Hullo, there.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I hope you've had a marvelous week. Here are some books that I've rated, but not reviewed. Check out the first of these posts here. It's a great list! I'd definitely recommend these beauties. :]
Emissary
Thomas Locke
{GoodReads}
Hyam is a likeable lad who will make a fine farmer someday. But he carries a burden few can fathom. As his mother slips toward death, she implores him to return to Long Hall, where he spent five years as an apprentice. It was there that Hyam's extraordinary capacity for mastering languages came to light--and soon cast him into the shadows of suspicion. How could any human learn the forbidden tongues with such ease? When Hyam dares to seek out the Mistress of the Sorceries, her revelation tears his world asunder.
He has no choice but to set out on the foreboding path--which beckons him to either his destiny or his doom. An encounter with an enchanting stranger reminds him that he is part hero and part captive. As Hyam struggles to interpret the omens and symbols, he is swept up by a great current of possibilities--and dangers.
My Rating
Am awesome fantasy! I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up this story. It was so interesting and had me intrigued from the start. A bit graphic in some scenes regarding violence, so I would advise caution and recommend to readers 18+. It does contain a bit of wizardry and magic as well. Considered a Christian novel, and under the pseudonym of author Davis Bunn, it is rather clean for the most part, but very subtle regarding faith. Upon first impression, if I had not known it was from an author of faith, I would have thought it to simply be a clean, secular novel. This is not bad in any way! It was such an interesting, gripping read, that I would definitely recommend to all fantasy lovers!
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Right Ho, Jeeves
PG Wodehouse
{GoodReads}
Fans devoted to the master of comic fiction P. G. Wodehouse are legion. He represents an antic high point in the world of farce and social satire. Best known for the creation of two fictional worlds based on Blandings Castle and the Wooster-Jeeves gentleman-valet duo, Wodehouse is appreciated the world over for his exceedingly clever and comically savvy send-ups of the idle rich in Edwardian England.The series begins with two Wooster-Jeeves novels and one Blandings Castle novel. In The Code of the Woosters, it takes all the ingenuity of Jeeves, the gentleman's gentleman extraordinaire, to rescue his hapless and hopelessly obtuse young employer, Bertie Wooster, from the pickle of a plot to steal a silver jug from the home of an irascible magistrate. In Right Ho, Jeeves Bertie's old friend Gussie Fink-Nottle has fallen in love and, as usual, makes a hash of the affair until Jeeves comes to his rescue. Pigs Have Wings takes us to Blandings Castle, where a romantic comedy unfolds alongside the intrigue of the Fat Pig competition in Shropshire.With each volume edited and reset and printed on Scottish cream-wove, acid-free paper, sewn and bound in cloth, these novels are elegant additions to any Wodehouse fan's library.
My Rating
A hilarious classic! And one I would highly recommend if you enjoy the silly British humor of the early 1900s. Bertie and Jeeves are a lovable duo and I guarantee you will laugh aloud at their antics. While this one is said to be the sixth of the series, you can read them individually, in my opinion. While it has numerous uses of the words "d---" and "a--", (used in mockery and good humor, not as curse words) it is still a good read. I would recommend for ages 16+.
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Origin
Jessica Khoury
{GoodReads}
Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home―and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.
Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin―a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.
Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.
My Rating
This one is a futuristic tale. (I think. . .) And wow! It was so very intriguing. Pia is a lovable character. You will find yourself liking her spunk and feeling sympathy for her as she's stuck in a sterile prison. There are people who love her, of course, but science cannot show love. Only facts. And in this tale, science takes priority above life. Pia fights this, willing to give up all she's ever known for a brighter future. While she had been "created" for a purpose, and given a mission to begin a new race of immortals (thanks to the juice of a special flower), when she discovers the cost it took to get to where they are now, Pia must make a life-changing decision. But she could run out of time. . .
Written in first person, I really enjoyed this dystopian story. And I'd definitely recommend to all my friendlies! Keep in mind that this takes place in the Amazon, and when Pia is introduced to the natives there, she is also given an intro to their strange rituals. Other than that, it's pretty clean, if I recall correctly. Recommending to ages 16+.
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Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
{GoodReads}
Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.
My Rating
OK. I'd first heard of this story through Hiyao Miyazaki's film. And while it is a really strange and bizarre movie, I love it nevertheless! This book is no exception. Sophie is such a great character. She takes everything as it is and keeps plodding on. One of my favorite quotes: "She cackled again as she walked on. Perhaps she was a little mad, but then old women often were." Hahaha! LOVE it. Recommending to ages 14+.
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Have a lovely weekend, dearies!
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To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, and a book of rules,
And each must make, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
-Anonymous-