This is a new feature I'll be starting here on keepcalmwithbooksandcoffee. I'm sure there are variations out there, but this is the one I came up with! I participate in Top Ten Tuesday pretty regularly and this is a similar idea. My own variation is meant to be shorter and I usually have more time at the end of the week than on Tuesdays! Sometimes it will just be pictures and other times I'm sure there will be a lot of text!
This week I will be featuring five books I remember reading as a kid. These are five books that I really remember All of these books were obsessions at some point in my childhood. Since I was a nine year old girl at one point in my life there is evidence that I was obsessed with horses. I also really liked historical fiction.
From top left to bottom right:
1) The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
2) My Side Of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
3) Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.
Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.
But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.
Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.
My favorite Jane Austen book is Persuasion and this book takes that story on in a way I never imagined could work. I never read a Persuasion adaptation up until now because I simply love the original story so much. I was hopeful, but ready to be disappointed even though I'd heard very good things about this book. I am so happy that this was my first venture into Persuasion adaptations. It is brilliant!!
Even though this is an adaptions, it woks well on its own. Peterfreund has set up a society which is familiar because of the influx of dystopian style books in YA recently. Elliot North is part of a ruling minority of Luddites who have outlawed technology and most forms of advancement because of the Reduction, a virus that spread through a large part of the population after a genetic experiment went wrong. The Reduction resulted in the Reduced, a population of people who rely on the Luddites to care for them. For generations the society has relied on Reduced labor to make Luddite farms profitable. This repression has now come to a boiling point and Elliot is caught in the middle. She wants to care for the people who work for her even though her father and sister seem to foster no concern. She begins to take risks to protect the people she cares about while going against her family and her society's beliefs.
The world building is excellent. There are lots of details about the beliefs and history of this society that make it real and complete for the reader. The excellent world building is one of the reason I think this book would work so well on its own and why it worked so well as an adaptation. The rigid structure of Elliot's world reminds me a lot of Regency England and was an excellent way to separate Elliot and Kai like Anne and Wentworth were separated. There were definitely some darker elements to this book as well which I thought were well explored and not glossed over. While Kai and his friends have become rich and powerful because they escaped their situations. It is clear that not everyone is as lucky and that tensions in the North family run deeper that they first appear.
The elements of Persuasion are beautiful weaved into Peterfreund's original story. I think she really captured Jane Austen's characters and put them in a fresh setting especially Anne/Elliot. Where Anne is trapped by Regency England etiquette and values, Elliot is trapped by the laws and religion of the Luddite Society. Both of them want and dream of more but are bound by duty and obligation. If you know Persuasion at all, you know how important letters are in that story. I thought the use of letters to introduce the reader to Elliot and Kai's past relationship was superb. It was a great way to introduce more information about the world and give the reader a back story without overwhelming us with information. I would love to have a discussion about the two settings and the differences in the characters because there is so many similarities, but also striking differences.
While I knew how the story was going to end, I really enjoyed the new setting and fresh take on the characters and how this story played out in a different setting. I'm looking forward to Peterfreund's next book, Across the Star Swept Sea, which comes out next month and takes place in this same world.
Rating - 5/5
Update: I also put up a bit of a review where I talked about the book on my Youtube channel!
These are ten books I am anticipating reading this fall! Some of them are new releases and some are just books I have sitting on my shelf. They are not in any particular order.
1) Days of Blood and Starlight by Lani Taylor 2) Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout 3) The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - 4) Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (New Release this fall) 5) Scorched by Mari Mancusi (New Release this fall) 6) The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (New Release this fall) 7) Across the Star Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund (New Release this fall) 8) Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (New Release this fall) 9) Girl of Nightmare by Kendare Blake 10) Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
I'm very excited about all of these and some of them have been sitting on my shelf for a very long time while others are brand new! I cannot wait to get my hands on them and start reading!
Published: Oct. 2, 2012 Pages: 258 Series: Fairyland #2 September has longed to return to Fairyland after her first adventure there. And when she finally does, she learns that its inhabitants have been losing their shadows—and their magic—to the world of Fairyland Below. This underworld has a new ruler: Halloween, the Hollow Queen, who is September’s shadow. And Halloween does not want to give Fairyland’s shadows back. Fans of Valente’s bestselling, first Fairyland book will revel in the lush setting, characters, and language of September’s journey, all brought to life by fine artist Ana Juan. Readers will also welcome back good friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. But in Fairyland Below, even the best of friends aren’t always what they seem. . . .
If I liked the first book in this series, (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making) I adored this one. When I came home tonight I placed the order for my pre-order of the next book in this series because I am so excited to see what happens next in this fantastical world. I was in the perfect mood to read this book when I picked it up and the quirkiness of it just drew me in this time. During the first book, I sometimes felt pushed away from the world because of the bizarre elements. I don't know it was familiarity with Valente's writing or the mood I was in, but this book clicked with me so much better than the first.
September has found her way back into Fairyland after some time at home. She finds it different and without the same magic that it had before because the magic is disappearing along with everyone's shadows. Her shadow, Halloween, has been misbehaving and stealing all the shadows from the topside of Fairyland. While September is trying to reconnect with her shadow she travels through Fairyland-Below, which is a very different place than Fairyland-Above. Instead of a whimsical story about saving Fairyland, I found this book to be about one of my least favorite things. Growing up. (My favorite Disney movie was Peter Pan. I hate talking about growing up because I never wanted to do it.) However, I was able to forgive this book because luckily September is doing a much better job than I did, but I'll get back to that.
I did not read these books in rapid fire so I have forgotten some of the details about A through L and Saturday since then. However, I remembered why I loved them so much when I met their shadows. While the shadows are similar to September's friends, there are differences as well. I loved that the shadows gave Valente's characters more depth. They felt wrong because I missed their lovely counterparts, but there is also a more sinister and darker feel to Fairyland-Below. The shadows add to that darkness (no pun intended). Even so, I felt for the shadows because they have experienced everything their counterparts have, but have never been given any credit or thanks or ridicule for what they have done. Now that they have been separated they do not want to go back even though it may be endangering all of Fairyland.
There are so many strange and bizarre moments in both of these books. Unlike Alice in Wonderland, where I was frustrated at the with the strange and crazy writing, I really enjoyed the strange creatures and happenings of Fairyland. I love how Valente speaks to the reader as the story goes along and keeps me in the loop and also keeps me guessing the whole time. Elements always come back around to be important long after I dismissed them from my mind.
Something else I really love is that Valente sneaks in lessons about life in her fantastical world when I'm not even looking. September is of course older in this story and she begins to see the real consequences of what she did to Fairyland in order to save it. There are lessons pouring out of this story and many mature topics are touched on throughout this story. This time around things are more difficult because they always are as you grow up and everything is more complex. She encounters different problems and doesn't have one villain to fight at the end of her journey. Instead she has to solve many different problems that don't have black and white answers while dealing with betrayal, love and Dodo birds. September's growth between books is wonderful to see but she really blossoms into her new form throughout this book. Valente also develops her other character so September is not the only one who has matured and Fairyland becomes even more interesting and complex when you see the underside of it.
Overall I loved this book more than the first and I'm going to be busy reading the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it.
Published: June 5th 2012 Pages: 358 pages Series: The Grisha #1 The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free? The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him. But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him? Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.
I was absolutely pulled in by the cover of this book and I've wanted to read it for ages. I started reading this book in the mornings before I would head off to work. Then, suddenly, reading it chapter by chapter was not enough. I devoured the second half of this book in one night and stayed up until 2am to do so.
At the beginning of this book I was honestly concerned that I wasn't going to like it. Alina is sort of typical when it comes to YA characters at the beginning of this book. She crushes on someone who doesn't notice her, she discovers a new power no one else has, and she is thrown into a new life that should be amazing but she is worried that she isn't good enough to fit in. I think we've all watched this scene play out 100 times. So at the beginning I was understandably unimpressed. Things changed as this story moved forward.
First of all, unlike many stories where the villain is a physical person looking to take over or ruling over a world, the Shadow Fold is the main cause for concern. A huge expanse of land is covered in complete darkness and strange (very frightening) creatures inhabit it. Alina's country is cut off from the sea and many resources by the Shadow Fold. At the beginning of the novel Alina is planning to cross with her unit of soldiers and her best friend Mal. Of course as they cross there is trouble and Alina exhibits a power she didn't know she had. BAM! Alina is taken to work with the Darkling who is powerful but mysterious and told she is the key to saving the world. (This is the part I thought sounded unoriginal)
It is not all bad though! Actually I ended up really liking this story and I am very excited for the sequel. While the setup isn't exactly original, where this story goes is fantastic! The scenery in this book made up for a lot of the other problems. I have to say that Leigh Bardvgo knows how to use description. I often found myself playing out a movie with settings and characters for this book where I could see exactly what was happening as I read. The richness of the detail was complete, but not overwhelming. There are surprises galore about the characters that will turn your world upside down and I never saw them coming. Bardvgo does a wonderful job of making you believe in or suspicious of characters just before she throws you for a loop. I loved every moment.
As I mentioned, I was reading this in the morning in bits and pieces when I had time before I went to work. Usually only a chapter at a time. If there had been a lull in the action, I would have quickly put this book down and moved onto another until I had time to sit down and read it. Instead this book fit my purposes so well that I had trouble putting it down to go to work. I was satisfied with Alina's character development. Her growth as a character was explosive near the end of the novel so I am excited to see what comes in the next book. One thing I wanted to know more about was the magic. Sometimes I felt like instead of being immersed in the magical world I was floating on the surface.
Overall I was satisfied by the end of this book. It improved over the course of the novel and became more of its own story. I understand that this is going to be a trilogy so of course there are things that will not be wrapped up at the end of this novel. There are still a lot of elements that are typical YA, but many of the elements are things I like and enjoy in the story (like a character discovering a power they don't know how to use). I didn't dislike seeing those elements, but I wanted more from this story. I hope the next book will continue to develop the world and the characters so that it becomes its own stand out story.
I try to used these Weekend Reads posts just to update readers about what I am currently reading and to give a glimpse my preliminary thoughts on what I'm reading.
This weekend I hope to read a lot. The weather is going to be beautiful in my area and I'm planning on going to the library to get a library card! I am so excited to try this out! I had a library card as a child, but I haven't gone in years so I am so excited to get another one.
Currently I'm reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. I've read this before and it is my favorite Austen. I am always persuaded (wink) to read this during August because one of my favorite book blogs The Book Rat hosts a blog event called Austen in August. So once again I am reading this. I will probably finish this tonight though because I'm about 2/3 of the way through.
I've also just started Eona by Alison Goodman and The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. I am less than 50 pages in on both though so right now I do not have any thoughts to share about them. I've read books by both authors before so I knew I would like the writing style and thus far I am not disappointed.
I actually only read three books this month. I was in a bit of a reading funk, but I was also very busy with work and life so I only actually finished a few. I am luckily still on track to meet my goal of reading 75 books this year. In fact at the end of this month I have already read as many books as I did in the whole year last year. So that's exciting!
Books I Read This Month
1) Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
2) Return of the King - JRR Tolkien
3) Shadow and Bones - Leigh Bardugo
Books I Started This Month
1) Eona - Alison Goodman
2) Persuasion - Jane Austen
Since the first week of school is coming to a close, I thought I'd look back over what my favorite books I read this summer were. This summer I read quite a few books and most of them were excellent! I wanted to mention 5 that I thought were my favorites from this summer (and maybe a couple of honorable mentions that I couldn't quite ignore)
1) The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
I love this book and even though it is a little dense it quickly pulled me in. It was intreiging and rather unique (at least I've never read anything like it before) I loved the element of illusion and the setting of a circus was fantastic. Even though a large chunk of this book was set in the winter months and in Europe rather than on the beach, I read this really quickly and thought it was a great book to read on vacation. My Full Review is Posted!
2) Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake
This book was right up my ally because I love Supernatural the TV show. This is a fast paced adventurous story that is violent and dark but somehow still makes me laugh out loud.
3) Opal - Jennifer Armentrout
I love this series and the fourth book is on its way to my house as I write this! I cannot wait to see where the next book goes because this one ends on such a cliffhanger! I love Katy and Daemon's romance and I never put these books down because they are so fast paced! 4) The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey
Is there anyone out there that hasn't read this book this summer and loved it? I feel like everyone was pushing me to read it and I'm so glad I did! This book is fantastic and so thrilling. I read it on the beach over two days and loved every sun soaked second of it. Definitely Recommend! 5) My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
This is one of the cutest contemporary stories I've read in a long time. The characters are great and the story is so easy to relate to. This was another great book I read on the beach and this might by my favorite book of this summer! Watch for a review to follow soon!
Honorable Mention
Serephina - Rachel Hartman
This book is fun and engaging. I thought it was very well developed and thought out. The world felt real and it had depth to the story. I loved this book and really enjoyed the writing as much as the story! My Review Lola and the boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
If you liked Anna and the French Kiss, I think you'll like this book too. I adored this story and it is full of cute moments just like the first one. I think I am one of the last people to read this, but I would recommend for sure! It is quick, easy and very sweet.
Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her. At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.
I was anticipating this novel for a while, like most of the book I read because I've had it for a bit. I had purchased it when it was on sale for Kindle and I was excited mostly because of cover appeal. I didn't know anyone who had read it and I didn't see any reviews from people I trust. I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was meh? I was disappointed a little bit. While I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it could have been a little more developed. It was a little repetitive and I thought there was a lot of description about the world and the monster that had destroyed the society. It felt a little flat though and it lacked complexity. The author drops a lot of terms in about the society, but a lot of times I felt like I should already know what they were. Even when terms were first introduced they weren't really explained. This made me disconnected from the story and less interested in the traditions of the society. It didn't feel like the author had a solid picture of the society she was introducing me to. Instead it seemed like some things were made up as a means to an end for the plot of the story. I couldn't quite connect to the characters either. I liked Rachel and Logan, but again, I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the friendship/relationship rather than introduced to it. At the beginning of the story Rachel is assigned to someone to be her caretaker and by the way Logan and Rachel react I thought the two of them are next to strangers. Later I started to realize they were fairly close acquaintances, but their relationship seemed to be uneven throughout the book. One minute they are really awkward around one another and the next they seemed to be deeply in love with one another. Even so, I think their romance works. They complement each other in a lot of ways. One is a lot of the brains and the other is a lot of the brawn. (Their relationship dynamic reminds me a lot of Peeta and Katniss) I liked Logan's back story and how that drove him to protect Rachel. Overall I'd like to see where they go from here, and how they will adjust to the changes in their world that they helped bring at the end of this book.
Even though I had some issues with this story, I think I will be checking out the sequel. I really was intrigued about what happened to Rachel's father and by the end of the story I was invested in what will happen next. I'd like to see a little more world development and just better description of the society. That was what really lacked in this story for me. Even so, I thought the idea was good and it already has me hooked to see what will happen to Rachel and Logan.
I just like to talk about books as much as I can manage and this month there is a read-along and discussion going on about Mansfield Park over at The Book Rat. These are some getting to know you questions.
1) Was Mansfield Park the first Austen book you read? No. I do not think that is a bad thing either. It is, in fact, the last one I finished.
2) Is this the first time you've read Mansfield Park? This is the third attempt and the first successful one. I started Mansfield Park in the middle of July because I anticipated being unable to finish this book or at least not being able to keep up with it. I did finish the book at the beginning of the month and I was very surprised. I'm not exactly reading along now but...I was meaning to.
3) How many other Austen books have you read? All of them except her unfinished work. Persuasion is my favorite.
4) Will you read more of them/reread them? Last year I read Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice during Austen in August. Maybe I'll read Emma and Persuasion. I like to reread them. I learn something new every time and as I get older I realize more about the time period and empathize with the characters more.
5) Do you or will you read Austen adaptations? I have and will read Austen adaptations. I think they are fun and also bring a fresh perspective to a classic story.
My responses to Mansfield Park
What were your initial impressions of the story? Not just the characters and their respective situations, but also the style and tone - if you've read Austen before, do you find Mansfield Park to be very different in any significant ways? I don't think the writing style is different than any of Austen's other novels. It has the same kind of format and same basic plot idea. Even so, it is much more difficult for me to stay interested in this story.
Going more into the characters now, Mansfield Park's inhabitants are pretty universally considered Austen's hardest to love. What was your response to them through the first half of this story? Do you feel for any of them? Hate any of them with a vehemence beyond that which you normally reserve for fictional characters? And if you try to look at them objectively, do you have any more sympathy (or disgust) with their actions and behavior? Even though almost all the characters in this novel are some version of horrid, I don't hate all of them. I dislike Mrs. Norris, but I have a soft spot of Sir Thomas because he eventually tries to take Fanny under his wing a bit. I think the one that disgusts me the most is Mary Crawford. From very early on she knows Edmund is going to be a clergyman and is appalled by it. Yet, she continues to put herself in his path. She denounces his profession and I think if his characterization was stronger and he argued with her in a more spirited way it could be interesting. Instead I think Edmund comes off as a prude rather than someone who firmly believes in his frutue. Mary Crawford is the one I hate rather than Mrs. Norris.
Fanny is often considered to be a very milquetoast, frustratingly passive heroine. Do you agree with this perception of her? Do you find yourself making excuses for her or holding things against her? Or do you feel that Fanny is underestimated as a character? Consider the scene in the Rushworth's park, as Fanny sits for hours, waiting to be noticed again, while everyone around her seeks their own amusement. Fanny is so frustrating to me because so much happens around her, but nothing happens to her (at least not at this point). I do make excuses for her because I wouldn't be very assertive either if Mrs. Norris was constantly picking on me. STILL I find her very frustrating and she just seems too passive to be the main character of a novel. I know I shouldn't try to hold her up against Austen's other heroines to compare her immediately but I kept thinking WWED? (What Would Elizabeth/Emma Do?) They just wouldn't have stood by to be forgotten quite as easily as Fanny does. Julia strikes off on her own to find everyone else as soon as she can while Fanny sits and is easily forgotten by everyone else while they explore Rushworth's property.
"The Play" and preparation for it is one of the most telling and pivotal scenes in Mansfield Park - discuss your reaction to the entire Lover's Vows storyline: what it brings to light in the characters, what changes and ruptures it causes among them, things that amused or irritated you, etc. Did your feelings about any of the characters change as a result of The Play? How did you feel about Fanny during this whole incident? Would you have liked to see the play - and its aftermath - without the intrusion of the returning Lord Bertram? Fanny is incredibly dull, but she does stand by her principles as well as her disposition allows her. Even when Mrs. Norris heckles her she disagrees with the play and stays out of it as best she can. Obviously the Crawfords seem more devious after the play because of how Henry plays the sisters against one another and how Mary toys with Edmund. Rushworth is obviously worthless after he is hopeless during the rehearsals. During most of this part of the book I was actually bored because it just is a lot of bickering and improper behavior that just seems rude. This section actually ends on the most dramatic note, Sir Thomas' return!
Many of the relationships we've been introduced to so far are very contentious: Maria and Julia, sometimes Tom and Edmund, Mrs Norris and everybody. And in fact, the story starts with a rift in the family. What do you make of the "friendships" and family dynamics in the story, and of the changes wrought by the entrance of the Crawfords? I think the friendships and family relationships seem fragile at the beginning of the story especially between Fanny and most of her family. She constantly worries she will do something to offend and will be sent away as a result. However, when the Crawfords join them, I think it makes all the relationships appear shallow and transparent. Maria's engagement seems even more about marrying for advantage, Edmund's friendship with Fanny is weaker and many of the other relationships are weakened by the entrance of the siblings.
Is there anything else you'd like to talk about from Volume One? Can someone please explain why Henry Crawford was considered such an expert on landscaping? Did I miss this in the novel or is it weird to anyone else?
This tag is a lot of fun and really easy to do. You simply go through your shelves to see how many series you have completed! I've finished 15 series! Is that a lot? It feels like a lot.
