Rachel
Did you enjoy Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, a Little Princess, or Winnie the pooh? If no, skip this book. If yes, pick this up.
This is a wonderful children's book. It follows 4 children who find a magic ring. It was written in the early 1900s and will be difficult for modern children to follow. Not impossible, but it will be a bit of a challenge. There are British phrases and the language is very posh. But underneath it all is still the joys of childhood and a fun summer at a large estate.
First off, I'm indifferent to Neil Gaiman. He has some great books (Coraline) and he's got plenty of average or forgettable books (Norse Mythology). When I pick up one of his books, I never know which version I'll get.
Preludes and Noctures was just OK. The story jumps around a lot. It was very Stephen King esk. Bob chopped some onions, Helga was watching tv, Sally and Billy were..... you get the point. The character is rather mopey, and IMO looks exactly like Neil Gaiman. He even acts exactly like I'd expect Neil to act. To me, the character wasn't original. It was the chance for the author to write himself into a comic book character. Maybe that's the fault of the artist, idk. But to me, it really detracted from the story.
I did like some of the realistic aspects. Ex: dangers of picking up strangers with your cars. It doesn't sugar coat the real world like so many other stories do. But like most of Gaiman's books I just don't get the fanaticism.
NOTE: This book is created from the podcast Lore narrated by Aaron Mahnke. The chapters in this book corresponds to episodes in the podcast and the wording is almost identical. The major difference is that these chapters are organized by topic. There are a few illustrations, but no more than 8.
With that out of the way, let's dive into the book.
There's a reason the podcast has been such a success. It's well written, well performed and has an interesting subject matter. It covers everything from vampires, to ghosts, to possessed dolls (I'm referring to you Robert!). Even without Mahnke's narration, the book is enjoyable. How could it not be? The wording is the same as the podcast. The biggest difference is that the book reorganizes the episodes and streamlines them by topic. Some stories are hard to swallow (yes, referring to the vampires and consumption chapter), but they're still interesting.
The way I see it, you have 2 options. Listen to the podcast or read this book. In my opinion, there's no real reason to do either. They're the same. Personally, I enjoy the music and Aaron's narration for the podcast. But with a book, you can read it much faster and everything is presented in a more streamlined order. It's really a matter of which you prefer: book or podcast.
Now what about the TV show? I'd recommend watching it in addition to either the book or the podcast. Even though the stories are covered in the book/podcast seeing it portrayed by actors makes them even more gruesome. But heads up, the first two episodes (vampires and the brain surgeon) are visually hard to watch.
Folk horror is extremely underrated.
This story takes place in the Appalachia region. Many of the characters have knowledge in the old folk tales or pagan traditions. They cover many stories and references in a short period of time. There are druids and trials, but the main folk element is the Raven Mockers. Raven Mockers are from the Cherokee legends. According to the legends, Raven mockers are mostly invisible, except when they're about to feast on a new victim. They will devour the heart of the victim and will absorb the extra years of their life. It's truly a terrifying folk creature.
Now onto the book itself. This was my first forage into the Silver John stories. It was a tough start. There was little character development to grow attached to any character and there were so many characters introduced that it was hard to keep them straight. The real strength lies in the journey and Silver John's survival through the trials. It mirrors the trials and tests that characters would go through in traditional folk/fairy tales. If you can get through the first 60 pages, it's a nice book for an afternoon read.
I could not put this book down. I loved the blend of historical and norse mythology. It took about 50 pages to get into (mainly due to the number of different characters). Still, I enjoyed the story and loved the characters of Dvalin, Freya, Fulla and Sky. I do wish there was more about Odin, and Loki, but think the book was the perfect length as is.
It's hard to read a retelling of Beauty and the Beast without comparing it to the Disney movie or the Robin McKinley books. I had a very difficult time with the first 40% for that exact reason. Girl ends up in enchanted castle. Meets a beast. Gets trapped in castle. Must break a curse. We all know the rest. How do you distinguish your story from the others? Look no further than Bryony and Roses.
In this retelling, Bryony is traveling home and gets lost at the castle. Not her father. She is “kidnapped” for her gardening abilities. At least that's how it's presented. There are still elements of the original tale. Every night the beast asks her to marry him. The castle is enchanted. The beast was once human. Still there are some nice original elements that makes this book stand out. The house is enchanted, not just the objects within it. Things appear and disappear at will. The beast has a hobby. There's a strange visitor. It's a rather original retelling.
While fun, it's not perfect. I didn't feel any chemistry between Bryony and the Beast. The Beast was too much “perfect nice romance novel guy.” and Bryony was an under-developed snarky (and dislikeable) female with too much inner dialogue. Still, there's potential and originality here. I'm curious to see how Kingfisher's other retellings are.
A wonderful collection of tales from Europe, the middle east, and Asia. These aren't the traditional “disney” fairy tales that have become so popular. Yes, many have happy endings, but these are traditional fairy tales that contain a point. Help the needy, don't betray your family, have patience, etc. Almost all the stories contain a note of origin, which enhanced their authenticity.
Narrators can make or break an audiobook. Some of these narrators are good, but others are just downright bad. Maybe it has to do with the way the stories are written.
Some stories were great. Others were hit or miss. Favorites were Mile 81, and Bad Little Kid.
Most were not scary. They were more oddities. I probably wouldn't re-read most of these stories. The only exceptions are the two listed above.
How to rate.... I wouldn't call this book Horror. I'd call it Fiction with elements of fantasy and horror.
The book starts with adults, with memories of their childhood told through flashbacks. This made it easier to connect the adult to the children. That is a part I struggled with during the 1990s movie/mini series.
I loved the variety of characters and how they dealt with different issues. Beverley has an abusive father, Eddie has an overbearing mother, Bill deals with the guilt of his dead brother, Ben deals with obesity, Mike deals with racism, and Stanley deals with hatred towards Jews. Even the secondary and third characters have such complex backgrounds. I love how Mr. King mentions a character in the beginning, then ties back his character later on in the story. It may be a minor appearance, but essential to create the “small town” feel.
The horror is more gore and unknown. Yes, IT is scary, but the town bully, and Bev's father are much more frightening than the monster. They are monsters based in reality. Much more frightening.
IT, the novel, does a fantastic job recreating childhood emotions and desires. The desire to have fun. The fear or doing something wrong. Having people expect you to act one way or another. Now the controversial topic about Beverley. Mr. King has even expressed regret over this scene. The entire book emphasizes how she's just out to have fun with friends for the summer. Then her effort to save them from the monster, she crossed the line from child to adult. I knew it was coming, but didn't expect how it happened. One after the other? I found that a bit repulsive.
tldr; not as scary as I thought. More a reflection of childhood and standing up to your childhood monsters/demons.
Robin hood and Mulan (with a twilight obsession) in Japan.
This was a dnf. It sounded great, but I couldn't stand the main character. How is a princess, that has never fought in her life able to infiltrate a clan of scoundrels?... How does she magically know how to wield a knife. She gets way too lucky. Maybe I'm getting too old for YA novels. This was just ridiculous.
2.5 stars
I didn't hate this book. I felt completely indifferent to it. I have saying that too because I love ms Donnelly's books. This one just did nothing for me. I didn't like the main character. Yes I realize she experienced something traumatic, but her attitude itself was infuriating. Singing over the phone to a guy you just met? Weird. Insta love? Nope... I can buy it in other novels but not this one
I did enjoy the story from the diary. And the trip through the catacombs was interesting. Honestly wish the first few hundred pages were cut in half and more time was spent in the catacombs. That was interesting. The ending was abrupt and felt like the author ran over her page allotment and had to summarize the rest of her novel.
Tldr: read any of her other books. They're great. This one is not her best work. Unless you're obsessed with music. Then this may be perfect for you.
Just like every other epic fantasy novel on the market. Beginning starts with a mysterious cloaked figure entering town. The (soon to be revealed) main character lives a small life, but is now the only person who can wield a magical tool/has a magical ability. It's predictable and rather boring. Stopped after 2 hours in the audiobook.
40% through the audiobook and throwing in the towel.
Carrie is a delight but this book was extremely misleading. It's advertised as her days during the filming of the first star wars films. There is very little about star wars in this book. It's about her relationship with Harrison Ford and about her drinking, drugs, and sex experiences.
This book piggy-backed off the success of a simple infographic “10 tricks to appear smart in meetings”. It took those 10 steps and dragged them out into 100+. It went from funny to “ok, yeah, got it... “. As a book it's pretty redundant and boring. The best uses for this book would be to rip it apart and randomly hang pages around the office. Solo, they're amusing (like memes). Put too many together and it takes away the fun.
Well, this was a bit disappointing. I didn't care for the writing in this one. Felt stiffer and less fun than the previous volume. I did like the nod and appreciation of the arts, and found it funny that neither the princess nor her friend looked perfect in the morning. Still, they felt the need to beauty themself before the guy came back. The girls should be comfortable in their own skin, or make the changes for themselves, not to impress a guy.
I was also disappointed in the sister. The perfect Aphrodite princess. She was drawn beautifully, but a bit too beautiful IMO for the intended audience.
It just didn't grab me like the first volume. Still, they're short so I'll keep going.
THIS BOOK!!! It started with so much promise! After the first 40% I was ready to give this 5 stars. I loved the magic, the world, the imagination. Then it got dark. So incredibly dark. It went from folding paper to blood magic and gore. It went from Harry Potter magic to The Evil Within/Resident Evil. It became a complete mess. It also perpetuates a relationship between teacher and student. NOT OK! Someone needs to get the rights to the world and make a new book out of it.
This was an unpleasant reminder that the actor and the character are two separate people.
I grew up with Boy Meets World. I loved Mr. Feeney. I'd you're looking for stories about his days on set, look elsewhere. It is such a small part of this book. This book focuses on William Daniels ENTIRE life.
I was surprised to find out He was a child actor. Trained to sing and dance as a child, he was constantly paraded from school to performances. He did not have a normal childhood. Most of his life was abnormal. How he continued to succeed is beyond me.
How he succeeded to find, marry and stay with his wife is beyond me.
How people hired him with his negative attitude and gruff demeanor is beyond me. Maybe that's what made him stand out, he was willing to say no. Based on this book, I'd say his success came from riding the coattails of his successful wife. I honestly think he held her back many times in life. She should be the well known name. It's her book I should be reading.
Despite my now altered opinion on the actor and author, the book was alright. It was full of details. The first chapters were rather interesting. Around the middle it finally started to drag. I had hoped Mr. Daniels grew humble with his later life. Instead i felt he still had this elitest attitude. Still, the chapters were well written for a celebrity autobiography. Knowing what I now know of the author, I'd say read the chapters of his childhood, then donate the book when you get to his teen years.
An excellent collection on disney animation and essential to anyone looking to delve deeper into the style of animation. It is full of amazing imagery that jumps right off the stage. It also goes into the history of some essential animators in disney's early career. There are pictures on every page and chock full of information. It's a great book to read and a great book to flip through.
FantasticLand. An fictional amusement park in Florida where “fun is guaranteed!”. Everything was fine until Hurricane Sadie hit. Then it became a nightmare.
Told through a series of interviews, readers discover the grisly details about what actually happened during those 5 secluded weeks at the park.
This book is not for the feint of heart. It is downright disturbing, yet impossible to put down. It plays on your emotions and asks the ultimate question “What would you have done?”.
Did I miss something? So many 4-5 star ratings. Parts of this book were easily 5 stars, but I was never fully drawn into the book or the story. It reads like a book you're assigned in high school. Something that should be a huge classic, but either it went completely over your head or it's all fluff to make these writing teachers LOVE it.
To me, the paragraphs jumped around too much, the characters were unclear, and hard to keep track of. I didn't care for any of them. I was drawn into the time period and landscape. That portion was easily 5 stars. The story was very realistic and didn't try to cover up the harsh realities of life. Divorces happen, people change. for that I also give 4-5 stars. But what else happened? Someone is killed in the first chapter, then what? Ok. I see it's more about an old man recounting his life.. but then it switches to all these different characters and their lives/perspectives. What happened?! Maybe the point is ‘this is life'. And for that reason nothing really is supposed to happen. Maybe it's more about the after effects and how one person's actions can have such repercussions on everyone around them.
For such as short book, it just couldn't pull it together for me.
I would give this 3.5 stars.
Fairytale in the ancient world is a scholarly nonfiction book that looks at the the connections between modern fairy tales and ancient folk tales/mythology. Broken down, it's fascinating to see how stories like Cinderella, Snow White, and rapunzel all have ties to more ancient stories. The locations may differ but key parts of the story remain the same (Cinderella stories always center around someone who was wronged or downcast, they recieve help from a mythial creature/friend, they attend a ball of some fashion, and they get a happy ending. Sometimes they also get revenge on the people who originally wronged them.)
So why only 3.5 stars? The book is very scholarly. It's well researched, but at times was drab and hard to read. Many of the names started blending together. I often found myself saying “Who are they talking about now?” I'm not as well versed in folk tales as I thought I was. Many segments ended up going over my head. I had no point of reference. Additionally, the language is very scholarly, which makes it harder to read. Between the names and the grammar, it grew to be more of a challenge than an enjoyment.
Regardless, I found the original subject fascinating, and was surprised to see the connections between some classic fairy tales and ancient myths. It goes to show that we really don't know much about the topic at all. I'd love to see more research done on this, but written in a slightly easier to read format.
Well, tried to give it a chance, but this book is ridiculous and a waste of time. Terrible grammar.... curses in every other sentence (to be expected)... drugs in every other sentence.... (not surprising).... “Aliens have drained you....”.... yup... aliens.... Steven clearly lives in an alternate reality. He should stick to music, not book writing.