A Series Of (Un)Fortunate Reviews

I read Rebecca of Sunnybrooke Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin for a class.  I had some opinions so I decided to review it for the blog.  This is considered a classic of children's literature.  The edition I read is a slim volume, and the chapters are brief, so it made for a quick read once I got sucked into the story. At first it was a slow start, but the story is engrossing, so stick with it.  The vernacular of some characters' dialog can be difficult to decipher, and this too slows the story.  Wiggin's writing style can also take some getting used to. Rebecca Randall, a vibrant, lively, good hearted girl, is sent to her maternal aunts in Riverboro, Maine to receive an education (that her mother hopes to be "the making of" Rebecca).  Rebecca's tenure with her aunts also ameliorates the economic situation at home where her ne'er do well father is three years dead, there are seven small mouths to feed, and a mortgage to pay on the farm.  Any tiny, un...

Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie is the first of the book series from which the British TV series, Grantchester is adapted.  Both major and minor details of characters, relationships, and mysteries change in the adaptation from book to screen.  Having watched the series before reading this book, I can say that both book and TV show are equally engrossing. Shadow of Death is not a novel, instead it's a collection of short stories that take place successively over the course of a year that follows Sidney Chambers, the bachelor vicar of the Anglican parish in Grantchester near Cambridge in England; these particular stories are set in 1953 and 1954.  In the book Inspector Keating and Chambers are already friends and acquaintances when Chambers is called upon by a mourner who believes that the suicide of their loved one was not a suicide at all.  Unfortunately once Chambers begins meddling in solving mysteries and crimes, these matters encroac...

This week brings another review installment of the Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson.  This review is from our guest reviewer Miss Shayne. This is the third book in the Shades of London series.   Since I read the first two, I had to get my hands on this one.   I was really excited for this book.   The author left us with a big cliffhanger to draw us back in once again.   I had to continue reading to find out the fate of one my favorite characters. In this book, our protagonist Rory has to go into hiding because she knows people are looking for her.   She cannot be found because of her involvement with a secret organization.   There are things going on that the public can’t know about due to their supernatural nature.   In the midst of all of this madness, Rory also has to aid in the search for her kidnapped classmate.   If all of this wasn’t enough, Rory’s therapist is crazy and is ...

This week's review is our semi-regular guest reviewer Miss Shayne.  This week she's reviewing the second title in a series; the first title of this particular series was one her Staff Picks 2015. After reading the first book in this series, I was confused.  The author left us hanging with a game changer!  It was then I realized that this book is part of a series.  Maureen Johnson’s cliffhanger successfully drew me back in.  I had to have more. This is the second book in the Shades of London series.  With shiny new characters and a more complex plot than the first book, this book had everything the first book lacked.  And I enjoyed the first book, too. After nearly being murdered, our protagonist Rory had to be taken out of school to go live with her parents and undergo some therapy.  A string of shady events lead her back to school where she must try tirelessly to catch up with her classes.  This is impossible though because Rory lea...