Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

 This is a super cute book that is for anyone wanting to read something sweet. 

Written in letters after the end of WWII, the story is about a woman named Juliet who gets a letter from a man on Guernsey who came into possession of one of her old books by Charles Lamb. They begin correspondence and she finds out that in order to deal with being occupied by Germans during the war, this small group of odd neighbors begin a literary society--with an interesting story as to how it started and its name. The Society has continued on after the war and from the society begin to open up about their experiences in the war. Juliet was also a writer for a local British news paper and wants to write a book with their collection of letters. Of course, Juliet has her own life back in London, men, writing, friends, post-war happenings. 

It is a great story with full characters, many of them with fascinating stories. This is one of the best parts of the books. So many different people with different points of view, with different happenings, ways of coping with trauma, and different ways of being heroic in times of difficulty. 

I also greatly enjoyed the romance part of it. Rich American guy who is charming and witty and a lowly country boy from Guernsey. A little love triangle without being high school dramatic. They are adults here and act as such, for the most part. It wasn't heavy on the sappy romance, which was good, but there was sweetness and a comedy about it. 

There isn't really anything that I dislike about it. It was written well. However, the audio book that I listened to for it was misleading. The gentleman they had voicing the younger men wasn't that young sounding. So the younger men sounded like they were in their sixties instead of late twenties, early thirties. When she started liking a certain person, I was concerned that she liked the oldest gent in the literary society. It wasn't until I looked at the Netflix cover that I realized, "Oh, he's much younger" which was a relief. 

I very much enjoyed it and will reread it again. I've also heard the Netflix movie did it justice, so I'm going to be taking a look at that soon. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a very large book. Sometimes they can be intimidating, but I've found that often the large books are some of the best. (Brandon Sanderson is a great example of this.)

Harry is distraught. After witnessing the murder of a friend and fighting Lord Voldemort himself and having the whole wizarding world calling him a liar, he has every right to be. His summer is silent and no one is telling him anything. He joins his friends at Sirius Black's house and finds out there is an Order of the Phoenix that he's been left out of as well. Then when he gets to school their new D.A.D.A teacher is psycho. No answers. No Dumbledore. No help. No hope. This year really sucks. 

The characters are amazing here. I don't know of any fan base who simply hates a character as much as they hate Umbridge. Professor Umbridge is hated beyond any fictional character I know (except for maybe"F-Moash" from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.) She is one that we obviously just detest and some consider more of a villain that Voldemort. 

I think Rowling did a great job at showing that Harry was angry. #Angst or what have you. I remember hearing about how this was a bad book because Harry was constantly complaining and angry. They blamed it on Rowling being pregnant and therefore hormones coming out in her writing. I don't believe it's credible--if she was pregnant during that time, I don't think her hormones made Harry hormonal, he had his own problems (and teenage hormones) to worry about. Yes, he was angry. Yes, he felt like he had no one to confide in or that was willing to confide in him. He felt alone. He'd just seen death and been called a liar by everyone and everything that had lips aside from his friends and members of the Order who aren't telling him anything. Harry is going through a depression and instead of closing up, which he sometimes does, he lashes out. He's getting beat down from every side and feels like he can't get up, though he keeps trying. Rowling did it well. Depression, anger, misunderstanding, hate, fear, they are all things that are prominent here but realistic. It's sad Harry lashes out at his friends who are only trying to help him, but "they don't understand" and it makes it hard on everyone. 

Just as the books are, the plot is thickening here. More and more things are happening and lots are going on behind the scenes. 

I think it's very well written and the characters help pull this one through. 

Elantris

While Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite author, Elantris is not my favorite book. Good book, especially towards the end, but not my favorite.

The city of Elantris was once a shining beacon to all the surrounding countries. The walls glowed. The people glowed. They had magnificent powers to heal, to teleport, to do anything it seemed. They were Gods! Until they weren't. Suddenly, one day, Elantris fell. It darkened and the Elantians seemed almost like zombies. Their hearts stopped beating, their hair fell out, their bodies covered with bruise-like abrasions, and they stopped glowing. The Gods fell.

Ten years later, people still enter Elantris but only those who have been touched by the Shoad. Those who would have turned into glowing Elantians now turn into bodies that have died who's minds haven't realized their dead. Prince Raoden wakes up on morning and finds that the Shoad has taken him and he is forced to go to Elantris where the dead walk. Princess Sarene travels from her home country to marry Prince Raoden only to find his funeral happening later that day with her marriage binding and complete. She is married to a dead man she's never met. (Hooray for her.) Hrathen also come to the city just outside Elantris with orders to convert all of the heathen and do so before three months or his home country will come to slaughter them all. Not happy prospects for anyone.

Between political intrigues, survival, and crazy priests the people of Kae have their hands full, whether or not they know it.

I found that buy the end of the book I really like all of the characters. Raoden was the one that got me through the slower parts toward the beginning. Hrathen was a very intriguing character because of the internal battles he ended up fighting and I did enjoy his playing with Sarene in their own verble chess matches.

This book was one where you had to jump into it and start treadding. Brandon is much better at this in Mistborn and is far more quick at it. Some people said that you can maybe skim through the first half and by the time you get to about 55% to 60% really start focusing, and I found that to be pretty much the case.

Especially toward the beginning, I was very confused to the whole bunch of characters that were thrown at me and I wasn't sure who I was supposed to be remembering. They seemed to be just names that flew past my eyes in a blur. It took a good portion of the time to get people fully impressed in my brain or even figure out who they were for the most part. Kiin was easy and Roial easier later on, but many of the others were hard.

I think Elantris, the place, is a very interesting one full of mystery. I think that is why I liked Raoden so much. The people he interacted with and the city itself drew me in very much. The Aeo's were interesting and as we went on they made far more sense, though they were still simple.

I did have some questions toward the end. It is part of the Cosmere so "There is always another secret." If you have more questions, check out coppermind.net and it should help you out a lot. Though Spoilers, you are warned.

This will be one that I'll reread again probably because I missed a lot and it took me forever to actually complete the read. (Life can suck at times.)

Saint Anything

Saint Anything is a good book and this audiobook has a good reader.

Sydney has always lived in her brother's shadow. When he started doing drugs and getting drunk, her parents had eyes only on Payton and the drama he was dragging their family through. When he ended up hitting a kid with his car after being out drinking, everything changed. And nothing changed. Payton went to jail and everything stayed Payton oriented. Sydney was, as she had been for years, invisible. The good kid. The kid with good grades and always kept her nose clean. Nothing to worry about, so easy to forget.

She then makes the decision to change high schools. She was known as "Payton's sister" never actually Sydney and desperately wanted to not have that stigma. There she finds friends that dissipate the monotony and feels seen for once. Sydney finds that she likes it.

I really liked Sydney and the individuality of all the other characters. It's actually pretty hard to find a good young adult novel with parents being prominent characters that aren't just "my parents" or "the evil bad guys who never want me to have fun" let alone parents who have personalities are individuals with their problems and equal strengths. It's even rarer to find parents in YA novels who actually get along and have each others back. This was nice to see that change where everyone, not just the teens, are real people who have wants and ambitions that go beyond the scope of the plot line of the novel.

The setting that they are in are the same for Sarah Dessen's other novels and characters make appearances from other stories. Seaside Pizzeria makes its appearance in Sarah Dessen novels as well. They are fun little easter eggs that she lays around.

I think one of my favorite things is when the cover and title finally make sense. Those little light bulbs that go one were very pleasing even if one of them took to the end for me to finally get. That was probably my fault. I also very much like it how her books, like this one, come full circle. Practically every loose end is tied and the metaphors she uses work well for the story she is creating. Finding the carousel and the sinkhole and even the thrift stores and valuable things that some people have either lost, given away, or forgotten runs powerfully through the story.

The predictability of the book was kind of sad. I knew what was going to happen long before it did, but it was still satisfying nonetheless.

I love Sarah Dessen's books for the characters and metaphors she uses. They are both always strong. The hopeless romantic in me loves the romance that takes place too. It makes it a fun, enjoyable read, that are often different and give voice to someone who is searching for their own.

Please enjoy.

Chibi Vampire AKA: Karin

Chibi Vampire other wise known as Karin is the story of an un-vampire.

Karin is a strange young girl not only in the human world where she has the occasional nosebleed and is considered sickly at times; but also in the vampire world where she doesn't bite people to suck their blood, instead she bites people and gives blood. She can also walk around in sunlight, doesn't have the heightened senses a normal vampire does, and can't wipe people's memories as needed after biting someone. All in all, she is strange.

Things seem to run smoothly in the Marker household with Karin going to school and the rest of her family staying up all night, until a transfer student enters the class. Karin finds that her blood level increases quickly and nosebleeds happen more often when ever she is around Kenta Usui. In him she's found her bloods affinity, the type of emotion her body yearns to bite. When they bite a person normal vampires suck that emotion out. So if a person is super stressed and a vampire bit that person they would become stress free for a short period of time. This could be considered helpful and kind of a cool take on vampires. It is a 14 volume series so after she finds out how to cope with Usui, her grandma wakes up, and a new girl comes into town looking for the Markers and a specific vampire in their family.

I think it is a very well thought out and well done story. The overarching plot was interesting and cute, engaging and hysterical at times. I love the family dynamic throughout the series and the ending kind of had me angry. I really liked the epilogue episodes. They satisfied me enough to accept the decision that the writers made. The Marker family was full of fun, intersting characters with their own personality that rounded the family.

If you have enjoyed the anime before you read the manga, that's great. But know that the manga and anime are vastly different. The anime derails from the manga after only a few episodes. Sadly Winner St. Clair makes no appearance in the manga. This fact made me very sad. But the manga is really good and I do recommend it. An oldie but a goodie.

Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules

Delilah Dirk is one of my favorite people. Top 5 favorite characters from anything I've read. Easy. I was so excited to see than Tony Cliff wrote and illustrated another one of her adventures. It is definitely on my "I will buy ASAP" list.

Delilah is nearly always after some type of treasure, unless she is helping someone she likes--which often has some type of treasure or something along side it because she's picking on a bigger bruit than the guy that needs help. *breathes* While helping a bunch of sailor into a harbor, Delilah Dirk style, she meets a European with a tale of treasure. Not only do they find a slew of it in an unknown cave not far away, but also a clue to a larger horde and bigger price. Delilah doesn't turn down a challenge. Mr. Selim, Delilah, and the European writer (who ends up chronicling their tale) start their Indiana Jones-style archaeological dig.

Delilah is fantastic. At one point she is in jail, again, chipping away at the wall with a rock. The jailer looks down at her and asks what she's doing, she promptly states "Escaping" which she does. Awesomely!

I also love the way Mr. Selim and Delilah work together. It appears that by now they have done so many things together that they rely on each other (though not super heavy, they are their own people after all). I also really like the way he tells a general off. That was fun and I want more of it.

I also felt so sad at the very last picture in the back of the book. So sad... I loved the little boop she gave. It hurt my heart.

The artwork is beautiful. The adventure is fun. And I really want to read it again, even after just finishing it.

P.S. I'm going to be Delilah for Halloween and it is going to be awesome. More people should know Delilah Dirk. No, no, no, everyone should know her. She's just fantastic.

Edgedancer

As a side story (novella) to Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, as expected, it was a joy to read.

We were first introduced to Lift (one of Brandon's favorite characters) in the second book in the Stormlight Archive series, Words of Radiance, in the interludes between the normal chapters. As soon as I read about how "awesome" she was, I fell in love with her.

This is Lift's story starting with some interlude chapters from WoR, but then continues after she leaves the Azir palace. She heads to Yeddaw a very peculiar city dug into the ground. Why she is there, we don't really know until the end and she really figures it out herself. Not only is Lift there with her Voidbringer Wyndle, but Darkness is in the city for some reason and Lift sets herself on a mission to find out.

This is a very small book also found in the Arcanum Unbound compilation of stories. It was a quick, short read only really taking two in-story days. But when it comes to Brandon a short story always ends up turning into a small 200 page book *smiles* and we are happy to have so much.

Lift is one of Brandon's favorite characters (he says so at the end of this story) and she is one of mine too. I find her funny and childlike, deeming her radiant powers as "awesomeness" because she doesn't know anything else to call it. Some people, I know, get rubbed the wrong way by this, so it is up to you if you like her but I think she's a doll.

This world is a small part of Roshar and Brandon gave a chance to explore more of this world that we won't get while reading through the Stormlight Archive because of lack of screen time. Roshar is thought out and very well developed. Each culture is vastly different with their own pros and cons and quirks which makes it real.

I think the part that I enjoyed, almost, the most is that we get to see changes in the characters as they are working through their own internal struggles. Not just Lift as she's coping with growing older, but other important character to all of the series. This book covers a jump that happened to particular characters that were brushed over in Oathbringer, so this book gave more of an explanation.

It can be read on it's own, but there will be references to other important things that might fly over the readers head if unacquainted with the Stormlight Archive. It's possible, but you end up missing out on a lot. For those who don't want to read all 1100 pages each of the Stormlight Archive, if you wanted to read this and get a taste of Roshar, read it. Enjoy it. Then pick up The Way of Kings because you'll like that one too.

In the end, there was more screen time for Lift and Wyndle, whom I love and enjoy reading about.

Words of Radiance

Words of Radiance is the second book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive. This is my second readthrough of it and found I enjoyed it even more.

"Now that Kaladin is working for Dalinar, Dalinar and Adolin are safe, Shallan has become Jasnah's ward, they've found out that the Almighty is dead as has been for quite a while, and so many other things, here is where they finally all get together. The book cover says: "Six years ago, the Assassin in while killed the Alethi king, and now his prime target is Highprince Dalinar. Kaladin is in command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial post for his low status, and must protect the king and Dalinar, while secretly mastering remarkable new powers linked to his honorspren, Syl. Shallan bears the burden of preventing the return of the Voidbringers and the civilization-ending Desolation that follows. The Shattered Plains holds the answer, where the Parshendi are convinced by their war leader to risk everything on a desperate gamble with the very supernatural forces they once fled." (Blurb from goodreads.com) It is a much better way to sum up than I could without giving too much away. 

Ah, I enjoy this series so much. This book and Way of Kings, are books I go back to all the time in my head. The scenes and images are so lush and vibrant that they have stuck with me and made me want to read certain passages when I'm in the midst of reading other things. They creep up into my thoughts saying, "This is a great part. Let's play it over again. We should probably read the book again. Yes, it's big, but it's fantastic." The writing is beautiful, as always, where it is so easy to get sucked in and forget that you are reading a story instead of living it. 

I love the characters in here. All of them. Kaladin and Shallan progress so much throughout both of these books. Shallan is given her flash backs in this story and her background is so sad. Not only is her family secretly in dire straits because of the broken fabrial, but we learn it is also because of the tyranny which their father reigned over them. We learn far more about her brothers and their dealings than I expected we would. Shallan also grows very much in a way I didn't expect her to do making her appear very different from in the first book. I've heard reviews that they didn't like Shallan's character development and that Sanderson wrote her so than she is nothing like her self in the first book. I see their point, but I disagree. Which she is very much different and there is a definite point of shift I can see the logical trial of her actions. It isn't out of character so much as expanding a new ability we didn't know she had. As a Lightweaver, she is able to make illusions after she has drawn them. Which means she can change things around her as well as herself. She takes on different disguises throughout the story and impersonates others. Our shy little Shallan starts to take more control of herself and her surroundings and changes them as she needs. But then she still has the ability to be herself. Through these different people she becomes she finds herself a little more. She sees herself in many of the characters she portrays. Which this journey I don't believe is complete (there are still three more books in this particular series), she has found probably a first destination on her journey on truly facing the things of her past that honestly haunt her. 

Pattern, whom we are introduced to as Shallan's spren, is cool. I like him for his childish curiosity and trying to understand that things that are around him. He is very much like Syl though he is more calculative and loves Lies while Sly is a bit more flighty. (Pun intended.) I've seen costume portraying what Pattern would look like (such as here ) which are really phenomenal. 

I really enjoyed the progression of Adolin throughout the book too. While he's not making giant leaps and bounds, it was fun to see more of him and I can't wait for Oathbringer to really see how he gets out of his mess that he made at the very end of the book. When I read it the first time, I didn't like it at all. That fact that he did what he did made me very angry, but through this re-read I am more understanding to what he did. (I also started reading Oathbringer a little and have found that he is concerned about what he did and when if finally comes out, because of course it will, people will be angry but they will also be understanding.) 

There will be one part that makes every reader kring (you'll know it when you get to it) because of what Kaladin does in the moment. After a glorious fight defending Adolin, he does something very stupid to get back at Amaram and it backfires drastically. It was stupid and you will have to get over it. Sorry. But I think that shows Sanderson as a good writer. He knows and we, as the reader knows, that what he is about to do is stupid but he is willing to let his characters be stupid when they are blinded by one thing or another. We all do that because we are human and Kaladin does that because he is human too. 

All of the characters are amazing in their own right. Sabriel is one of my favorites and Lift is downright hysterical with her "awesomeness." Lift has her own short story, because she is so well loved and fantastic will be one of your favorites because of how funny she is. Her poor spren. 

The plot and flow of the story was different than Way of Kings because Dalinar gives us a count down. There are only sixty-something days until something bad happens. How do they prepare? How can they go about saving humanity? Can they even stop it? How do they get the princes to follow him before this Everstorm comes?  

As the characters start really meeting up with one another, connections are made and which means things move forward and they take steps back at points. One of my favorite chapters/scenes/developments was when Shallan and Kaladin are dropped into one of the chasms and they are forced to work together to find a way out. But of course nothing can go easily and awesomeness ensues. 

In the end, I love it all, even the kringy parts. It was well written and beautiful. I am going to step away from Roshar for a bit because this was such a big endeavor and will be reading something a bit more light before I try to tackle Oathbringer though it will be forthcoming. I hope you enjoy this book. 

Perfect Scoundrels

Perfect Scoundrels is the last in the Heist Society novels by Ally Carter and can I say that this is the perfect ending for the series. I would wish with a large portion of my heart that she would do a sequel series to this, because it was just amazing.

It starts off with Hale ditching Kat and the rest of her crew while on a heist with no explanation. Slightly irked at her boyfriend, Kat finds out that Hale's great-grandmother passed away and in her will gave everything to him. This boy of 15 (?) has now inherited his family's entire billion company. Overwhelmed by the death of his only relative whom he actually liked and liked him back as well as this new responsibility, Hale becomes distant from Kat and the rest of her family.

Then suddenly Marcus, the ever present and always watching manservant to Hale, gives Kat a job. The will that gave Hale the entire fortune is a fake. So Kat and the rest of her crew have to find the real one and the person behind it. There are sinister things hidden in all the Hale's closets and we soon find out many of them.

This book was fantastic. As I said, a perfect ending to the series. In the previous books we were given bits and pieces of Kat's whole family, and there are a lot of them. It is her biggest heist yet and needs everyone in on it. It was fun to go back and visit the London and the same museum they stole from in the first book along with other small heists throughout the story to get to the ending with the biggest con of them all.

Her characters have been consistent throughout the whole of the series, which is really good considering I've read a few where characters personalities change from chapter to chapter. While consistent, they do grow as the stories have progressed. Their are real arguments and debates on whether Kat and Hale will stay boyfriend/girlfriend. They show emotion and at one point almost had me in tears. I love the way they banter back and forth, giving amazing names to different styles of heists that they could use to accomplish their end game. They all have their own different personalities which keep the book alive.

I do wish there was more setting. I'm a sucker for a good bit of imagined setting or fun descriptions about the places they are in. But what it lacked for in setting, it made up for in a fantastic heist story that constantly had me turning pages. It lit up my very grey week with its humor and characters while still keeping it within the realm of reality.

It also weighs heavy on family. The importance of family and sticking together. Also that sometimes the best families are the ones you don't share blood with, though other times blood relations are just as amazing too.

I'd recommend this series to anyone who is looking for an upbeat, fun book.

Shadows of Self

Can I just say "Poor Wax, can't the guy get a break?" The things writers put their characters through--I'm guilty as well in this.

Shadows of Self is the sequel to Alloy of Law. In the Mistborn: Era II series by Brandon Sanderson, we follow Wax and Wayne, constables in the large city of Elendal as they hunt down a mysterious figure who killed many more than a handful of corrupt Lords and Ladies. But as they continue on in this investigation then kandra make their debut and change things dramatically in their hunt, though Wax feels more like the prey because their villain is always three steps ahead of them.

I loved this book. The characters are so well developed and Sanderson takes us back, in reference, to other characters that have long since died but were part of the first Mistborn series. Harmony is funny and I'm glad he's been able to stick around from the first series because I always enjoyed seeming him progress. If he can progress as Harmony too, I'd be really interested to see that. They are all so human. They have their quirks; they have their ticks; they have their faults. And I love them all. Well maybe not Steris at this point, but I've been told that I will love her. So we will happily go to book three as soon as I can get my hands on one. :D

It is so hard to go from reading a Brandon Sanderson novel to anything else. It all seems to so childish and unfinished, not quite as polished--even those authors who have written many books and have the experience.

Way of Kings

Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite author.  There are very few authors that I tell my friends and patrons, at the library I work at, that they need read. While fantasy isn't everyone's cup of tea, which I understand, Sanderson takes a lot of elements from other genres and makes masterpieces. The Way of Kings is probably the best example of this.

If you're not up to reading a thick book, I'd suggest finding another one of Sanderson's books to read. The Way of Kings is a little over 1200 pages long, with its sequel being even longer. You will get captivated and mesmerized by the world and characters Sanderson has created here.

The story revolves around four or five main characters, depending on how you want to define "main." Kalladin, a former soldier turned slave has found himself in the useful death row; he's a bridgeman for Lord Sadaes on the Shattered Plains. No one lasts long as bridgeman, but somehow he does. This windspren won't leave him alone; is he going crazy? Maybe. But everyone around him is dying, just like they have before, and he's the only one that stays alive.

Brightlord Dalinar, who in his younger years was a warlord and combined the surrounding Principalities into a great nation with his brother--who was assassinated six years previously, has suddenly become a philosopher of the older ways. Before warfare and soldiering wasn't the highest Calling you could have, the philosophies he's listening to speak of peace and unity. But this is not the way of his people; his fellow Brightlords and his sons watch him lose his mind especially now that he is having visions of the past? Of the Future? What are they? Can he still save his family, his name while still pursuing these strange ideals?

Shallan, a naive, little red head comes to the big city looking to be a ward to the heretic Jasnah--sister to the new king and niece to Dalinar. But becoming a ward is not the only thing she is searching for. She's found herself in the position of amatuer thief that Jasnah has in order to save her family from ruin.

All of these characters, plus a few that world jump from other of Sanderson's stories (Hoid being one of the favorites), mingle, fight, banter, and survive through strange means that are beautifully woven and deeply understood as the story progresses. The reader crosses the world, slipping from character to character in interludes and main plot lines, and discovers interesting cultures that are so very different from each other. The cultures make you want to learn more, even by themselves.

The Stormlight Archive, with the first book being the Way of Kings, is a masterpiece. The reader can tell that Sanderson has spent years thinking, rethinking, writing, and rewriting these books and their connection to the Cosmere (Warbreaker, Emperor's Soul and Elantris, Mistborn, Well of Ascension, and Hero of Ages and the sequel series Alloy of Law, Shadow of Self, and Bands of Mourning, White Sand, and a bunch of short stories that you can find at the Coppermind Wiki for all of Brandon Sanderson's stuff). There is so much going on in these books that you have to go back and reread them again--this is my second time through Way of Kings and I caught things I definitely didn't the first time around.

I think my favorite part of Sanderson's writing is the detail he takes to help the reader understand the magics, cultures, and characters that he has created. There isn't so much detail that you get  bogged down too much (this book is 1200 pages so there is a lot of detail there), but there is enough for us to understand what is going on.

My only sad comment is that you have to make sure you have the time to sit down and read it. My first time through Way of Kings took me a week of nonstop reading and probably neglecting  my family. This time it was three weeks of fairly consistent reading. But I know that if you read slowly, you will have to dedicate a lot of time and effort into reading and finishing the novel. You may have to give it a few tries, but keep your bookmark in it. Come back to it. Don't give up entirely because it is a fantastic book.

The setting is amazing. The characters are wonderful. The writing is excellent. If you want to be consumed into a novel, read Way of Kings.

Howl's Moving Castle

"Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones

For those of you who didn't even know that "Howl's Moving Castle" was a book but loved the movie, I think you'll like the book. For those who have never heard of either one, you should read and watch the movie. It doesn't matter which one you find first because they are vastly different, and not different in a bad way. They both have their pros and cons but they both make for an entertaining story.

Sophie is the oldest of three sisters and therefore can't do anything with her life except take over the hat shop that her family owns. She blames all of her mistakes on the fact that she is the oldest by saying "It all comes from being the eldest" and what's funny is that she ends up trying to help but messes up all the time--sad but funny.

She has a curse put on her by the evil Witch of the Waste which makes her turn her from her young, teenage self to a 90 year old woman. Quickly she escapes the city in order to seek her fortune--which goes very awry because "it all comes from being the eldest." Sophie runs into the heartless Wizard Howl and his moving castle and ends up joining the little family when she makes a contract with the Fire Demon Calsifer--if she can break his spell, he will break hers. This leads to much mayhem and lots of laughs as they try to find the King's brother and Royal Wizard who have gone missing.

I greatly enjoyed the book and love the movie. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that this is the first book in a series of three that Diana Wynne Jones has written with Sophie, Howl, and the other characters in the book. Sophie is an amazing character that quickly grows on you and even though Howl is "heartless" he is very kind. It was also a joy to find out that Sophie is a witch herself and does her own witchcraft--this doesn't really happen in the movie.

Super fun book and I will probably read it to my kids when they get old enough. ;)

Speak

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson is by far my favorite Young Adult novel I've read. I enjoy rereading this book and remember why I like it.

There are many reasons why I enjoy this book is due to many things. The writing style, the characters, the plot. Laurie Halse Anderson creates a setting that, I believe, realistic to the circumstances. This is also a book that I think every teenager, or even pre-teen, needs to read and it would make them better--better at dealing with friends who have gone through a traumatic event, hopefully better prepared at parties, better at speaking up for themselves or coming to terms with hardships.

Without giving too much away and using spoilers, Melinda Sordino calls the cops at a party before her Freshman year of high school. None of the party goers know why, but many of them got arrested and harsh feeling abound.

Melinda ends up walking home friendless and silent.

The story starts with her first day of school and her dealing with the her reasons for beings silent and the ridicule of the other students. Her old friends, as in most transitions from middle to high schools, find their own groups and cliches. Her "ex-best friend" doesn't speak to her at all, though her other two good friends aren't nearly as hostile. She finds solace in her art class where she can express herself via the assignments she's been given by her art teacher, Mr. Freeman. Melinda also finds a single friend, Heather-from-Ohio, who is a busy body and tries to get Melinda to get into the many clubs and groups that are around the school. There are very few others, in Melinda's eyes, that are even remotely kind to her. Her relationship with her parents is dysfunctional, like most YA literature out there.

Over the course of the school year she finds a way to speak up for herself as she starts to deal with what has happened to her.

The novel is written in first person giving us the impression of Melinda's thoughts. Melinda, in any other circumstance, would have been a talkative, sarcastic teenager and that comes through the narrative. There are conversations written on the bathroom stall wall between the girls, some of the teachers aren't given names, such as "Hairwoman"--her English teacher--for obvious reasons. Much of Melinda's character development happens through the unspoken narrative of the novel which is comical at times and rather thought provoking at others.

I find the characters to be very realistic. The conversations and feels of high school are very real and are portrayed well. Melinda, though practically mute throughout the story, has a lot to say.

There is also a lot of symbolism that can be drawn out of the art that she draws and the trees around her house. The metamorphosis that Melinda feels comes through her art in strange yet awesome ways. I particularly love the way Mr. Freeman is portrayed throughout the story and how he helps her find her voice and come to terms with what happened to her.

They have made a film adaptation that is worth the watch as well. I highly recommend it! It stays fairly close to the book. The actors and actresses that star in it work incredibly well together and in the characters they portray.

Again, I'll say it: I loved this book. It was published in 1999, and for the last decade and a half it has been taught and read by probably close to millions of readers. This is a beautiful piece.  I hope you enjoy it and much as I have.