Book Review: Great Stories of Suspense

Great Stories of Suspense
Great Stories of Suspense by Ross Macdonald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I only read three of the stories out of this book. One by Agatha Christie, a Miss Marple story I had read before, “What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw”. It’s longer than I remembered, and I think I liked the TV version better. I do love that very iconic scene of the old lady witnessing a murder through the windows of a train into another passing train car.

I read one by Dashiell Hammett, “Fly Paper”, that was the very “shoot ’em up, Joe” type of stuff I have come to expect from the author of The Thin Man. Nobody writes about private detectives like this author! His style is very clipped and to the point, which is perfect for a short story.

Then I read “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl, which was extremely short, rather obvious, but written in his inimitable style. I love how he never actually comes out and says what is happening in the story, but leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions. He really is a master at telling a whole story with half an actual story.

All in all, a great collection of stories!

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October REading

Minion Book Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2vjeGKMv-U
Frankenstein Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JUxl5411AM
Curious Incident of Dog in Nighttime REview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV0qM8z2aHw
Novels and Nonsense: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfP0El1vakyfkkXbyJwy0Q
Brunette Bibliophile: https://www.youtube.com/user/Just4Teens2012/featured

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Book Review: Frankenstein

Frankenstein
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is nothing like any of the movies, and very different from what I expected it to be. The parts that are usually the iconic moments – the “alive!” birth of the monster, the final fatal confrontation of the creator and his monster, etc… – these were brushed over in two sentences, and other scenes were described in detail, drawn out, and dwelt on. I liked the direction the story took!

I loved the over-the-top gothic drama; it was actually so ornate and dramatic that it became funny at times! The style reminded me of Ann Radcliffe’s gothic romance mysteries. Continue reading

Book Review: The Joys of Love

The Joys of Love
The Joys of Love by Madeleine L’Engle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

During the summer of 1946, twenty-year-old Elizabeth is doing what she has dreamed of since she was a little girl: working in the theatre company on the sea where she is an apprentice actress. She’s never felt so alive. And soon she finds another passion: Kurt Canitz, the dashing young director of the company. Then Elizabeth’s perfect summer is profoundly shaken when Kurt turns out not to be the kind of man she thought he was.

Moving and romantic, this coming-of-age story was written during the 1940s. As revealed in an introduction by the author’s granddaughter Léna Roy, the protagonist Elizabeth is close to an autobiographical portrait of L’Engle herself as a young woman—“vibrant, vulnerable, and yearning for love and all that life has to offer.”  -GoodReads

 

I enjoyed reading this book! L’Engle has such a unique writing style; she can take a side-character with a toothache, and make their toothache be a philosophical commentary on the fantasy vs. reality of emotional entanglements, weaving it so perfectly into the storyline that you barely realize she’s doing it. As always, brilliant writing! Continue reading

Book Review: The Wise Man’s Fear

The Wise Man's Fear
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”

So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view- a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man’s Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time. – GoodReads

There are no words to describe my experience with this book. There were parts that I hated, but there were far many more parts that I fell in love with! The writing is so brilliant that I forgot that it was writing. The story is so engrossing that I forgot it was only a story. The characters are so near to my heart that I forgot they are just characters. It became real for me, and that is probably why I hated and loved it and was fascinated with every page. Every word in each sentence spoke to me in some way, whether good or bad, pleasant or upsetting. Continue reading

Book Review: Las memorias de Sherlock Holmes

Las memorias de Sherlock Holmes
Las memorias de Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Of course I love, love and adore, any story with Sherlock Holmes, but this translation is not the best. First of all, it uses some archaic words, weird sentence structure, and it also has typos and misspellings. It was a little difficult to read at times, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
It’s so sad rereading “The Final Problem” (“El Problema Final”), and it’s just as pathetic and distressing a story in any language.
I adore this book, and will be rereading it many times in the future, in English and in Spanish!
—-
Por supuesto que me encanta, con mucho amor y adoracion, cualquier historia con Sherlock Holmes, pero esta traducción no es el mejor. En primer lugar, utiliza algunas palabras arcaicas, estructura de la oración raro, y también tiene erratas y faltas de ortografía. Fue un poco difícil de leer a veces, pero lo disfruté, de todos modos.
Es tan triste releyendo “El problema final”, y es igual de patético y angustiante una historia en cualquier idioma.
Adoro este libro, y estaré releyendo muchas veces en el futuro, en Inglés y en Español!

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Five Favorite Wizards

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Liana’s Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/user/lianasreviewss

Books for MKs is a charity organization that donates books to missionary kids on the foreign mission field all over the world.
Donate now at http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks to help these children get reading material!

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Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Sorry if I stomped all over your favorite book, or disrespected your OTP… but these are my unpopular opinions. Sorry, not sorry!
Hannah Reads: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWhitehammy
The Book Archer: https://www.youtube.com/user/thebookarcher

Continue reading

Fictional Boyfriends Tag: Classics Edition

Who is YOUR favorite fictional boyfriend/girlfriend? Tell me in the comments!
Rachel Reads (Ray Kay Books)- https://www.youtube.com/user/RayKayBooks

Books for MKs is a charity organization that donates books to missionary kids on the foreign mission field all over the world.

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