure his/her novel is historically accurate. You can always get the "feel" of actually being there better that way... almost like the book is your window to the past.

I absolutely adore the prose in this book! Straight out of the 18th century, as it should be!! Kudos to Ms. Rees for making the extra effort of historical accurateness in one of the most important parts of the book: the dialogue! All the little details count in this book.

Once again, Celia Rees has created a marvelous, iron-willed heroine whom I can't help but falling in love with! Her spirit and character are truly amazing. Sovay is the kinda gal I'd want to be good friends with, and you get that close feeling throughout the novel.

If you love a good pirate story (which I think Celia Rees is also the master of), you will certainly love this tale! The notorious highwaymen (or highwaywomen, in this case) closely mimic pirates in all of their devious deeds. I truly love the romantic adventure of a good pirate story (and I love pirates in general, for that matter...), and you will definitley find that here!

I absolutely adore the character of Captain Greenwood... highwayman/pirate, handsome, and a good heart to boot... what's not to love? It's a thrill to be around him!

This book really sweeps the reader up into the spirit of adventure, and I always enjoy that. Celia Rees, one of my favorite authors, has written another successful and adventurous fete again. You won't want to put this one down!


MY RATING

4.5****/*



Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

GENRE

Y.A. Fiction / Historical Fiction (241 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

Mimi Wallingford, of the famous Wallingford actors, wishes to be anywhere but onstage for the final performance of Romeo and Juliet. Acting isn't for her, even if her family's future relies on it. Being transported to Shakepseare's Verona wasn't what she had in mind either, but when the magical ashes clear, she's suddenly not in Manhattan anymore--and her heartthrob costar Troy Summer, is along for the ride.

After Mimi befriends the real Juliet Capulet, she just can't allow the play to reach the tragic end that she and Troy have acted out countless times before. But if saving Juliet means changing the greatest love story of all time, will Mimi and Troy ever make it back to Broadway?


MY REVIEW

First off, let me say that I enjoy Shakespeare immensly, if only I could come to understand his darn writing! For all you young adults out there that are new timers to Shakespeare and don't speak and understand fluent Old English, this novel is perfect for you.

The story is very exciting and fun. I really like this particular time-traveling novel because when our two modern main characters are first transported, they have to work their way into the houses of Capulet and Montague. It's refreshing to find this change, because I find that with a lot of other time-travelling novels, the characters appear and POOF, they fit right in with the customs and people. Not so in this story!

I can really connect with our protagonist, Mimi. She is extremely prone to panic attacks (I've had my fair share) and nervous breakdowns on stage because she is just so terrified of acting. On this level I could really connect with her, and it made me really sympathize with her. I felt her pain!

The characters are oh so important in this novel! I'm mean, come on, their world famous. And Suzanne Selfors does an excellent job of make them modern, living and breathing people that the audience can understand. From the lovely Juliet, to her evil mother Lady Capulet, to the handsome and ruthless Benvolio, Selfors nails the characters!

I loved the spin Ms. Selfors put on the ending! I wish that was the way that Shakespeare would have wrote it. Mr. Shakespeare, I demand a rewrite! Your story is just too tragic.

Susanne Selfors also does a wonderful job of recreating the city of Verona, and is beautiful with her details. You can really feel it, breathe it; it's almost like you're there, trucking along right beside the characters.

This book was such a fun romp! Laughs, adventure, romance... it's all here! A really entertaining read, with a great ending. A wonderful spin on a treasured story.


MY RATING

4.5****/*



The Revolution of Sabine by Beth Levine Ain

GENRE

Y.A. Historical Fiction (214 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

In this novel of social intrigue, Sabine Durand, daughter of aristocrats, thinks of nothing but donning exquisite ball gowns and being seen at all the right parties in Paris. That is, until she secretly rekindles a forbidden firnedship with Michel, who spirits her away to her first salon, where she meets the revolutionary Ben Franklin.

Fueled by ideas of change, Sabine is determined to make revolutionary changes of her own: to take control of her life as it spins toward an arranged marriage to a lecherous aristocrat. But how can she break free of her mother's tight grasp? Perhaps the secret lies in her portrait, recently painted by Fragonard, and her new understanding of love.


MY REVIEW

I must say, whenever it comes to novels of the Marie Antoinette/pre-french revolution era, I am both excited about it and sort of dread it. The pure opulence of that era is breathtaking at some times, but at others, it gets to be plain annoying. It's like, "Geez, you aristocrats wondered why the French people wanted to chop all of your heads off!"

Anyway, this novel is not short on the opulence. I understand the character of Sabine, our protagonist, is "trapped" in this world of stiff corsets and dinner parties, beautiful ballgowns and, well... Paris. I guess in this book I just didn't feel all that connected with her. It seemed to me like she's got a pretty sweet life.

One thing that I did enjoy in this book was the spirit of revolution. That certainly translated well to me, as a reader. Sabine finds herself in this new way of thinking, which she was helped along to by the magnificent Benjamin Franklin (another element I enjoyed). She is willing to support a change that she knows is right in her heart, and I admire her for that.

For the whole opulence factor, this book is very plainly written. I think it could have been written just a tad better. I really didn't get the presence of the history like I have in other historical fiction novels.

Another thing I enjoyed... while Sabine is posing for her infamous portrait, she reads the novel Candide by Voltaire to keep her occupied. I loved this tie-in! It wasn't until later, when I had actually read Candide that I could understand its importance in the novel. I loved the fact that Ms. Ain focused a good part of her book on this wonderful piece of literature.

All in all, this book wasn't really anything special to me. It's rather short, kinda predictable, and more suited I think to younger teens, just getting their first tastes of historical fiction.


MY RATING

3***





Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

GENRE

Fiction / Classic Literature (235 pgs.)


SYNOPSIS

The Scarlet Letter is the story of three New England settlers at odds with the puritan society in which they live. Roger Chillingworth, an aging scholar, arrives in New England after two years' separation from his wife Hester to find her on trial for adultery. For refusing to reveal her lover's identity, she is condemned to wear a letter 'A' sewn onto her clothes. Roger resolves to discover and destroy the man who has stolen his honor.


MY REVIEW

Some of you may be wondering why I bothered to review this book. "Dude, I totally had to read that in high school. You're not supposed to review required reading books, because they all suck." Well, I assure you this novel is one of the few exceptions. Bear with me.

As I first picked up my dreaded summer reading list for AP Language and Composition, I noticed this title was on it (Yes, I readily admit that I did not read this book just for fun... at first). I picked it up at my local Borders, sat down with highlighter and pen in hand ready for annotations, and began to read away. The funny thing was, I couldn't put this book down.

One of the first literary heroines (and one of the best, in my opinion), Hester Prynne is a character that transcends time. She is a very modern-day woman stuck in the realm of early American Puritan harshness. She does not let others get the best of her, no matter what the obstacle, no matter what the situation.

Roger Chillingworth is the perfect villain. Twisted by hate and jealousy, he is willing to stop at nothing to have his revenge on his unfaithful wife. Devious, he infiltrates at the heart of the mystery, just like any good modern villain would do.

The Rev. Dimmesdale, despite his characteristics of general wimpiness, has a love for Hester that is strong and true. Sure, he's not the breathtakingly romantic type, but he fights hard in defense of his love Hester.

I have no idea what could have made a novel off of my summer reading list so appealing. Maybe it was Mr. Hawthorne's fascinating style of writing, with his symbolism and vivid imagery. Maybe it was the deep connectiong with nature present throughout the book, so characteristic of the Romantic period, that made the story fresh and real. Maybe it was the plot, masterfully crafted, shrouded in mystery, full of cliff-hangers and hidden secrets. It read like a modern historical fiction/mystery novel, only better. I ate it up.

This novel truly transcends time. It is so perfectly written, so shrouded in dark mystery, so passionate. Really, I couldn't put it down. This book, to me, was really exciting. A truly great work of classic fiction.

So if any of you high-school teenagers out there are reading this post, and are required to read the Scarlet Letter for school, PLEASE don't pass up the opportunity. You will regret it. Step out of the box and give the book a try. You won't be dissapointed.

Lastly, just a quick warning about wordiness. Yes, this book was published in 1850, but trust me, the story makes up for that fact.


MY RATING

5*****

An interesting tidbit... a new movie called Easy A is coming out this summer, and is a modern take on the Scarlet Letter. It actually looks really good! Trailer below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7W6pEuAW0



Monday, August 2, 2010

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (6)

Greetings and Happy Monday!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey in which we bloggers share what we have read in the past week, and what we're currently tearing through this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Silver Blade by Sally Gardener

Currently I'm Reading:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

(Mists is sort of my ongoing project that I return to when I have no other serious material... if you've ever read this 912 pg. book with insanely small print before, you'll understand why).



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