"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.

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4 out of 5 Beecher preachers.

"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.

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4 out of 5 werowances.

"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.

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Four out of five Strikes.

"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.

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

"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.


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I knight thee four out of five stars.

"The Nutcracker": Mariinsky Ballet 2007

The Mariinsky Theater. Picture found here.

So I have recently been reading Christmas fairy tales and stories as is my custom around this time of year. And I found my Little Golden Books edition of The Nutcracker. While I enjoyed the illustrations, I thought the story was a bit short and I was a bit perplexed by the fact that they failed to use the original author's name on the cover.

So I tracked it down and found this: "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E. T. A. Hoffmann. And for free. And much shorter than its fourteen chapters would have you think. And it's spaced so nicely on the webpage that I don't have to crane my neck back and forth across the whole screen to read it and I wish all public domain material was like this...  But I digress. The most concise way to summarize the story is to state that it is about a girl who is sometimes called Clara and sometimes called by her original name of Marie, who falls in love with a Nutcracker, who is actually a boy, who is a king of Candyland-Dolls, who has some problems with R. O. U. S.s (Rats Of Unusual Size) or is it actually R. O. U. N. O. H.s (Rats Of Unusual Number of Heads)?

Found picture here.

This is also the man who wrote "The Sandman", which I haven't read yet. He does look like a man who would make up a magical being that puts people to sleep all of the time. I used this picture so I could use that joke and because all of the other pictures looked hideous. (Just read an abridged version of the story: it's about a narcissistic man who falls in love, goes insane, and kills himself. The legendary Sandman is in it; he steals children's eyes.)

Here is a short summary of his life found on the webpage Wikipedia: "Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822), better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. His stories form the basis of Jacques Offenbach's famous opera 'The Tales of Hoffmann', in which Hoffman appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero. He is also the author of the novella 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King', on which the famous ballet 'The Nutcracker' is based. The ballet 'Coppélia' is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote, while Schumann's 'Kreisleriana' is based on Hoffmann's character Johannes Kreisler.

"Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement."

The Snow Queen.
Picture found here.

As "The Nutcracker" is a very famous ballet I thought I could do with some ballet and proceeded to look for it on Youtube. I've only ever heard of the American version which is all kinds of sweet and sappy fairy tale. 

The one I clicked on was a lot different from what I was expecting. Starring the Mariinsky Ballet and based in St. Petersburg, Russia. Using the famous music of composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Since it did premiere there in December 1892, maybe they decided to take a different spin on it. The video was uploaded in June 2013, but it was performed on January 2nd, 2007. 

Trust me, it's endearing.
Picture found here.

It's quite creepy, in a beautiful way. The only thing I could equal it to is Tim Burton, but I know there are many people who would throw up at the very suggestion and chase me around with pitchforks and torches. While all of the costumes were amazing, some were gorgeous and some were freaky and I appreciated the effect Costume Designer, Mikhail Shemiakin and Director, Valery Gergiev were trying to make.

The Nutcracker's mask is terrifying at first and then, for me anyway, endearing after the first two scenes. Someone described Drosselmeier (played by Anton Adasinsky) as looking like Nosferatu which is a pretty apt description of him. Although he is missing his trademark eyepatch but sporting a hump on his back. Not sure what to make of that design or his seeming relationship to the rats. Or at least that Cardinal Rat or whatever that guy is.

Found picture here.

The dancers were brilliant! I particularly enjoyed the woman who played Clara, in this version called Masha (played by Irina Golub), she was magnificent. And the young man who played the Nutcracker (played by either Alexander Kulikov or Leonid Sarafanov) was so cute and sooo young! I was under the impression that they usually had young adults play the part. I felt bad glancing at his junk. (Is this art form too 'high-brow' for me to be making this comment? But it was right there, you can't blame me for looking!)

Overall, it was a great and an unusual performance. It was haunting and spectacular. An interesting take on a traditional holiday classic.

4 out of 5 en pointes.

You can also find it on Youtube, if you prefer to watch it there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO1tGHD6zr8

"Lion in the White House" Book Review

Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt by Aida D. Donald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"New York State Assemblyman, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, New York City Police Commissioner, Governor of New York, Vice President and, at forty-two, the youngest President ever-in his own words, Theodore Roosevelt "rose like a rocket." He was also a cowboy, a soldier, a historian, an intrepid explorer, and an unsurpassed environmentalist-all in all, perhaps the most accomplished Chief Executive in our nation’s history. In Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt, historian Aida Donald masterfully chronicles the life of this first modern president. TR’s accomplishments in office were immense. As President, Roosevelt redesigned the office of Chief Executive and the workings of the Republican Party to meet the challenges of the new industrial economy. Believing that the emerging aristocracy of wealth represented a genuine threat to democracy, TR broke trusts to curb the rapacity of big business. He improved economic and social conditions for the average American. Roosevelt built the Panama Canal and engaged the country in world affairs, putting a temporary end to American isolationism. And he won the Nobel Peace Prize-the only sitting president ever so honored. Throughout his public career, TR fought valiantly to steer the GOP back to its noblest ideals as embodied by Abraham Lincoln. Alas, his hopes for his party were quashed by the GOP’s strong rightward turn in the years after he left office. But his vision for America lives on. In lapidary prose, this concise biography recounts the courageous life of one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever known."

At long last, I have finished this biography. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't call it the definitive work on his life. Anyone can tell that by the short length of it alone.

I feel as if "The River of Doubt" was a better book if only about a very short period of his life. It captured the intensity of that journey and was very well-researched.

This book was also well-researched as the author herself stated in the Acknowledgements section. I got this at a bargain price and was looking forward to reading it. I like Theodore Roosevelt but I wanted to become more educated about him and his legendary status. This book should be used as an introduction to his character. I'm working myself up to his autobiographies. He is a whirlwind of a personality and I want to prepare more before facing it completely.

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I hereby declare thee book worthy of 4 out of 5 stars.

"The Man Who Rained" Book Review

The Man Who Rained by Ali Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"When Elsa's father is killed in a tornado, all she wants is to escape — from New York, her job, her boyfriend — to somewhere new, anonymous, set apart. For some years she has been haunted by a sight once seen from an aeroplane: a tiny, isolated settlement called Thunderstown.

"Thunderstown has received many a pilgrim, and young Elsa becomes its latest — drawn to this weather-ravaged backwater, this place rendered otherworldly by the superstitions of its denizens. In Thunderstown, they say, the weather can come to life and when Elsa meets Finn Munro, an outcast living in the mountains above the town, she wonders whether she has witnessed just that.

"For Finn has an incredible secret: he has a thunderstorm inside of him. Not everyone in town wants happiness for Elsa and Finn. As events turn against them, can they weather the tempest - can they survive at all?

"The Man Who Rained is a work of lyrical, mercurial magic and imagination, a modern-day fable about the elements of love."

I really enjoyed this work. I liked it, but not as much as the first book by this author. I loved how the weather became animals - I almost said 'alive' but weather is kind of already alive in a way in this work. Shaw's creatures are always amazing. The only comparison I can come up with is Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth". If you liked, i. e. loved, that movie read Ali Shaw. You won't be disappointed.

His female characters are unusually strong which I always like. It's only unusual because lately the really popular fiction that women tend to like involve women who can't do anything, like make a decision. Shaw's girls just up and go when things are going the way they don't want it to. Some would call that running away, I call it catharsis.

I realize Finn was a loner but he seemed to grow through that without it being shown too much. Unless you count that bulge in his pants that is finally explained to him as not being a bad thing.

I have read other reviews and agree that some passages in this book are beautiful and some characterizations could have been expanded upon: the city vs. some really small village in BumbleFuck, Nowhere. And I get that this place was supposed to be idyllic, but all it reminded me of was a horror movie set up: this small town with their crazy residents and horrible superstitions and boredom that lead them to enjoy killing things that are pretty harmless. I would've liked to have seen more of a turning point for Elsa. Although Daniel was pretty isolated and I liked how that was predicted by his actions for the woman he loved.

*SPOILERS*
I liked that the ending was happier than Mr. Shaw's first book (but I'll be the first to admit loving sad endings that make me cry like I just saw someone kill my dog in front of me), but I also thought it was stupid to have the strangest man ever walk through the town of crazy people, after having hid from them nearly all of his life, like it was no big deal. That part actually made me mentally slap my forehead.

But I did enjoy it and look forward to his next novel, which can't come out soon enough.

I also want to point out that I love the way these covers look.


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I give this book 4 out of 5 books.

"I Hunt Killers" Book Review

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

"Jasper 'Jazz' Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

"But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

"And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

"In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?"

Let me start this review by saying I was originally attracted to this book because of its cover. It is awesome! The book jacket was very eye-catching, but I was more interested in the book itself: that really caught me off guard, but it looks really cool.

I saw a friend of mine reading this book on Goodreads and thought I would give it a try.

I've never read "Dexter", but I imagine if I compared the two books together, this one would be the younger brother version.

But, also, wow. Loved this book. It was fast and an interesting take on sociopaths - whether they're born that way or nurtured into becoming that way!

I really felt for Jazz, too. It was pretty cool to watch a possible sociopath use people but not to damage them, like his father. And Billy was just so much of a threat.

Even though I loved it, I can't give it 5 stars because Howie's character was a bit of the usual, silly best friend (which is a character I usually hate, but thankfully Lyga gave Howie some smarts and actually funny things to do and say and also made him matter to the story). Although I bet in the sequel he has some more growth to him.

Also, I knew who the Impressionist was way too soon, but the twist at the end totally made up for that.

A few warnings: It is a teeny bit gory (which doesn't stop me) but I know some people are squeamish, so beware. Also, the next book in the series, called "Jasper Dent", isn't out until April 2013 and it has the provoking but unrevealing title of "Game".

I can't believe I have to wait so long to find out how the story goes on!

Got picture here: On A Book Bender Blog.

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I was so inspired, I drew a comic:

"The Casual Vacancy" Book Review

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

"Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

"Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.

"And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

"The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults."

I'm just going to admit it: I got this just because J. K. Rowling wrote it and I loved the Harry Potter books. I'm also going to be completely honest and say I am not sure I would've picked this up otherwise.

Be that as it may....

I did read a few articles about this book beforehand and I remember Rowling stating that she thought it was a very British novel. But Pagford is a lot like any other small town that happens to be predominately white and full of itself whose inhabitants happen to speak with some British slang.

For some reason, the publishers never mentioned it was about a murder, just a death, but the way it sounded in the press made it seem like it was about a murder. But, no, Barry Fairbrother just dies. But for the first fifty pages or so, I did expect some evildoer to pull on his mustache and cackle with laughter about his having killed off the most interesting character I will never fully meet. Thanks, Rowling.

While the character development is very good, it does take up half of the book before the story really begins to move. And after that I couldn't get to the ending fast enough. Not because I disliked it, but because I was really interested in how these people were going to settle all of their problems. And also whether Rowling would let their problems be wrapped up all nice and tidy at the end. Maybe there wouldn't be an answer to all their problems. Because that's life, it just keeps going. And this book is very close to real life.

There were characters that I was supposed to hate: Simon and Obbo; there were characters I really disliked: Fats, Gavin, and Shirley; there were characters I either pitied or felt close to: Andrew, Gaia, Sukhvinder, Kay, Krystal, Terri, and Tessa. Ruth made me all sorts of frustrated (Goddamnit woman, just hit him first or at least hit him back, I know you have it in you!) I liked Howard and Miles, although I didn't like their view of things. I found it funny that Samantha thought the most romantic things about her shop closing ("It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept."), but detested her husband and his family.

It's a very good book, all 'round.

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"I, Coriander" Book Review

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"In this exceptionally well-crafted tale, Coriander tells the story of her childhood in seventeenth-century London, and of her discovery that she has inherited magical powers from her mother, who was a fairy princess. But her mother's sudden death brings on a dark time for Coriander, and after mourning her beloved mother and dealing with the disappearance of her father and the wrath of her evil stepmother, Coriander finds herself locked in a chest with no hope of escape and no will to survive. But when a bright light beckons to her, it is then that Coriander's journey truly begins. Beautifully written, this magical and luminous story is destined to become a children's classic."

I found this book very enjoyable. It was also well-researched. I really liked the way Coriander narrated her story. That was really interesting.

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"The Red Necklace" Book Review

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The winds of change are blowing through Paris in the winter of 1789, both for France and for our hero, a striking and mysterious Gypsy boy named Yann Margoza. He was born with a gift for knowing what people are thinking and an uncanny ability to throw his voice, and he has been using those skills while working for a rather foolish magicia. That work will soon end, however, and on the night of the magician's final performance, Yann's life will truly begin. That's the night he meets shy Sido, an heiress with a coldhearted father, a young girl who has only known loneliness until now. Though they have the shortest of conversations, an attachment is born that will influence both their paths.

"And what paths those will be! While Revolution is afoot in France, Sido is being used as the pawn of a fearful villain who goes by the name Count Kalliovski. Some have instead called him the devil, and only Yann, for Sido's sake, will dare to oppose him."

I really enjoyed this book. Some of its characterizations were a bit typical: the bad guy was referred to as the devil at times, there was a damsel in distress whose parentage was questionable, and the hero was a bit annoyingly virtuous, but overall it was very well written.

I don't usually like historical fiction because even though I'm not a huge historian and I don't know all of the details from that time, if it is written from the point of view of a very famous person from that time and I don't agree with how they are perceived and written about according to the author's point of view, it makes it hard to read and also makes me question how much time they took researching for a fictional account of a very well-known time in human history.

But this one was good! And I also love the time of Marie Antoinette so I was sold there, although I find the French Revolution appalling. I also liked that it was from a point of view outside of the royal family and the aristocracy, to a point. I would never have imagined the revolution from the point of view of an orphaned Gypsy. That was very clever on the part of the author. The magic was fun too, and the horror scenes weren't too graphic so young people could read it without getting nightmares. So I enjoyed it and recommend it to people who like young adult historical fiction with a twist.


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"Vixen" Book Review

Vixen by Jillian Larkin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

"Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

"Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .

"Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .

"From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes."

I really liked this book and cannot wait to read the next one in this series. It's fun and sexy and rife with intrigue. The characters had life in them, which is important for a young adult book. The only problem I had with it was every once in a while the wrong name would be mentioned where someone else's name should have been. So, it needed a better editor, but overall the story was well written. I enjoyed all of the characters and even felt bad for Lorraine, she was just so stupid half of the time.

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"The Girl with Glass Feet" Book Review

The Girl With Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 

(From Publishers Weekly)
"The cold northern islands of St. Hauda's Land are home to strange creatures and intertwining human secrets in Shaw's earnest, magic-tinged debut. Ida Maclaird returns to the archipelago to find a cure for the condition her last visit brought her—she is slowly turning into glass. The landscape is at once beautiful and ominous, and its residents mistrustful, but she grows close to Midas Crook, a young man who, despite his intention to spend his life alone, falls in love with Ida and becomes desperate to save her. Their quest leads them to Henry Fuwa, a hermit biologist devoted to preserving the moth-winged bull, a species of insect-sized winged bovines; to Carl Mausen, a friend of Ida's family whose devotion to her mother makes him both ally and enemy; and finally to Emiliana Stallows, who claims to have once cured a girl with Ida's affliction. Each of these characters' histories intertwine, though their motivations surrounding Ida are muddled by their loyalties. Both love story and dirge, Shaw's novel flows gracefully and is wonderfully dreamlike, with the danger of the islands matched by the characters' dark pasts."  

I'll admit that I originally got this book because I thought the cover was pretty. And I thought the story might justify buying it. 

I actually thought this was a beautiful book. It's like a tragic fairy tale for adults or young adults. Sad that nearly everyone looses their loved ones in this book. 

I really enjoyed it. It was a bit slow at times, but it was worth reading everything. For a first novel, it's very good. I can't wait for the other novels Mr. Shaw will write. The characters were fully realized and very interesting. Such wonderful creatures, too. I wouldn't mind revisiting St. Hauda's Land if it meant meeting those awesome wonders again.

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I give this book 4 out of 5 books.

"The Devil in the White City" Book Review

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that 'The Devil in the White City' is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. 

"Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. 

"The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. 

"Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing."

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well done. I, more or less, read it because I had heard it was going to be turned into a movie. I honestly don't know how it's going to translate to the screen. I don't know if it will still be interesting then and I don't know how they are going to do Holmes. I would love to see the White City though!

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"The Beautiful and Damned" Book Review

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"In 1921 F. Scott Fitzgerald was twenty-five and heralded as the most promising writer of his generation, owing to the success of his first novelThis Side of Paradise. Recently married to the girl of his dreams, the former Zelda Sayre, Fitzgerald built upon his sudden prosperity with The Beautiful and the Damned, a cautionary tale of reckless ambition and squandered talent set amid the glitter of Jazz Age New York.


"The novel chronicles the relationship of Anthony Patch, a Harvard-educated, aspiring writer, and his beautiful young wife, Gloria. While they wait for Anthony’s grandfather to die and pass his millions on to them, the young couple enjoys an endless string of parties, traveling, and extravagance. Beginning with the pop and fizz of life itself, The Beautiful and the Damned quickly evolves into a scathing chronicle of a dying marriage and a hedonistic society in which beauty is all too fleeting.

"A fierce parable about the illusory quality of dreams, the intractable nature of reality, and the ruin wrought by time, The Beautiful and the Damned eerily anticipates the dissipation and decline that would come to the Fitzgeralds themselves before the decade had run its course."
(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/762103.The_Beautiful_and_Damned)

I had not read any of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work since reading "The Great Gatsby" back in high school, which I plan on re-reading before the movie remake comes out in theaters in December.

I do remember enjoying his writing. His prose is witty and intelligent and humorous without being conceited. Mr. Fitzgerald must have been a very exceptional conversationalist and much like the main character of this novel.

WARNING! Spoilers!

I didn't favor the characters too much, but who can blame them for being greedy. Who wouldn't want that kind of money? I don't blame them for their conceits or their sinful ways. They got what they wanted, but it was obviously too late to help save their marriage or their love, if it was ever really present in their lives together.

They characters weren't amazing and I'm sure I wouldn't like them in person. His writing definitely saved this story for me. If it had been done by someone else, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. It wasn't fun to watch them loose everything, but it was an interesting moral tale. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, but i don't know if I can compare it to "The Great Gatsby". I remember that book was far more romantic, but I will see if I am right as soon as I get to it.


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"Me and My Dick" Musical Review

*WARNING: Strong and crude language. Not for the faint of heart. Avert your eyes.*

Brian Holden (L) and Nicholas
Joseph Strauss Matathia.

"Me and My Dick" album cover.

"Me and My Dick" was written by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Eric Kahn Gale, and Brian Holden with music by A. J. Holmes and Darren Criss. I wasn't sure if I would actually watch this one because of its title. I can't believe someone could actually write a musical based on their dick experiences. I'm glad Freud isn't still around because he would possibly make these people certifiably insane. Although maybe he would enjoy it.... Hard to tell.

Devin Lytle as
Ms. Cooter

Anyway, I really enjoyed this musical. I cringed through the first scene because I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had expectations of people singing, but not a singing dick. That's literally the character's name: Dick. He's (it's?) played by Joseph Walker. The first scene also introduces us to a character named Joey Richter, played by Joey Richter, who owns Dick the way most men usually own their dicks, although his tends to get him in trouble. Both of these characters seek to get laid with the popular girl at school. They might also like to fall in love. Meanwhile, their next door neighbor already loves him but they don't like her because she's a bit geeky. So, the usual love story but with penises and va-ja-jas that sing.

Brian Holden as Flopsy

It wasn't until I got to the second scene that I decided to continue watching it. The deciding factor was Ms. Cooter, played by the talented Devin Lytle. I loved her character. I especially loved Nicholas Joseph (*breathe*) Strauss Matathia's character The Old Snatch. It feels a bit unusual to say that my two favorite characters are dancing and singing pussies. I'm not sure if that makes me sexist or a lesbian or both. (I just want to state right here that I am not a lesbian. Not that there is anything wrong with that.....) And Brian Holden was fabulous as Flopsy.

About the music: The music was quite good. It's obvious that Starkid Productions hold themselves to high standards. The first song is "Me and My Dick" and it's catchy while also explaining the musical's story line. "I've Seen You Around Here Before" is a beautiful love song and has a hilarious reprise in another scene featuring Flopsy, Flopsy being the vagina of the pretty and popular girl. "Listen to Your Heart" and "Gotta Find His Dick" were funny and energizing. "Flight of the Pussies" was grand!

Joseph Walker as Dick (L) and Joey Richter as himself.

I give this musical 4 of 5 stars because of its originality, creativity, and humor. Watch it for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF0D250702C0684CD&feature=plcp

And buy their music at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/me-and-my-dick-a-new-musical/id349723312

"What You Wanna Know" Book Review

What You Wanna Know: Backstreet Boys' Secrets Only a Girlfriend Can Tell by Samantha Stonebraker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very short and quick read. Those boys were so cute! Too bad it's too late to get to any of them, what with all but Nick married. lol Oh well.  It's a cute book and I honestly don't remember her saying anything bad about any of the boys, more about their management.


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"Eco Craft" Book Review

Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle by Susan Wasinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book inspiring. So many things that I could do to artfully clean up my part of the trash that is destroying my home. And these crafts aren't expensive and only moderately hard to do and fun. All that is needed is time. I plan to go more in depth on this book as I'm doing some of the projects the author has so delightfully put together in this book.


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"Matchless" Book Review

Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very quick read. I must've finished it in half an hour. But still a nice alternative to the original story, which while beautiful and heartfelt, always made me tear-up. The drawings were quite cute and I thought it a nice story, but still not sure if I want to keep it though.


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