"The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes" by Soman Chainani Book Review

A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the epic sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel, The School for Good and Evil, Sophie and Agatha are home, living out their Ever After. But life isn’t quite the fairy tale they expected.

When Agatha secretly wishes she’d chosen a different happy ending, she reopens the gates to the School for Good and Evil. But the world she and Sophie once knew has changed.

Witches and princesses, warlocks and princes are no longer enemies. New bonds are forming; old bonds are being shattered. But underneath this uneasy arrangement, a war is brewing and a dangerous enemy rises. As Agatha and Sophie battle to restore peace, an unexpected threat could destroy everything, and everyone, they love—and this time, it comes from within.

Soman Chainani has created a spectacular world that Newbery Medal-winning author Ann M. Martin calls, “a fairy tale like no other, complete with romance, magic, and humor that will keep you turning pages until the end.”

Since this is the second book, there shouldn't be a need to tell you there will be spoilers for the first book. My review for the first book, "The School for Good and Evil" can be found here.

This was an excellent sequel! I find the second book/movie in a trilogy is usually the weakest point in the series because it's the second book: there isn't any of the excitement of the introduction to a new world, you usually aren't introduced to anyone that matters too much to the overall story line, and by the end things haven't been completely resolved and tied up in a nice bow. It's the book you read so you can kind of figure out what might happen in the third volume.

This book is a bit different.

In this one, we are introduced to a new world, or rather the one we saw in the first book has been changed. Basically, everyone becomes a sexist jerk and/or confused about their sexuality (I'm looking at you, Tedros.) The Evers and Nevers kind of swap places. For example, the Nevergirls cover themselves in makeup, while the Evergirls cut off their hair and stop bathing. I liked that the characters were trying to find their individuality while also following the course of a fairy tale. Just like middle school, which is the age group these books are aimed towards. It was funny to read how the girls are just like, "I'm eating whatever I want now" and they are learning how to defend themselves, so yah equality! And then the boys.... I knew that boys can get pretty close and develop similar emotional relationships just like girls do. But apparently they practice sword fighting shirtless, which makes no sense since they are so vain about their appearance, wouldn't they cover up so they would be less likely to get scars? (I'm looking at you, Tedros.) Also, some characters go to some lengths to change their gender mostly just to stay alive in this new world order. (I'm looking at you... Everyone?!)

There is one major edition to the characters, who messes up the status quo for the dumbest reason ever. She's known as Evelyn Sader, but of course, you'll remember her as that eaves-dropping bitch who has an annoying gap in her teeth and an affinity for butterflies...for their super sonic hearing ability? Not the first thing I associate with a butterfly, but to each their own.

As with the first book, there are some pretty hilarious moments, like when they gift the returning heroes (or should I say 'heroines') with a carpet made from actual prince hair. And also has the darker elements that define this series, again, the rug made from shorn prince hair. I don't mean to say that the princes were scalped when they made the rugs, though that is pretty disturbing.

I read in other reviews how some people were disappointed in Agatha. In the first book, she was witty, questioned authority, stood her ground, and was very intelligent. But in this book, that went right out the window. But I think that was from her not having a firm stance on things. Like in the first book she knew what she wanted: to go home safely in the company of her only friend. In this book, she doesn't know what she wants. Sophie or Tedros. It's a hard decision, to choose between a boyfriend/prince and a best friend. Who do you spend more time with? If you start living with the boyfriend, the decision makes itself. But it is very hard on the other person involved.

I felt so bad for Tedros. He needs whatever therapy they give out in fairy tale land. He suffers so much, especially in the latter half of the book. He's already separation anxiety with the people he just chooses to care about. Although who can blame him: mother left him and his dad when he was little, his father died a broken man, his princess ran off with her best friend who is also their nemesis, and everyone only likes him when he is at the top of his game sorta speak (he's rich, handsome, famous family). Otherwise, he faces horrible mistreatment for the very same reasons. Poor Tedros, he's got issues.

I still feel for Sophie. Even after this ending, I still understand why she does the things that she does. She pursues her goal of being Good again, even though in this world it's too late for her. She's like, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" in every decision she makes. I am very curious about her lineage as well. What is with her family? Was she always doomed from the moment she was born?

There are so many questions and I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

I just wanted to add, I especially loved the part where Tristan belly dances!

View all my reviews

5 out of 5 shorn heads.

My review for the third book is coming soon!

"Harriet Beecher Stowe" Book Review

Harriet Beecher Stowe by Suzanne M. Coil
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The engrossing story of the imaginative and extraordinarily intelligent author of the American classic Uncle Tom's Cabin and more than 30 other books.

No one's body of work represents the phrase, "The pen is mightier than the sword" more than Harriet Beecher Stowe. When she met President Lincoln in 1862, he allegedly said to her, "So you're the little lady who wrote the book that made this great war."

Ms. Stowe is a fascinating person and has an even more interesting family that I did not know had been famous in her time. It's odd to read about her almost puritanical life and realize that she existed at the same time as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron. In fact, she loved Lord Byron, but she hadn't yet started writing before he died.

I had read Uncle Tom's Cabin a few years ago while in college. It was a great book and I'm glad to have finally read about the author. I hadn't realized she was so prolific and that she had written other books and many articles.

She was a pretty strong person in her family as well. She wasn't always the bread winner, or at least not until her book sold. But she held the family together and was the smarter than her husband at times.

It sort of annoyed me that people slandered her after she described Lord Byron as the loathsome creature he was. She had become friends with his widow, and when her friend died some people said foul things about her, so in retaliation and also to spread the truth around, she wrote articles describing the kinds of things he had done or that it wasn't her friends he acted that way. Last year, I had read a short biography about Byron and he is a terrible person and I would go so far as to say that he was probably a sociopath. But enough about that....

While this is a short biography, about 200 pages long or so, I would say that it was just long enough to maintain my interest, but any longer and it would have been fairly boring. It was written with a young audience in mind. It has a pretty decent selection of pictures of the author and her family. While I wouldn't read more about her, I would certainly read more of her work. I would also read about her siblings, especially Henry Ward Beecher, a preacher who stood for equal rights for woman and the abolishment of slavery.

View all my reviews

4 out of 5 Beecher preachers.

"Fearless" by Cornelia Funke Book Review

Fearless by Cornelia Funke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Jacob Reckless returns once again to the Mirrorworld--filled with profound characters, extraordinary creatures, and epic life-or-death treasure hunts that could only come from the mind of the master storyteller of our generation, Cornelia Funke.

"Jacob Reckless has only a few months left to live. He's tried everything to shake the Fairy curse that traded his life for his brother's--legends such as the All-Healing Apple, the Well of Eternal Youth, the blood of a northern Djinn. And yet hope after hope is extinguished. After months of fruitless searching, Jacob journeys through his father's mirror one final time to deliver the bad news to Fox.

"But there they hear of one last possibility--an item so legendary that not even Mirrorworlders believe it exists: a crossbow that can kill thousands, or heal one, when shot through the heart. But a Goyl treasure hunter is also searching for the prized crossbow. Jacob must find it first--and somehow convince Fox to do whatever it takes to save him."

I just finished this one and I cannot wait until the next book! According to this site there will be three more! They need to get the translation going pronto!

I read the first of the series, "Reckless", a long time ago and I remember kinda being meh about it, but I gave it four stars, so maybe I couldn't decide what I thought of it at the time? I will have to reread it now. At the end of the first book, I wasn't sure if there would be more, although leaving the main character facing almost certain death is quite a cliff hanger. (I should not have to put *spoiler* here; Jacob trying to save his own life is the main plot of this book. Also, 'almost certain' is the only oxymoron I ever use. I'm pretty sure that's the only one I use. Maybe...Ironic, since I hate it when people say 'whole entire', like 'My whole entire life has led to this.' It's like, wait, just using one of those words wasn't good enough for you?)

But anyway, I feel this book was so much better than the first. I'm glad there is more to read. I am a huge fan of Cornelia Funke and her "Inkheart" trilogy which I totally recommend if you're even considering giving this a look. It's fantastic!

I read in some reviews (not on Goodreads) that some people found the writing beautiful and elegant on some pages and clunky on others and it did feel that way at times, but I would attribute that to maybe some stuff being lost in the translation from the original German to English.

One thing that really bugs me has nothing to do with the author, unless Funke said to her American editors, "Can you make the hardcover editions not match? That would be great." They look nothing alike and the book collector in me is loosing her shit over that.

I'm not sure what the next book will be about, but I can't wait to see the Alderelves (that's an actual spoiler....or is it?) although it's open to interpretation whether they still exist or not. Maybe the Red Fairy will continue to be angry? That seems more like her problem now though.


View all my reviews

5 out of 5 northern Djinns.

"The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History" Book Review

The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History by Linwood Custalow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History incorporates the sacred oral history of the Mattaponi that has been passed down to Lin "Little Bear" since his childhood, by his father, the late Mattaponi Chief Webster "Little Eagle" Custalow; his uncle, the late Mattaponi Chief O. T. Custalow; and grandfather, the late Mattaponi Chief George F. Custalow; and those that came before. The Mattaponi Indian Tribe, along with the Pamunkey Tribe, was one of the original core tribes of the Powhatan Chiefdom, which the English colonists encountered in the 17th century while establishing Jamestown. For nearly 400 years people have heard the Euro-American rendition and interpretation of events that transpired between the English colonists and the Powhatan Indians. The True Story of Pocahontas is the first public publication of the Powhatan perspective that has been maintained and passed down from generation to generation within the Mattaponi Tribe, and the first written history of Pocahontas by her own people.

This is a written account of the true story of Pocahontas, as told by her people in the oral history of the Mattaponi tribe. The Powhatan, of whom Pocahontas was a celebrated member and whose father was the main chief, are no longer the tribe they once were, but her descendants live on with the Mattaponi tribe.

There is a saying, that history is written by the winners, and for the most part that has been true. I don't think I have heard of another account like this from anywhere else. It is usually only through the persistence of historians that we look back at cultures and people who were destroyed, either by time and/or invaders, and realize they weren't barbarians who were doomed to die off.

I'm a bit shocked by how different the actual happenings of history and what has been passed down in popular culture. In a way I didn't want to think that she had been abused and forced to do things that 'history' credits her with doing out of love, like marrying that English commoner when she was already married and had a child. I also can't believe she died so young. Portraits painted of her make it look as though she had been in England for a lot longer than she actually was.

I really enjoyed learning about the history and customs of the Powhatan and how their hierarchy worked. The repetitive nature of the story didn't bother me too much. In my mind it was like those old Greek tales sans poetry, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" where they had to repeat everything for the benefit of the listener.

I'm glad I read it. Though general consensus is that John Smith was a lying jerk that not too many people liked, his version is the one most likely to be remembered, so I'm glad they decided to print out what they knew about the events.

View all my reviews

4 out of 5 werowances.

"Ragtime" by E. L. Doctorow Book Review

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ragtime is set in America at the beginning of the 20th century. Its characters: three remarkable families whose lives become entwined with people whose names are Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emilio Zapata.

It is a novel so original, so full of imagination and subtle pleasure, that to describe it further would only dilute the pure joy of reading. Turn to the first page. Begin. You will never have read anything like Ragtime before. Nothing quite like it has ever been written before.

This was a fantastic book! I recommend anyone in high school or older to read it. I had heard about this book because of a somewhat famous musical that is based on it, though I haven't seen it or heard any of its music so I couldn't tell you if they are at all alike. The musical did win a Tony though. Onto the book...

It's written so differently than what I am used to reading that it blew my mind! I actually kind of liked how the dialogue was written, without quotations, so it was like you could decide on your own whether the character said something or not. Realistically, they had to have said some or most of it, but they didn't have to say everything, the story could continue the way it was going regardless of whether one character said something or not. So some of it could be sitting there for just the reader to know about it, but the other characters may or may not have known anything more than what was told to them.

It was interesting that the author used one family whose members don't have names, or at least not important ones, to tell the history of the country's most famous people who shaped an era in everything; in media, beauty and style there was Evelyn Nesbit (who is the only person whom I was familiar with), in business there was J. P. Morgan and Henry Ford, in psychology there was Sigmund Freud (I loved the bit where the author says he took his vengeance on America by ruining sex for everyone which is so true), in entertainment there was Harry Houdini (who is a fascinating person and I am going to hunt down a good biography of him and learn me some), and in politics there was Emma Goldman (who I didn't know existed before I got this book so one day I will learn about her as well). I'm really glad the family members didn't have names because sometimes I have trouble remembering characters who only appear every so often. I can remember 'Younger Brother', but I can't always remember who the hell 'Tom' (as an example) is supposed to be.

The most fascinating characters were the ones the author made up: Coalhouse Walker and Susan, Tateh and his daughter. Their growth over the course of the story is exactly the opposite of each other and I can't help but think that the author was trying to make a statement using them but I am too dumb to grasp it and put it into words. It is interesting that the author was able to use the gaps in time for all the really famous people and string them all together like he did.

A short and fast portrait of America's most famous people. Highly enjoyable and recommended.

View all my reviews

Five out of five Model Ts.

"The Cuckoo's Calling" Book Review

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: his sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

I'm gonna be honest and say that I only got this book because it was written by Harry Potter author, J. K. Rowling. I can understand why she put it out there under a pseudonym, but her agent was probably pulling his or her hair out.

I found this book much more enjoyable than "The Casual Vacancy", Rowling's other adult book. The main characters, Cormoran Strike and Robin, were very interesting and likable. Strike reminded me of the main character on the original C. S. I. (television show): he was smart, he doesn't let his feelings get the best of him, he finds things other people don't see, and he's funny. I read other British detectives recently, and over the years, that were disappointing knock-offs of Sherlock Holmes. I never once while reading this book compared him to Holmes, and the only reason I would is because they're damn good detectives and entertaining. Also, in my mind, he was played by a slightly fatter version of Russell Crowe (I know he's Australian, but he's also hot).

The middle did drag quite a bit though. It seemed as if all I did was read about his eating and sleeping habits while mourning the end of his relationship to a hot, crazy person. I would rather have focused on the murder. I admit that I snuck a look at other reviews, hoping that I could figure out the ending so that I knew there was a point. But the beginning and ending were great. It really picked up some speed at the end.

I noticed in some reviews complaints about the use of 'big words' and I can understand both sides of that argument. I came across the word 'despoliation' which I have never seen before in my life. After looking it up (verb: steal or violently remove valuable or attractive possessions from; plunder) I also used the thesaurus and found 'plundering, pillaging, looting, ransacking, ravishing, sacking; ravaging, devastation, ruination, vandalism' and all of those could have worked in that particular sentence, so that was showing off a bit. Now, looking at it from the other side, the writer's side, when you're writing you don't want to repeat words because that can get annoying for both author and reader, so you substitute other words. Sometimes this leads into using words people don't usually read. So it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Oh well, nothing wrong with learning a new word.

Overall, I enjoyed it but I'm not sure if I will read more of Mr. Strike.

View all my reviews

Four out of five Strikes.

Comic of the Week: No Pain, No Gain!!!

Copyright 2014 by Kara Muller.

Poor Ukraine: It's Time For A New Revolution!

Copyright 2014 by Kara Muller.

Nick Pitera Music Note Illustration and "Heart Medley" Live!!!

I made another illustration of my new favorite artist, Nick Pitera! You should check him out because of his singing awesomeness! This one has been sitting on my mind for a while now, so I'm glad I finally got it out now! It's fun and playful! Check it out:

Copyright 2014 by Kara Muller.

This is based on one of my favorite performances of his, hence the suit and color scheme. He kills it here, too! Turn up the volume and check it out:

"Polly's Secret" Book Review

Polly's Secret by Harriet A. Nash
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Polly Jane Brooks is the youngest daughter of a landlord who owns a hotel in a little town. Polly dreams of bigger things in her life besides work. In particular, she doesn't like to miss the ball happening tonight, with her specially made silk dress and dance slippers sitting away in her room while she toils with her sister in the kitchen, making food for the guests. A sick and elderly traveler arrives at the hotel. Polly is ordered to bring him some gruel and it is there that she makes a solemn promise to keep the deeds to his house and property safe from greedy relatives until his son, William Train, should arrive back from India and claim them.

Since no one else has read this (I had to manually add the book), I feel obligated to provide an honest review. Here I go.

This is a growing-up tale about a young girl in a small town in Massachusetts. The ending is as happy as you would expect. The women get married and they all get rich, and the bad guys are shamed though not outright punished because that would be a bad trait to develop in a young woman.

It's cute and quaint in its way. It has a nice charm to it and it has all of the ideals from when it was written. It has aged considerably. The book does a good job of looking like it's neutral but it doesn't quite spare anyone. There is some anti-feminist and a few racist remarks that are subtle because this book strives to be a book written for young girls. I didn't mind that too much, but it did rankle my pc sensibilities a bit. There was one word that I didn't expect to see but wasn't surprised to see considering when it was written. To give a hint: It was published during the 1920's when the Ku Klux Klan was at its peak in membership and "Birth of a Nation" was a huge movie for its time. I'm sure you know what word I'm referring to now, but I will not state it here.

There's a scene where basically everyone pulls their daughters from the only school in town. Polly seems perturbed by this but is quickly quieted by the local old spinsters down the block. Although other women lament not being able to understand their husbands at times. And pretty much everyone gets married to the one they are "most suited" for even if it seems to be kind of against their will. But that's to be expected.

They didn't treat the older sister as well as the younger. She marries the richer husband, for most of the book anyway, but they keep saying how plain she is, how matronly, how dull, how dumb. Especially next to Polly, who is beautiful and smart and fun. But Deborah's work ethic is much better; all the more ironic that she gets a rich husband and doesn't have to do anything but have kids. She must be bored out of her mind.

The book's very into the idea of honest men doing honest work on the farm rather than becoming lawyers and doctors. The most intelligent person in the town is the schoolteacher and he's kind of nasty but makes a few good points. But he is chastised into retirement onto his farm and the only other teacher is a nonentity.

It was a cute, like I said. It has aged a bit, but its romanticism of the old way of life won't be lost on a few people. As far as I can tell, the author got the accent down right, but I'm not sure if all the poor people speak like that. The few illustrations it has are beautiful. Not sure if I should marker that word out or not. It does bother me that some young person will read it and wonder what the hell it is doing in this book.

View all my reviews

I give you 3.5 out of 5 yonder stars.

"Cruel Beauty" by Rosamund Hodge Book Review

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Graceling" meets "Beauty and the Beast" in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", "Cruel Beauty" is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

There are so many things to say about this book. I don't know where to start. My head is a little light with the pleasure of having read this wonderful book. I loved it. It was everything to me for about a day and a half. It was beautiful and fun and majestic.

It's an odd retelling of the classic tale Beauty and the Beast. It also had the ancient legends of the Greek gods to borrow from and a little bit of the horrific story of Bluebeard. I loved that there were keys in this story and that they always seemed to cause a sexy moment.

This is definitely going to be a case of book-hangover for me. Damn you, Hodge! May your next book be as awesome and wonderful as this one! And for the gods sake, don't ask the Kindly Ones for help!!!

It's funny, I know about the Kindly Ones via Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" graphic novels, and they're just as horrible in there. I still have no idea why they have anything to do with the Greek gods. I guess I need to brush up on my ancient stories. I want a sparrow god. That's adorable. And it was so kind, too.

Oh my god, Ignifex/Shade! Ugh, I would like a man that is anything like either of those! Snarky, humorous, gorgeous, blue-eyed, red-eyed, can fly, bargains well - I would never get cheated by an old car salesman ever again! Also, the fact that he more or less fights demons makes him sound so incredibly sexy to me!

Nyx was pretty awesome. Strong but very bitter and that made her so much more real than most heroes. I would compare her to Katniss Everdeen, but less action and more sensual. This is not necessarily a book for very young, young adult readers.

I guess you could say that the ending is bittersweet, but I'm having trouble digesting all that it means. Maybe there's a sequel in the works? I'm not sure if that would ruin it for me or not. I definitely want more.

I have to link to the review that caused me to buy this wonderful book - it was written by Emily May, otherwise known as the Book Geek and you can find it here - A great review, I wish I could write half as well.

View all my reviews

5 out of 5 roses.

"Wolf Rider" by Avi Book Review

Wolf Rider by Avi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On an ordinary evening, just as he's about to leave for a party, 15-year-old Andy Zadinski receives a phone call from a stranger that changes his life. The caller, Zeke, confesses to the murder of a young woman named Nina Klemmer. Andy immediately calls the police, who shrug it off as a gag or a crank call. But Andy persists when he happens to meet Nina, who is just as Zeke described her. She takes his warnings as harassment, however, and everyone now thinks that Andy himself made up the call. His attempts to ferret out Zeke and protect Nina, while compromising his own safety, make for an exciting tale of the terror lurking beneath everyday surroundings and behind ordinary events.

I'm not sure what to think of this book. I know it was meant for a younger audience, so I feel I must give it some leeway.

I'm not convinced that most of what happened wasn't just coming out of Andy's own mind. (view spoiler)[ For one thing, the man who is apparently a vicious murderer, doesn't actually commit any murders. At least, not in this book. He just seems to want to live out horrible fantasies. Which isn't great, but totally better than killing people. There's no mention of past murder victims being found. Lucas could've just wanted to kill to hide from the embarrassment of being found out that he even has them. And I'm not entirely sure that he would've killed Andy. He did tie him up, but he wasn't exactly dressed for murder: he was running the risk of anyone seeing him in his usual clothes. And he had to have been a reasonably well-known personage around the town. Professors don't exactly make enough to have their initials put on their snazzy cufflinks with their salary.

And the ending didn't answer anything. Lucas was never found out and he died, but that part didn't bother me so much as the strained relationship between Andy and his father. Instead of thinking that his son might have been right the whole time with his finding of the fancy cufflink, he could easily assume that Andy might be a killer. For all he knows, he was stalking some woman (which is exactly what he did) and trying to put the blame on someone else. So now, with the finding of the cufflink, he could also think that his son succeeded in killing a beloved professor and making it look like a car crash. The sequel for this would probably have a lot of therapy and 'medicine' for Andy when he gets back from his Aunt's.  (hide spoiler)]

I don't know. It was certainly a fast read. But I'm so used to CSI and thorough investigations on TV, maybe this was a step too far down for me to enjoy.

I read another of Avi's books before, "Blue Heron" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...), way back in middle school and I loved it. I'm wondering if I would like it now. It's a completely different story from this one, so possibly.

View all my reviews

3 out of 5 stars.

"Murder On the Orient Express" Book Review

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Hercule Poirot Mystery

Snowbound in the Balkan hills, the passengers on the Orient Express awaken to the shocking news that one of their number had been viciously murdered in the night. With a business more grim than murder afoot, Poirot has not a moment to waste. For the killer is still at large on the train...

Holy fast read, Batman! This is my first Agatha Christie novel and the first time I ever read about Hercule Poirot. I feel like I should have gotten to her a lot quicker than I did.

When I found my current copy of this book, my friend was with me. She saw it and became very enthusiastic about it. I asked her and she told me how it ends! Which usually makes me not want to read the book. But I was actually more intrigued by it. How does the clever Belgian figure it all out? And will he compare to my beloved Holmes? Like apples to oranges as I soon found out.

There's not much else to say, except I enjoyed it thoroughly and plan to read more of Poirot and Christie at some later point. I also want to watch the movie; my book cover is covered in illustrations with fabulous actors and actresses: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, and the majestic Vanessa Redgrave! I bet that movie is spectacular! It must have been the easiest screenplay to write, ever! The whole book is witty dialogue - so, basically, a copy and paste job for Paul Dehn.

View all my reviews

4 out of 5 my dear Wat- uh, I mean, sil vois plais.

"The Complete Phantom of the Opera" Book Review

The Complete Phantom of the Opera by George Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"This is the lavishly illustrated, definitive account of 'The Phantom of the Opera', tracing the Phantom legend from its origins in historical fact through Gaston Leroux's heartrending classic novel and other artistic incarnations to the present day and Andrew Lloyd Webber's incredibly successful musical."

More of a 4.5 rating. This book offers a glimpse into the past of the Phantom. Mainly delving into the origins of the Paris Opera House and the mad genius of its architect Charles Garnier, the interesting life of the Phantom's maker, Gaston Leroux, and how the compelling story went from book to silver screen and to the theatre where it reins to this day.

I loved learning all of the little details about the most singular Opera House. Indeed, it doesn't hold the biggest auditorium and has limited seating, but it is the largest in the world. What a grand setting! How could Leroux go there and not create such a fantastic story. They shouldn't have replaced the ceiling covers though, the 'new' one looks out of place here.

I find Gaston Leroux a fascinating man in his own write. Not so much his career as a writer, since most start out as journalists. But more so for the little tidbits about him. Like the fact that he was born in an undertaker's business complete with his own dramatic quote about his birth: "There, where I sought a cradle, I found a coffin."

Some of the pictures were lovely. It was wonderful to see the makeup transformation up close and the sketches of the clothes and costumes and wigs. I would totally kill to have one of Maria Bjornson's models of the set. I could probably make one but damn they're beautiful!

It was also nice to find out more about the people who helped create the show behind the scenes. I was really surprised that so many people came from the opera, but I guess that should have been obvious. "Phantom of the ...oh, what was it?"

I really liked that the libretto was included. The differences between the stage version and recent movie version might confuse some other people, but I enjoyed reading it and looking for the differences. It was much easier to read this one than to stare at the one provided with the original cast recording. It's always fun to be able to read the correct lyrics or just to see what all of the characters have to say during the really big numbers. In the 2004 movie, some parts get drowned out.

Overall, a very enjoyable book and worthy of a phan's collection.

View all my reviews

4.5 out of 5 Angels of Music.

"Beauty" by Robin McKinley Book Review

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"A strange imprisonment....

"Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

"When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, 'Cannot a Beast be tamed?'

"Robin McKinley's beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple: 'Beauty and the Beast.' "

This whole review is full of spoilers. I'm not blocking it out. Read at your own peril.

This is one of the many novels retelling the famous fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" - in fact, this is only one of two that this author has written - I heard the other one is mostly about roses. I enjoyed this book, it was a very fast-paced read. It kept pretty close to the original story by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.

But there were a few things that bothered me. For one, when Beauty wants to leave in her father's stead, her family protests at first and then they just let her go. So in short: "NO! NO! NO! NO! Fine." I mean, they are sad, but I expected something a bit more dramatic and realistic to happen. I totally expected her to runaway in the middle of the night and then get rescued from starving and freezing to death by the castle's sudden appearance. At least in the original story it is said that her family is a bunch of vain jerks that don't care that she may be going to her death.

I can rely upon my imagination to add to the details that the author supplies. But this may in fact be the laziest description of a main character that I have ever read. Frankly, I'm confused as to what the Beast was supposed to look like in this version. There are a lot of mentions about gryphons and then there's a mention of a lion's mane, but that's it. Did he have hooves? Was his face a weird bird-like beak thing? In that case, did he have wings? If I had been Beauty and he had had wings, I would have married him in a heartbeat.... And then been promptly disappointed when he turned into a plain non-magical albeit handsome human being.

And the ending made little sense while being anti-climactic. There should have been some drama when she finally said "I love you" to the hideous creature that she was so scared of when she first saw him. Instead it was said and then a few sentences later, it's wedding time! There wasn't any painful transformation, no fireworks, or fairy lights. Nothing! At least they had a chaste kiss, I suppose.

And then, if the magic was gone, how in the hell did her family know to go to the castle then? There's no magical way to send the message, and they would have had a hard time believing that anyway. There was no mention of the Beast sending a human liveried servant to them to let them know of the happy tidings. How did they know to go and what persuaded them to undertake the journey?

And then the townsfolk.... I can imagine how that conversation went down: "Hey, Beauty is getting married to a king we forgot existed for at least two centuries." "Wasn't she with her aunt in the city?" "Oh, about that, it's a terrible lie and a long story. Anywho, let's just walk right into that enchanted forest that we have been making up terrifying stories about that have TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE!!!!" On a scale of one to never ever happening, it's definitely the latter.

Magician? Really? Wouldn't 'witch' have been a more appropriate name for that guy considering the time period of this story? And that was the dumbest reason to curse an entire family. I mean, I've heard of people murdering each other for stupid reasons, but I would never turn my enemy into a literal killing machine. That sounds like a plan that should've backfired instantly. But it was nice of the guy to let the Beast know that he just had to make someone fall in love with him to break the spell, because no one has ever fallen in love with an ugly King/rich guy before. The witch, as I'm calling him, could've just waited until the incestuous relationships in the royal family began to manifest into freakish deformities in the future generations instead of performing a curse that didn't even work right away.

By the way, when was this supposed to be happening? That library really threw me off. I can understand if they were in an alternate reality that they would have future books in it, like the world's most Tardis-like castle ever. But when the magic is gone at the end of the story, did all of those future books just disappear?

And then the Beast forgot his own name, which okay, if no one is saying your name to you for two hundred years you might forget it. But you'd think, being surrounded by all of those books, he would've gotten the idea to write down the most emo of all biographies ever. Even though no one would have read it, being inside a castle that everyone has forgotten existed that is also inside a horrifying enchanted forest that no one enters willingly, it probably wouldn't have an audience. But it would have kept him busy and he might have remembered his name, provided he started with a title page. " 'My Ugly Face by King -', eh, I'll fill that in later."

And then, Beauty. It's not really her fault she didn't know she was pretty. She started off an awkward teenager that has lost everything and happens to have sisters who could double as models if they felt like it. There aren't any mirrors in the castle the whole few months she is there. And when she visits home no one thinks to give the whiny bitch a mirror just to shut her up? In fact the only person who does make her look in a mirror is the Beast who has avoided mirrors out of habit for obvious reasons.

I swear I liked the book before I started this review, I guess I started thinking about it. But I would certainly hand this to a teenager or a tween since this would be right up their alley. Ms. McKinley was very faithful to the original story, perhaps too faithful. But it was an enjoyable read.

View all my reviews

3 out of 5 stars, for the Stockholm Syndrome. 

"The Life and Times of Queen Victoria" Book Review

The Life and Times of Victoria by Dorothy Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A biography of Queen Victoria, including pictures of the royal family.

I was using this book as an introduction to the icon that is Queen Victoria and it did that perfectly. There was a lot of information to cover what with her reign being so long and her being related to nearly everyone remotely royal. I still think she is an interesting character, but I feel like Prince Albert was the much more intriguing person.

He's in a foreign country with people who don't seem to respect him all that much throughout his whole career and life there. And still, he goes at the governing of this place with such gusto it makes me wonder if Queen Victoria did anything.

It seemed like she was just the signature on the paper. I mean, her childhood didn't allow her to learn how to do her job and know people, but still, she could have been active and learned about her countrymen. I liked how fond she was of the soldiers and awarded them all equally and in person. She seemed like a decent woman and wasn't a bad ruler. It's hard to really get her character with only a glimpse at her, so I will definitively read more about her.

The book itself was full of pictures of the monarch and her family. But they are of the usual variety, you have probably already seen them.

The only thing I had a problem with was how British it was. Every once in a while the author would mention something only a British, and at this point, an older British person, would know and that was sort of annoying. Usually, I really don't like it when the author inserts herself into the biography of someone I highly doubt she met at all in real life. But since this book was so short it didn't bother me too much.

Overall, a nice introduction to a monarch whose main contributions was having graced the world stage for so long, producing so many royal heirs, and a really big museum. But who knows, maybe with more reading I will change my opinion of her.


View all my reviews

I knight thee four out of five stars.