fiction
Book Review: House of Many Ways
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this book so much!! In this last book of the Howl’s Moving Castle trilogy, Charmain is a girl who has been sheltered all her life, but when she goes house-sitting for her great-uncle, her life is turned upside down! A wizard’s house mostly runs on magic, and since this particular house has hidden corridors, and magic entryways, and dozens of time-slipped and spacially displaced rooms, Charmain gets lost and finds herself through her many adventures.
I loved every character so much, and of course, I was especially pleased to see Sophie and Howl again! The plot is wonderful and surprising and full of unexpected wildness. I just never know what mystical or ordinary thing is going to happen. Continue reading
GoodReads Guru: Episode 2
If you want me to recommend books to you in the next episode of Goodreads Guru, just leave a comment with a link to your goodreads profile!
Goodreads Guru Episode 1: https://youtu.be/ph7eliv1pUY
Book Review: The Celestial Globe
The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this second book in the trilogy better than the first! In the first book, there was a lot of explanations and random minor characters, but in this book we have a more solid story and better pacing, I think.
Petra is on the run again from the evil Prince of Bohemia, and her friends, Neel and Tomik, are swept into her adventures. The mysterious spy/ambassador John Dee is back, and he tries to train Petra to use her magic, but she is an unruly student.
My favorite character by far is Astrophil, the metal spider with an encyclopedic brain. He’s so wise and intelligent and loyal! I just love his snappy dialogue. Continue reading
Book Review: A Stranger at Green Knowe
A Stranger at Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In this story, a gorilla escapes from the zoo and hides in the thicket behind Green Knowe, where Ping befriends and hides him.
This is not my favorite of the Green Knowe books, because I’m very “meh” about monkey stories, especially when monkeys are constantly being compared to men. Monkeys, gorillas, or any other primate are NOT like men. Seriously? They are animals. They work on instinct. That’s pretty much it. Are they interesting and majestic? Yes, sure! But it gets so annoying after the first 100 pages to constantly hear how the gorilla’s expression was just SO human. bleh.
But of course, I adore the old house of Green Knowe, and the delightful grandmother Mrs. Oldknow, and the enigmatic Ping! Continue reading
Book Review: The Stones of Green Knowe
The Stones of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There is nothing like Boston’s writing! She can take a simple story, and make it full of action and meaning. She can introduce a single character, and immediately you are completely invested in this person’s world.
In this book, the magical stories of Green Knowe are told from the perspective of Roger d’Oldknow, whose father is building the new manor house of Green Knowe in the times of the Normans and Saxons. Roger is worried that the house he loves won’t last or stand the test of time, but when he is whisked into the future, he sees the house in all its beauty and his descendants living there in peace. Continue reading
Recent Reads: Writing, Fantasy, Children’s
Recent Reads: Fantasy, Children’s, Graphic Novels
MK Books Unboxing
I just mailed out all these books to various Missionary Kids!
Book Review: Castle in the Air
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I adore this book! The first book in this trilogy was fantastic and I had high expectations for this one too, and I was not disappointed. I love the old-fashioned fairytale style!
At first, I was wondering, “Where are Sophie and Howl? I want Sophie and Howl.” but they came into the story just perfectly later on, and I was so pleased.
This book follows the magical adventures of Abdullah, who is a carpet merchant. When he buys a magic carpet and falls in love with the Sultan’s daughter, you think you’re in for an Aladdin retelling, but the story is so much more than that. Abdullah travels north to Ingary, where the first book was set, and meets a magical cat, an irate genie, power-hungry djinns, an old soldier who is not who he seems to be, wizards, witches, and an alarming amount of princesses. Continue reading
Luminous Libro 