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Book Review: The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye

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The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye
The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye by Nancy Springer

My rating: 0 of 5 stars

A perfect conclusion to this wonderful series! Enola is once again on the case, this time tracking down the missing Duquessa, while avoiding her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft. All those mysteries that have been niggling at me for the entire series are finally resolved. Why did Enola’s mother run away with gypsies? How will Enola repair her relationship with her brothers without losing her freedom?

I was very glad to see more of Sherlock in this book, especially since the dialogue between him and Enola is priceless!
Enola is spunky and serious-minded and brave. She’s so resourceful and imaginative! I just love her character. She has a no-nonsense attitude, a kind compassionate heart, and an extra helping of independent spirit. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Dark Portal

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The Dark Portal
The Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had to DNF this one. It’s boring, and the plot is trite, and the pacing is weird. I didn’t care about any of the characters, so after I stuck with it through 100 pages, I called it quits.

The writing is really condescending, and points out the obvious over and over. Continue reading →

Book Review: Far from the Madding Crowd

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Far from the Madding Crowd
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This classic tells the story of Bathsheba Everdene, a young farm owner, and the three men who are in love with her. She has to make some difficult choices, some of which bring tragedy to her life, but ultimately she finds true love.

As with most classics, there is a lot of setup in the first chapters, but once the story gets going, it really moves along! Towards the middle and end, I was gasping and crying and laughing my head off. It’s definitely a wild story at times, and so brilliantly written.

Hardy has a reputation for writing depressing stuff, and there were some terrible depressing scenes that had me crying and horrified. But the ending is happy, so I was buoyed up again. Continue reading →

Audiobooks vs. Visual Books

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Are audiobooks “real reading”? Is listening to a book just as valid as visually reading a book? Leave a comment, and tell me what you think!

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Book Review: Floors

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Floors
Floors by Patrick Carman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the story of Leo, who lives in a hotel that resembles an amusement park more than a hotel. There are secret rooms, secret elevators, and secret trains running through the in-between hidden floors of the hotel. When the owner of the hotel, Mr. Whippet, goes missing, he leaves clues for Leo to follow throughout the hotel, discovering its secrets, and saving the hotel from being torn down. But he insists that Leo take a friend with him for safety, so Leo brings the new bellboy, Remi, along for his adventures. Leo also has to bring one of the ducks from the hotel’s pond along with him as he explores the hotel, and Betty the Duck proves more useful than he expected! Continue reading →

Book Review: Basil

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Basil
Basil by Wilkie Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do adore Wilkie Collins’ writing, but this sad Gothic tale was seriously depressing from start to finish. In this story, the main character Basil sees a young woman in the street, and instantly falls in love with her. He meets her briefly, and learns that her name is Margaret. Later he approaches her father, and the two are married within a couple of weeks with the proviso that Margaret remain living with her family until her 18th birthday. So Basil is married in name only and can only visit Margaret with her mother as a chaperone. During this time, Basil meets Mr. Mannion, a family friend of his in-laws, but the man is so strange and mysterious that Basil can’t decide if Mannion is friend or foe.

There’s horror and betrayal and violence, insanity and disease and death; Gothic literature at its finest! Continue reading →

Book Review: Shades of Grey

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Shades of Grey
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gah! The Ending! What?!? My brain can’t stand it, and my heart is limping along all hurt and crushed and stuff. Dis book!

Okay, let me start from the top. This is the story of a dystopian future world where most people can only see one color or some not any color at all. The Greys are looked down on and oppressed by the Colorgentsia, and everyone’s place in society is determined by the percentage of color they can see.
There’s definitely a “1984-Big-Brother” vibe going on with the government controlling every aspect of the citizen’s lives.
In the middle of it all is Eddie, a high-color Red with a bright future, until he meets and instantly falls in love with a Grey named Jane. Jane is involved with some very deep revolutionary stuff, and Eddie gets dragged into it all, somewhat against his will, but mostly because he’s too good-hearted, kind, and morally upright to cheat and play the system like everyone else does. Continue reading →

Book Review: DragonSpell

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DragonSpell
DragonSpell by Donita K. Paul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book so much! The magic and dragons and quests are just perfect, but the best parts are the spiritual themes and wisdom that run through the book. There is such a depth and beauty to the writing, and I was so pleased with the echoes of Christianity!

Kale is a young slave-girl who is mysteriously drawn to dragon’s eggs. She is sent on a quest to retrieve a valuable egg from an evil wizard, but her mission is not as straight-forward as it seems. Although she has help along the way, Kale is sometimes unsure whether she can trust her new friends, and tensions run high as the group learns to rely on one another in sticky situations. Continue reading →

Book Review: Fell Farm Campers

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Fell Farm Campers
Fell Farm Campers by Marjorie Lloyd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this classic little story about four siblings who go camping in the fells (mountains).

Pat and Jan are the two brothers, and I liked how they can be tough, rough and tumble, but also very protective and gentle with their sisters, Hyacinth and Kay. The siblings make a great team, and they go hiking all over the mountains, making camp near a farmhouse, where the farmer and his wife give them their meals. Continue reading →