Month: July 2022

Classic Book Review: Lady Susan

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Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Lady Susan
by Jane Austen

4 out of 5 stars

Lady Susan is charming and vivacious. Lady Susan lies to everyone. Lady Susan flirts with anything in pants! Lady Susan tries to persuade her daughter, Frederica, to marry. Frederica doesn’t like the gentlemen, so Lady Susan manipulates and schemes. Lady Susan is greedy and immoral, but… she is not boring.

The epistolary style is my favorite thing about this little book. It was so fun to see from all the different perspectives of the characters. They all have a strong opinion of Lady Susan, and they aren’t afraid to express it in their letters! Lady Susan’s letters to her friend, Alicia, are so full of malice and deceit. Ooh, it’s thrilling!

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Picture Book Review: Nour’s Secret Library

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Nour's Secret Library by Wafa' Tarnowska

Nour’s Secret Library
by Wafa’ Tarnowska, Vali Mintzi (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Nour and her cousin Amir must hide in the basement with their family while the Syrian civil war rages through their beloved city of Damascus. In the rubble of abandoned buildings, Amir finds books that he brings home. Amir and Nour collect so many books that they open their own secret library for the civilians of the city to enjoy. Their neighbors begin to rescue books from the war-torn streets as well, and soon they have a flourishing library. In the middle of destruction, they create something beautiful!

This was such touching and emotional story! I loved the way the story puts you right into Nour’s shoes, showing her love for her family and her love for books. You really get a sense of the terror and uncertainty of living in the middle of a war. But there is also hope and light!

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Book Reviews: Museum Kittens The Sleepover Mystery and The Treasure Map

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The Sleepover Mystery by Holly Webb

The Sleepover Mystery (Museum Kittens)
by Holly Webb,Sarah Lodge (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

In this third book of the series, Bianca befriends a group of schoolchildren who are at the museum for a sleepover. She loves all the attention she gets for her beautiful white fur! But the rats are scampering around the museum at night, frightening the children. When Bianca disappears, the other kittens look everywhere for her and finally confront the rats. Maybe the rats kidnapped Bianca? Or maybe Bianca wants to run away with the schoolchildren?

The Treasure Map by Holly Webb

The Treasure Map (Museum Kittens)
by Holly Webb

4 out of 5 stars

Boris leads the kittens in exploring an old pirate ship in the museum. They overhear the mischievous rats talking about a treasure map, and begin to follow the rats in order to claim the treasure for the museum. I really enjoyed the puzzle aspect of this fourth book in the series! As the kittens follow the clues, they really have to think carefully to figure out where the treasure might be hidden.

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Classic Book Review: Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice with Related Readings by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice with Related Readings
by Jane Austen

5 out of 5 stars

Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters are eager to make the acquaintance of their new neighbors, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. They meet and dance together at various country balls and events. However, Elizabeth is frequently embarrassed by her mother’s vulgar manners and her little sisters flirtations with army officers. Elizabeth must navigate the social criticism of her sisters’ romances, while fending off a few proposals of her own.

I just love the witty dialogue between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. There is so much sparkling dialogue in the whole book, and it is a delight to read. The entire writing style is so polished and easy to read! The plot flows along so naturally and with so much energy that you barely notice all the little genius sub-plots that are happening.

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Book Review: Dragon and Slave

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Dragon and Slave by Timothy Zahn

Dragon and Slave (Dragonback, #3)
by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Jack and his friend/symbiont Draycos are looking for information about who attacked Draycos’ people. They try to infiltrate a mercenary compound by posing as slaves, certain that they will be able to escape later. However, things take a nasty turn when Jack becomes a slave for real, and is sent to work in the fields with the other slaves.

The plot is full of non-stop action, and I was very interested in the world-building of the planet Brum-a-dum. Jack and Draycos meet so many different types of aliens, and they are all really imaginative and memorable! I love the writing style, the characters, the plot twists, and everything!

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