Reader's Reactions: Jackaby

Hello Book Nerds!

          Three posts in three days!  It must be Christmas!  I wanted to get a second Reader's Reactions out so that readers could see another example in case they didn't like the first one.

          Today's book is Jackaby by William Ritter.  I saw this book on the shelf and the line in the blurb that caught my attention was "Doctor Who meets Sherlock".  I was sold.

          The story begins in 1890 when Abigail Rook arrives in New England in need of a job.  She soon runs into the eccentric R.F. Jackaby, an inspector of sorts who claims to be able to see the extraordinary.   When she realizes that the "extraordinary" includes supernatural beings that live hidden among us, she is instantly intregued.  With her own gift of noticing the ordinary but important details, she eventually convinces the strange man to hire her as his assistant.  With a household that includes a ghostly housekeeper and an intelligent duck in the attic, Abigail isn't entirely sure what she's gotten herself into.  She's soon swept away into her first case.  A serial killer is stalking the streets and the victims' deaths are preceded y the wails of a banshee that only they can hear.  Soon things get very dangerous as they must work with and around the authorities, including a handsome young policeman, in order to catch this killer that Jackaby is certain is not human.

EXPECTATIONS: 4 stars

REALITY: 4 stars

(NOTE: no major spoilers)

• The way they author describes Jackaby is so much like Benedict Cumberbatch that I laughed out loud.  The mention of the scarf reminded me of the fourth Doctor (from Doctor Who).
• Abigail Rook was a bit cliché at the beginning, but I began to see more and more similarities between her and Watson as time went on and she grew on me.
• I love the ghost that lives in Jackaby’s house!  She’s a great adaptation of Mrs. Hudson.
• The whole part about the banshee was really interesting.  I like how they went into the history that those kinds of stories came from.
• They really captured Jackaby/Sherlock’s quirkiness well.  He's serious, with just enough ridiculousness and childishness thrown in.
• The jar for bail money that Jackaby had ready was hilarious. 
• This was more like "Sherlock meets Supernatural" than "Sherlock meets Doctor Who".
• I think it’s adorable how Jackaby finally gets her her own “detective’s” notebook at the end when he accepts that she’s staying.
• There were plenty of cute funny moments.  I especially liked the ending, which comprised of a note Jackaby dictated to Abigail.  He gave a detailed and fascinating history of the tuning fork he was demanding be returned to him.  At the end of the note however, Abigail adds her own note of “Please give it back.  Jackaby’s being more annoying than usual.” (or something close to that).  So when they get the tuning fork returned with a note that says “I completely understand.” Jackaby is smug and Abigail is amused.  I thought it was a great ending.
• I can’t wait for more books about Jackaby!   The next one is called Beastly Bones and just came out this September.  I need to get on that!

          I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.  You don't have to be a Sherlock, Doctor Who, or Supernatural fan to enjoy it. 

Sincerely,

The Crazy Book Lady

Reader's Reactions: Howl's Moving Castle

Hello Book Nerds!

          This is the start of a new series of posts I've decided to start.  "Reader's Reactions" will contain a list of my own initial reactions, plus two scores out of five stars.  The first one is what I expected the book to score based off things like friend recommendations, the book blurb, online hype, etc.  The second score will be number of stars I believe it actually deserves after I finish reading it.  Now, these are my gut reactions.  If I'd gone back to examine the book more closely a second time, I might have different notes.  These are my own opinions.  So please don't blast me with hate angry comments.  Lastly, these posts will of course contain spoilers, so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
 

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          The first book in this collection is Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.  You may recognize the title from the famous Miyazaki movie adaptation.  I will admit that I saw the movie before I read the book.  I did compare the two in several of my comments because, let's face it, it's really hard not to.  But I also assessed the book as an independent story as well.

          For those of you who don't know, the main plot of the book centers around a girl named Sophie.  Since she is the eldest child in her family, she knows that she will never be the one to go off and learn magic or have grand adventures.  That sort of thing is reserved for the youngest children.  So she tries to be content working at her mother's hat shop day in and day out as her younger sisters either go off to find a husband or to learn magic.  Because of her loneliness she starts to talk to the hats she makes and it soon becomes apparent that her words may hold some magic of their own.  Eventually, through a series of events, Sophie finds herself cursed and turned into an old woman by a witch.  Deciding that she doesn't want her family to see her that way she sets off on her own adventure, eldest child or not.  Out in the hills she runs across the moving castle that has always terrified her home town.  It is said that a wizard named Howl lived there who would tear the hearts out of young girls and eat their souls.  However, Sophie decides that a wizard wouldn't want to eat the heart of such a withered old woman, so she enters the castle.  What she finds inside is nothing like what she'd imagined: a messy living space, a lazy and vain wizard, a young apprentice, and a secretive fire demon.  Her new-found age seems to have given her the courage and sass to create a new life for herself within this strange family.  Sophie soon establishes herself as the new cleaning lady and spends her days taking care of the other three castle inhabitants, learning magic, and trying to break spells.  With her new confidence and a little magic, her life has definitely become the adventure she thought she'd never have.

          Okay, here are the initial reactions that I had concerning this book:

EXPECTATION: 4.5 stars

ACTUAL: 2.5 stars

(WARNING: SPOILERS!!!)

• The first third of the book equaled most of the movie.
• Most of the text is explaining what’s happening.  Very little is dialogue or internal monologue.  I think the story would have been more interesting if there had been more of a balance between those elements.
• I was hoping that the book would explain more of the vague aspects of the movie.  It did a little bit, like what the spirit/falling star things were and why Howl swallowed it.  But there were many other things that were not explained.  And there were things that were even more complicated that weren’t in the movie.  I think I prefer the magical, if somewhat vagueness of the movie.
• This book seems to examine some of the tropes of the fairy tale genre.  They look at: the trend of the youngest of three siblings being the one to succeed or go on an adventure,  magical abilities being obvious to everyone (including the person who has them), it's only young protagonists that can succeed and thrive in a fairy tale, the wizard is always the wise and responsible character, plus many more.  The book takes these ideas and turns them on their head.
• The Lettie-Lettie-Martha thing was weird.  (I'd go into it more, but it's just really hard to explain.  You'll have to read the book!)
• The romance was so subtle that it was almost not there.  In the movie, by having Sophie revert to her younger self occasionally it made it more obvious.  I don’t know how Sophie fell in love with Howl in the book.  His kindnesses were so subtle that it was hard to notice them over his many flaws.  He seemed like more of a whiny, selfish child than anything else.  Supposedly he got better towards the end of the book, but it just barely.  I wouldn't have minded if they just didn't have them start to fall in love until the end of the book.  But the author made it sound like Sophie had been falling in love with him throughout the book and I saw almost no evidence of that.  It came as almost a surprise to me at the end (and I've seen the movie!).
• I miss the movie music.  Maybe I should have listened to it while I read.
• I liked how Sophie’s magical abilities were more pronounced and defined.  It seemed a bit easy though.  She just had to talk to things and want it enough.  I suppose that has to do with empathy and kindness though, which makes it harder and more unique.

          Well there you go!  

          Sincerely, 

          The Crazy Book Lady

             

The Lunar Chronicles: Review and Book Trailer

Hello Book Nerds!

          I know...  It's been months since I posted.  My excuses include: Spring quarter finals, summer job, excessively hard senior year classes, 3 clubs, and writer's block.

          Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series is a futuristic retelling of various fairy tales.  Cinder concentrates on a female mechanic named Cinder who is considered a second class citizen because of her cyborg status.  With a plague infesting the city, her evil stepmother volunteers her as a cure test subject.  With a prince, an evil queen from the moon, a sassy robot, and a too small cyborg foot, it is an interesting twist on a familiar fairy tale.

          Scarlet continues the story through the perspective of a red hoodie wearing girl named Scarlet who is searching for her kidnapped grandmother.  As the threat of the Lunar queen looms, she travels far and wide with a street fighter named Wolf.  Along the way she finds clues about the presumed dead Lunar princess that just may be the planet's only hope of escaping the evil Lunar queen's rule.

          Cress continues the same story line through young Cress' eyes.  She's a Lunar born without their usual powers.  Instead of being killed, she has lived in a satellite her entire life, working as an unwilling spy and hacker for the evil queen.  But now, she wants out and with Cinder and Scarlet's help, she might finally be free.  But then what?  They still need to stop the evil Lunar queen from marrying the prince and taking over Earth, and after a messy rescue attempt that separates the group, things aren't looking too good.

          Fairest was a prequel written between Cress and the final book in the series.  For the first time we really get to know the evil Lunar queen as we travel through her childhood and life as a young woman.  For the most part it is an interesting but disturbing look at Lunar culture and ideology.  Though you find yourself sympathizing with the future Queen Levana, you'll also find yourself shuddering at alien morals and a culture warped so badly that reality is almost impossible to determine.

          Winter is the final story in the Lunar Chronicle series and had only recently come out.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy yet.  From what I have found out though, it centers around the Queen's stepdaughter and Cinder's childhood friend, Winter.  On earth, there is a plan brewing that will hopefully place the missing princess on the Lunar throne and keep the earth from Queen Levana's clutches.  But will they be able to do it in time to save certain characters from death?


          Overall, the series has many interesting plot twists that keep the old stories fresh and captivating.  Filled with many suspenseful moments and just the right amount of edginess, this series is a good read for teens, young adults, and grown ups alike.

          Last Spring I took a class that focused on Young Adult literature and films.  Our end of the quarter project focused on a group project.  The book my group had was Cinder.  One of the things we did was create a book trailer and show it to the class.  I have gotten permission from my fellow actors and group members to post it here.  (Note: This is the longer version that we made after the class was over since the project had a time limit.)

          We had an amazingly fun time making this trailer!  I just want to thank my fellow group members again for being so creative, flexible, and wonderful to work with!  And an extra special thank you to Leif, who didn't have to give up his entire Saturday getting bossed around by three females while pretending to be a futuristic prince in a book he'd never read.  

          Once I started I had a hard time stopping, so I made a blooper reel containing some of our goofs.  If you'd like to watch us giggle and mess up, click on the link below.

Sincerely, 

The Crazy Book Lady

Dream High School Reading List

          Hello Book Nerds!

          As a college student majoring in English Literature with a Secondary Education Emphasis, I've often dreamed about creating book lists for High School curriculums.  So here is an opportunity for me to do so!  I've included books that my teachers had us read (both the ones I liked and the ones I disliked but learned a lot from) plus the ones I wish we'd studied.  I know this list is overly optimistic about the amount of time a High School English class would be allowed to allot to reading, but I can dream!  So without further or do, from Freshman year to Senior year, here is my dream High School reading list!

FRESHMAN YEAR:

1.  A Midsummer Night's Dream
(By William Shakespeare)

A unit on Shakespeare is just what is needed to start a high school experience off right.  So many students are taught from a young age that Shakespeare is extremely dull and difficult.  Proving them wrong and giving them a glimpse of how much fun Shakespeare can be is beneficial and will add to their reading skills.  Nearly all students will have to study Shakespeare at some point in their schooling career.  This play is a wonderful starting point.

2.  Romeo and Juliet
(By William Shakespeare)

Though I am not shy about my dislike of this particular play, it is unfortunately considered a classic.  I will admit that it has some literary merit, despite my dislike of it, and I know many people enjoy it.  Therefore I have added it to our Shakespeare unit.

3.  Much Ado About Nothing
(By William Shakespeare)
This is my all-time favorite Shakespeare play!  I know it is not as complex as many of his works, but Beatrice and Benedick are two of my favorite literary characters.  I love their witty banter!

4.  Shakespeare's Sonnets
(By William Shakespeare)

This would be a good way to transition into a poetry unit after Thanksgiving.  Perhaps there could even be a project to create a gift of poetry for a Christmas present.

5.  A Christmas Carol
(By Charles Dickens)

One of the best Christmas stories ever written!  This would be a nice one to have everyone take turns reading out loud.

6.  The Outsiders
(By S. E. Hinton)

Many students who dislike reading have been known to love this particular book.  I will not say I completely understand why, but anything to get more teenagers reading.

7.  Lord of the Flies
(By William Golding)

The book is very educational on the idea of a world without rules.  It is an interesting exploration of how a society, social classes, and superstitions are created.  I remember having an enjoyable time completing a project on this unit.  Others decided to created maps of the island, write poems, or to build game boards based off the characters and plot.  I chose to write a sequel to the book.  It was meant to be only a few pages long, but my over-achiever side took over and in the end it was somewhere around thirty pages.  I've never written horror before, and there were times that I scared myself while writing that story.

8.  The Hunger Games
(By Suzanne Collins)

I'm sure many people are surprised to see this book on the list.  However, I have several good reasons.  For one thing, I have a friend who's mother had her students do a unit on the book and it turned out very well.  Since it is such a popular series it is another great opportunity to convert teenagers into at least mild book lovers.  As for the literary merit, I think it would be absolutely fascinating to have discussions comparing the Hunger Games to today's social media and the gladiatorial games of ancient history.

9.  To Kill a Mockingbird
(By Harper Lee)

A wonderful classic!  A nice long book to end the year on.  Since Harper Lee is writing a sequel many students might be interested enough to add it to their summer reading list.  Watching the movie adaptation would be a good treat right before summer.  

SOPHOMORE YEAR:

1.  Animal Farm
(By George Orwell)
A shorter book full of amazing symbolism to start the year off.  It's a good classic to help study the genre of dystopian fiction.  I remember having this as required summer reading for my advanced English class.  I wish we'd come back and had more discussions about the political and societal themes in the book.  This would be a fun book to do some sort of art project with.

2.  Speak
(By Laurie Halse Anderson)
Speak is a young adult novel about a high school girl who's ostracized by her peers.  As a result she nearly stops talking all together and we get a good look at her internal thoughts during the school year.  The themes deal with some tough issues, but it's a book that just might convince students suffering from similar troubles to get help.  It also might draw the sympathy of potential bullies and show them that they can't know what kind of horrible things their victims have been through to make them the way they are.

3.  Hamlet
(By William Shakespeare)
What High School curriculum would be complete without this play?  My Senior English teacher had us watch a filmed version of the play to help us understand some of the subtler themes.  It's also a good one to read out loud.

4.  As You Like It
(By William Shakespeare)
To continue the mini-Shakespeare unit, we have my second favorite of Shakespeare's plays.  With the great mix of comedy and deep characters, I'd have the class read it out loud with each of them reading a part.

5.  Anne of Green Gables
(By Lucy Maud Montgomery)
I know this isn't usually on any of the curriculum, but this would be the perfect book for studying character.  There people in the story are so different and have such deep motivations and backgrounds that the students could probably pick one and write a whole essay on them.  Just think about the complexities of Marilla's character.  And come on!  Who can say no to that spunky, imaginative, red-headed Anne "with an 'e'"?

6.  The Hound of the Baskervilles
(By Arthur Conan Doyle)
Since Doyle was famous for hating his most famous creation of Sherlock Holmes.  It'd be interesting to do practice writing a research paper on this unwilling author.  Either that or it would be a good opportunity to do a genre study on mysteries and how the Sherlock stories both fit into it and influenced it.

7.  Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Speckled Band
(By Arthur Conan Doyle)
Doyle's Sherlock stories made a big impact on modern forensics and having two of them to compare would be very educational for the students.  (Plus this is one of my favorite Sherlock short stories.)

8.  Uncle Tom's Cabin
(By Harriet Beecher Stowe)
Here's a nice long classic to end the year with.  I'd make sure that we focused on the fascinating historical background of the book, as well as the huge influence it had once it was published.  The students could apply many of the things they'd learned over the year.

JUNIOR YEAR:

1.  Fahrenheit 451
(By Ray Bradbury)
Don't burn the books!  Since junior year can be so busy and exhausting, here's a little reminder for the students about what life might be like without books.  This dystopian story will remind them to be thankful for our freedom to think for ourselves.

2.  The Importance of Being Earnest
(By Oscar Wilde)
Okay, this is one of my absolute favorite pieces of literature!  The amazing satire and ridiculous antics of the characters never fail to make me laugh.  It's a wonderful one to be read out loud.

3.  And Then There Were None
(By Agatha Christie)
Just in time for Halloween, we get to read a tale by one of the best who-done-it writers of all time.  It might be an interesting study in character motives.

4.  Macbeth
(By William Shakespeare)
I know.  More Shakespeare.  But there are certain pieces that everyone should read at some point because Shakespeare is referenced so often in our culture today.  Macbeth is a great story that discusses the debate of fate versus choice.

5.  Little Women
(By Louisa May Alcott)
Many young men might groan when they see this on the book list, an unfair prejudice based solely on the title and the fact that the main characters are women.  It is one of the best stories of growing up and family ever written.  Both male and female readers can benefit greatly from this book.

6.  Little Men
(By Louisa May Alcott)
Little Women's sequel will at the very least make the boys stop complaining about the name.  However the themes are just as potent and beautifully executed.  Students will be able to compare and contrast the two books.  The broad range of character types in both books will ensure that all of the students have someone to identify with.

7.  The Book Thief
(By Markus Zusak)
This book is a great opportunity to examine the concept of the narrator.  For those of you who don't know, the novel is narrated by Death.  The power of words is an important theme in this World War II book about a foster child living in Germany.

8.  Pilgrim's Progress
(By John Bunyan)
Since this book is mentioned in Little Women, it's a good way to help clear up any questions.  It's also a wonderful study of analogy.


SENIOR:

1.   Of Mice and Men
(By John Steinbeck)
A sobering and moving classic, whether read in the play or the book version.  Another good study of characters.

2.  The Screwtape Letters
(By C.S. Lewis)
Screwtape, a demonic figure, writes letters full of detailed advice to Wormwood on how to undermine the Christian faith and promote sin in this complex and fascinating tale by C.S. Lewis.

3.  Pride and Prejudice
(By Jane Austen)
Nothing can rival the wit and brilliance of Austen's characters and lively plots.  The way she portrays the intricate interactions and relationships is definitely worthy of deeper study.  I dare any male student to scoff at the girlishness of this book after I'm done teaching it!

4.  The Odyssey
(By Homer)
Though this book is long and complicated, it's a wonderful reference for seniors to have under their belts for when they move on to college.  Students can study the Greek gods alongside this book, which are mentioned in hundreds if not thousands of other pieces of literature.

5.  The Oedipus Cycle
(By Sophocles)
A right proper Greek tragedy.  The concept of choruses and other aspects of Greek theater can be studied though this depressing yet classic tale.

6.  Jane Eyre
(By Charlotte Bronte)
Jane Eyre is often considered to be on top of the list of most influential and strong literary females of all time right next to Hermione Granger.  Along with themes of feminism and a look at class systems, Bronte gives us a heroine who has such a respect for herself that she's willing to give up everything in order to stay true to herself.

7.  The Hobbit
(By J.R.R. Tolkien)
I think this would be a great treat to end the year and high school in general with.  There are plenty of great literary merits and interesting lessons to be got from this book.  But more than anything, it's a good reminder that reading for pleasure can be extremely fun as well as beneficial.

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          There we are!  Four entire years of reading!  Hopefully this would make proper, lifelong bookworms out of them!  

          Here is a quick list of books that I was forced to read or that are popular in curriculums that I intentionally didn't include for one reason or another:

1. Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
4. The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
6. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
7. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
10. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
11. My Antonia by Willa Cather
12. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

          Thoughts?  Opinions?  Books you liked?  Books you didn't?  Books you though I should have included?

Sincerely, 

The Crazy Book Lady