I enter so many Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ sweepstakes and never win...until I won this book.
After my initial joy at winning, at first I was a bit leery. The book seemI enter so many Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ sweepstakes and never win...until I won this book.
After my initial joy at winning, at first I was a bit leery. The book seemed to be self published, and also meant for kids/young adults. Not that I mind YA books at all, but it seemed like it would be too twee and cutesy for me.
Well, you know what they say - don't judge a book by its cover (which is delightful, by the way, as are the great illustrations!) - the story is charming and amusing and I loved all the characters in it. Well...maybe not the witch kidnappers...but Olaf and Essex and wonderfully written and created. Quite a sweet book.
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Pretty Cool �- and signed by Patti, the author! I LOVE that....more
I'm not quite sure how Seanan McGuire does it. In the middle of this (very short, making it a quick read) you get confused by some of the strange actiI'm not quite sure how Seanan McGuire does it. In the middle of this (very short, making it a quick read) you get confused by some of the strange actions the characters take, or annoyed by the characters themselves - but by the end of the book you're pleased and satisfied with how it ended.
This is book 9 of the Wayward Children, and as always I liked it. You definitely need to read book 8 first, as this is a follow up to Antsy (Antoinette) and what happens to her after she leaves "The Shop" from Book 8, and arrives at Eleanor West's school. Definitely a good continuation of the story.
So many loose ends got tied up in this one, and finally, even more details about Kade's past, that I can only imagine what book 10 (currently listed as Untitled and due out in January 2025) will be about!...more
A worthy successor to House of Hollow! Jude, Zara and the "curse writer" Emer are thrown together in their attempts to find out who is killing all theA worthy successor to House of Hollow! Jude, Zara and the "curse writer" Emer are thrown together in their attempts to find out who is killing all the 'witches' upon whom Emer has cast invocations. All three ladies are forces in their own right, and their friendship is wonderfully created. There are a few surprises here that I should have seen coming; but I was so transfixed by the story that I didn't see them until they hit me. A delightful read!...more
This was a hard slog to get through. Well written but extremely raw, depressing and just disturbing. The sort of thing that you know happens in real lThis was a hard slog to get through. Well written but extremely raw, depressing and just disturbing. The sort of thing that you know happens in real life but isn't always pleasant to read about. Still, a fascinating look at kids who slip through the cracks...I may read more by Courtney Summers in the future, but not for a while; I'll need something cheerful first. This one will stay with me for a long time....more
Yes, this is a kids' book. but how could I resist the title?
When Amy Anne's favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler*, is Yes, this is a kids' book. but how could I resist the title?
When Amy Anne's favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler*, is banned at her school library, she is at first surprised, then upset, and finally angry. Turns out the book, as well as many others, has been banned because one mother, Mrs. Spencer, thinks it's inappropriate for kids to read. Sounds like what's happening today, right? Well, surprisingly enough, the book was written back in 2017, before the current reign of "Moms for Liberty" and the rabid book banners of today.
The book is clearly for younger readers, but is sadly timely today, and gives an important lesson about standing up for what you think is right, even if it's not easy. A quick read, sadly prescient, and yet amusing and thoughtfully written. (*One of my favorite books growing up. ALL the titles mentioned in this story are books that have at one time been banned in libraries.)...more
Another reminder NOT to read other readers' comments on a book I'm currently reading! This book had many one star ratings and many 5 star ratings. UnfAnother reminder NOT to read other readers' comments on a book I'm currently reading! This book had many one star ratings and many 5 star ratings. Unfortunately the one star ratings and comments stayed with me as I read the book, and I found myself perhaps agreeing with the comments that said there was too much packed into the book - rape, drugs, gay sex, alcohol, coming of age, pregnancy, etc. - and also that Charlie's "voice" read far too young for his age. i think I would have enjoyed the book more had I not read those comments midway.
So, all in all, an okay book, with interesting plot factors that make me happy not to be in high school anymore! Decently written and perfectly fine...I put this on my list because it's one of the books banned by the "Moms for Liberty" group (don't get me started.) Worth reading, but not my favorite....more
I enjoyed this if not quite as much as the first two books (WOW, the cliffhanger ending of Book 2 - howAs so endeth the last of the Scholomance books!
I enjoyed this if not quite as much as the first two books (WOW, the cliffhanger ending of Book 2 - how cruel was that?) mainly because the beginning was a bit slow getting started. Quite a lot of El mourning, and then things started picking up...but as others have mentioned, the thrill was a little diffused with the action taking outside of the Scholomance. While the first two books were set entirely in the school and that created a wonderful, caustically dangerous world-within-a-world, having the third book set outside missed something. and the characters racing from one place to another, from Dubai to Mumbai to Shanghai to New York...at times it seemed like a little too much busy-work.
However, all was redeemed with the finale. A few readers commented that they missed a climactic head-to-head, one-on-one battle between El and the true villain, but I didn't mind the lack of that so much. The finale had an ending both somewhat implausible (no spoilers here) but also one that ended the trilogy well while being fair to those of us who have wondered how in the end you could recover from Book 2's ending. I'm intrigued to read that Book 1 has been optioned for a movie version. If adapted properly and well cast and directed (and those are big IFS) the movie could be thrilling...we'll see. Anyway, a satisfying finish to a terrific series....more
Cute book that still holds up today. The sequel to Freaky Friday, where Annabel turns into her mother for a day. Totally different from most of RodgerCute book that still holds up today. The sequel to Freaky Friday, where Annabel turns into her mother for a day. Totally different from most of Rodgers' other books - Freaky Friday, Summer Switch (Ape Face turns into his father) and the lame Freaky Monday (more of the same with a girl switching bodies with her teacher) A Billion for Boris takes a different route. When Ape Face decides to fix Boris' broken TV, he ends up with a TV that shows the future. How Boris and Annabel deal with that is delightful. Terrific characterizations and sharp writing - this book is a hoot....more
In anticipation of the upcoming memoir SHY, by Mary Rodgers, I decided to revisit one of my favorite YA books, Freaky Friday. Still holds up. The writIn anticipation of the upcoming memoir SHY, by Mary Rodgers, I decided to revisit one of my favorite YA books, Freaky Friday. Still holds up. The writing is sharp and hilarious and reveals Rodgers' sardonic humor at its best. The body switching/old-to-young again trope has been done to death but I'm pretty sure this book was the first to use that gimmick. 13-year-old Annabel thinks her mother is overly strict and way too uptight...then she wakes up one morning to find her mind in her mother's body. The question is - who is now in Annabel's body? And how to get back?
There have been two versions of this book that made it to film. The far superior version (written by Rodgers herself, though she admitted she liked the book, without its required water-ski Disneyfied final chase scene, much better) stars a terrific young Jodie Foster and a wonderful Barbara Harris. The update is dreadful, with Jamie Lee Curtis battling a lame script and Lindsay Lohan mugging as Annabel. See the Jodie Foster one if you must - but perhaps even better, check out Vince Vaughn in Freaky, a neat twist on the genre with a teenage girl switching bodies with a serial killer - great fun. BUT...this book is by far the best of all, a perfect showcase for Rodgers' writing. I am looking forward to next reading the sequel, A Billion for Boris. The third book, Summer Switch, where Annabel's brother Ape Face switches bodies with his dad, is OK if predictable. AVOID Freaky Monday, presumably "written" by Mary Rodgers "with Heather Hacks" but displaying none of the humor or wit in the original. At 145 pages, this book is easily read in a day, and a fun flashback to my teens....more
I really enjoyed Red White and Royal Blue, and One Last Stop by this author. I had high hopes for this one! Midway I almost gave up...the book seemed I really enjoyed Red White and Royal Blue, and One Last Stop by this author. I had high hopes for this one! Midway I almost gave up...the book seemed to drag on and on. Chloe and especially Shara were so annoying, and the notes Shara left behind were grating on my nerves. Not enough of the fun characters like Ash, Georgia and Benjy, who disappeared for pages on end. I liked Smith and Rory, though.
But I stuck with it and the last section was fun, with all the characters uniting and everything ending well. Terrific finish with nice (if perhaps somewhat unbelievable) happy resolutions for all the kids. Overall, interesting enough to keep me going if not as memorable as the previous two books. Perhaps I'm not exactly the right market for this book? (BTW - one thing that kept annoying me - every theater queen knows that Broadway shows have cast recordings - NOT soundtracks!!!!!)...more
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