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This was a unique experience, there is so much more story to Narnia than I originally expected. The audio books I listened to all had different authors, the last battle was read by Patrick Stewart was a treat! There are some religious themes but with the high fantasy theme sometimes I barely noticed. C.S. Lewis has a interesting descriptive writing style where he compares fantasy in everyday kind of terms.
I also recommend reading them in Chronological order instead of publishing order. They mention some characters that would be a shame if you didn't know their significance.
The Magician's Nephew () I never even knew this book was written. It was a thrill to first meet queen Jadis and how Narnia first began.The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe () Classic story that I have seen and heard of many times and my first time reading was pretty fun. I like the movies a little better now after reading them.The Horse and his Boy () Good story, I felt like I wouldn't miss much if I left this one out.Prince Caspian () Exciting adventure with the return of Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy. My favorite character is Edmond and I'm happy to see him redeemed as an awesome character. “I left my new torch in Narnia”
Voyage of the Dawn Treader (**) Probably my favorite book in the series. I love when jerk character becomes likable, in this case Eustace becoming a dragon!!The Silver Chair () Good adventure, I was happy that is was an adventure with Eustace.The Last Battle () This was a darker tone than the rest of the Narnia books and I couldn't help but feel hopeless the whole time. [ Everyone dies! I feel really conflicted about the end because the writing was beautiful yet I can't believe that Susan is all alone. :/ (hide spoiler)]
You can pick up all of these books at the Colona Public Library. ~Ashley
ooof, it was kinda interesting but it took way too long and I got bored of waiting with no pay off.
The art in this was charming and I like the idea of a manga style art style being about the con-life style and artist alley creators!
I was really enjoying this as a middle grade read, but I was surprised when some adult situations would just sneak in...One of them being especially a serious topic. I would suggest this read to a bit more mature readers, perhaps young adult? [ There is a scene when they imply they've had sex in the hotel room. This scene was pretty mild. My big shock was when her boyfriend got drunk and tried to rape her. She got away safely, but there are no legal consequences to her boyfriends actions. This scene was a surprise to me because the whole book reads like it's for young audiences (hide spoiler)] This was not my favorite, but I see it's potential to be interesting and fun. There is no really set audience for this and I think that's why it lost my interest rather quickly. If this was dedicated J or YA read I think it would do better. ~Ashley
I was really impressed with Awkward by the same author and I highly recommend!
This is considered a classic by many and I can see why. It's not everyday you have a great graphic novel that shows the early days of batman learning how to hone his skills while having a great dynamic with Gordan early days as a cop. This is an incredible read with a costume and a badge type cat and mouse that share the same goal to keep Gotham safe. You can pick up this book at the Colona Public Library! ~Ashley
This seems to be a one shot book, it wraps up nicely at the end but left it open ended enough if more of the series happen to pop up. This came out in 2006 so I doubt there will be anymore but this ends pretty clean. I thought this was really cute with Superman and Shazam! bonding and talking, I like the characterization in this too even though it is short. Both Clark and Billy are sweethearts and seeing the end really breaks my heart. I love Superman so much as a role model and the ending is just a show of that Superman's character that I love to see. I will never get tired of how kind and trusting Superman is. ~Ashley
A charming book of poetry about the months and drinking chicken soup with rice all through the year! This is a perfect reading level for kids learning months in a humorous way. A fun thing to do with this book is read one once a month with the appropriate month. Also nice book I suggest when kids are sick because chicken soup becomes a necessity! ~Ashley
Did a audio book by NPR it was abridged for radio. This audiobook Thorin sounded like squidward and it was a riot imagining this.
Plan to find re-read full version, hopefully audiobook
A delightful story about a girl who wishes to change her families fortune. This book has beautiful style of illustration and has chinese folklore through out.
The story started out nicely but then only ended up being mildly interesting. If you love to dance you'll probably like this. The art in this book is very nice. ~Ashley
It was just like every other day until a trick magician came along and performed actual magic! I like to read the characters fates found themselves at the elephant and to find its true meaning.
If you have the opportunity to listen to an audio version of this book...DO IT! The narration was delightful and she made the BFG especially big and charming.
There is an important message of how to listen to people's meaning when they speak and not so much how they say it. Not to judge people on the amount of education they have because they can be just as observant as you and just as clever.
~Ashley
Inspired by [b:Where the Wild Things Are 19543 Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384434560s/19543.jpg 3020535] gives the story more background and really nicely portrays a world that you could imagine from the book. Max behaves like a kid and the monsters are complex and in their own ways behave like children.
I've never had braces, but I do fear about my teeth being knocked out or falling out (my family has a history of bad teeth so I try to take REALLY good care of mine) This book has actually calmed my fear a bit to see how much trust she puts in the dentists that help her rebuild her mouth after having her teeth fall out in an accident.
I'm also glad that I could connect so much with Raina through the story. Her middle school feelings are similar to mine and really finding a place to fit in when high school came. Also she's a totally geek like myself who's into creativity and video games!
I highly recommend this book to everyone, but to those going through dental work especially. ~Ashley
Good basics - not a fan of the writing style. I do not recommend audiobook, instead maybe a bedside night read.
The Illustrations are what really make this story work for me. There is a lot of care put into these graceful illustrations. The story is great on it's own about a young woman's adventures and family and then decides instead of marrying the Prince to continue on adventures for 5 years before marrying (if the Prince is waiting for her) If you like fantasy adventure or are interested in Irish culture I recommend this book. ~Ashley
I enjoyed reading this whole series in general, I liked some volumes more than others. But, I still think about this book sometimes. These books are dark themed and emotional.
Has a really interesting take on cannibalism, this book has a really solid start and I hope to catch up on it sometime.
This book is about the life of Arnold, a Native American that lives on a reservation. This is a coming of age story that has a ton of hardships but also a ton of heart. After reading it I have learned more about life on a reservation.
How to Train Your Dragon is one of my all time favorite movies and This book is a great to read and admire the art and hard work put into the film. I loved the parts about the lighting effects because it really is a overlooked detail that creates the mood of the film. I recommend this to any art lovers out there or fans of the How to Train Your Dragon series. ~Ashley
This I thought was an interesting story but my favorite part was the ending ( and not because it ended!) We have some boys that crashed landed on an island and have to survive. They have everything they need to live and there are no terrors or beast on the island except for themselves. This is a combination of things I like; The first being little boys with an imagination trying to form a society. I remember doing this as a kid by either playing survival games or even house where everyone has a role but also want to have fun and do their own thing. You can break away from these games and I think that's what some of the boys think it is because they can't break out of what has happened and may loose themselves in imagination. The second thing is that this book has a very powerful commentary and ideas about human nature and law. I was interested basically the whole book, I think I might have liked it better if I read it instead of listening to an audio book of it. The audio book was fine, It was read by the author which was cool. He would read it pretty calmly and I think that kinda took away from the dramatic moments. He did talk about his work and I enjoyed hearing his thoughts to the reactions of the book and the questions people would ask.
This was a dark read and I really did enjoy it!
My favorite part was the ending. [ When the boys see officer (basically the boys are at war in this part and the officer is also in a war. So in a way, what is the difference between savages and civilized world when there is still violence? ) they do end up getting rescued. This should be the happy ending to the book but all the kids are sobbing on the beach. This is the part that gave me chills. (hide spoiler)] ~Ashley
I've been reading a lot of non-fiction recently, so reading through this was VERY emotional. I wasn't quite prepared for it all. Did I cry in the car? Yes, I did.
Amir is a son of a wealthy man, and his best friend/ servant is Hassan. Hassan saves Amir from a beating from a bully, who is radical and a sociopath. He vows his revenge. Time passes and they fly kites together in a tournament. Amir is convinced if he brings back the last kite that his father will praise and love him. Something happens with the bully, [!!!WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT!!! Hassan gets raped by the bully. He did for Amir, so he could win his kite. Amir runs away because he is a small boy, doesn't know what to do and is overwhelmed. (hide spoiler)] This event haunts Amir his whole life he is filled with guilt. The tries to run away from the past. He grows older and still thinks of this event, but a travel back to his homeland has him face the truth. When he does not run he gets into a lot of danger trying to find Hassan's son.
This was a good book, I could perfectly visualize the scenes and the what the emotions convey through the entire book. It had some beautiful language, nicely written (even the emotional or suspenseful parts) I had no trouble keeping my attention on this book on my drive to Wisconsin. I read this book because it was on the banned book list for 2017, we celebrate banned books!
I highly recommend this book!~Ashley
A couple of warnings for people who need them or would like a heads up! Please click this spoiler to see the trigger warnings. [WARNING! There is sexual assault, violent scenes, and suicide attempt in this book. (hide spoiler)]
If you already know what Sarah Silverman's comedy is like you will love this book. For those who just pick it up this is a crude and raunchy type of humor, so be warned. The best part of this book were the chapters about her childhood. The rest of the book is good and it is more of her side of the story about more recent events or early career work. This book makes a great audio book, which is read by Sarah Silverman herself!
I've recently discovered I enjoy true crime. I finished all of Buzzfeed's Unsolved Series and It's pretty funny and they have some light takes and jokes about unsolved crimes and mysteries. This book is a bit more heavy. If you enjoy true crime I recommend it highly, otherwise if you are sensitive to violent subjects or have a weak stomach I would skip.
I've never heard of Robert K. Ressler before this book, which is surprising because it sounds like he's done a ton of important and useful work for the FBI. He clearly has a passion and fascination with serial killers. The interviews with the criminals are chilling and really interesting. Sometimes this books kinda feels like a vanity project, he seems a bit into himself. I understand he has to establish his credentials, but sometimes I feel he goes on a bit much. Once he actually gets to the meet of his subjects it really picked up for me. I was kinda hoping there would be some transcripts, but hearing about the cases and learning more about the killers of the past was extremely interesting to me. ~Ashley
The Hunger Games series is set in a dystopia society where lands are separated into districts and must do a lottery to decide who will fight to survive in a lethal televised event, called the hunger games. Change comes from a girl who only wanted to protect her family has to decide if she wants to be the symbol of revolution. Katniss has to make some tough decisions in this incredible thought provoking series.