Mirrorscape

by Mike Wilks

Grade: All right
Story: Boy becomes apprentice artist in a strange world where you can travel into the paintings. He has two friends who go with him on a dangerous adventure.


It was certainly different and imaginative, and I believe well written. Maybe I would have liked it more if I were younger. Although some things I think would always have freaked me out somewhat, like the house that looked like a person, and the weird animal mixes. Certainly not my style of art, at any rate.

But I liked the positive portrayal of a priest! (The equivalent of a Catholic one too, I think. Although this is a different world.)

Gods Behaving Badly

by Marie Phillips

Grade: Unfinished
Read: To the beginning of the second chapter.

Because it was there that there began to be Content. Notice the capital letter. I was really quite disappointed, because the first chapter was excellent.

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

by Rudolf Besier

Grade: To Own

Awesome little play. I promptly added it to my list of books that make me very interested in historical characters. And my list of wanted books.

I wished there was more, though. I liked all the brothers, but they only appeared as a huge set of men all together. Except the one who stuttered. But they had interesting names and everything! Septimus, Octavius, ... well, those were the only really interesting names, but still!

And her father was creepy. I'm glad to read on Wikipedia that E.B.B. was actually very religious, because in this book, the only person portrayed as being particularly religious is her creepy father.

Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

Grade: Good

Wow.
Depressing.
In a good way.

The Changeover

by Margaret Mahy

Grade: All right

I was hoping it would be better. These two characters were one of the favourite romantic couples of someone who also loved Eugenides and Attolia, Kitty and Freddy, and Sophie and Howl. So I did have hopes. And it wasn't only because the tension of not knowing wasn't there either. Partly it was the sexy aspect of it.
I did like Sorry's name, though, and his stuttering. And it was definitely well written. I easily got through it despite my not great liking for the central romance.

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

Grade: All right

SPOILERS

Way too stylized for my personal taste. And of course it was depressing. But not in the good way. I did feel slightly like crying when Rudy died. But that was the only part that was really emotional for me.

And did I mention the stylized part? I mean, what the heck is "breakfast-coloured" sky??? I guess I'm not deep enough to appreciate it. Although, I think not, because I like unusual metaphors. It just seems like he's doing them for the sake of having lots of weird metaphors.

And children SO do not use metaphors like he wrote them to.

Brat Farrar

by Josephine Tey

Grade: Unfinished
Read: To Chapter 17 (page 148).

I decided that I liked Simon. And then in the eighth chapter (or even before then, possibly) I realized the ending. And I know Tey isn't just for the endings, like Agatha Christie has a slight tendency to be, but it still s lightly ruined it. And besides, I liked Simon.

But everything else was splendid. One of the best Josephine Tey's (although now that I think of it, that applies to most of hers that I've read...), and I think I'll try again some day.

Tam Lin

by Pamela Dean

Grade: All right

There was a lot of talk about contraception and stuff. Quite feminist. And the last eighth of the book was quite drastically different than all the rest.

But the literature stuff! Was awesome! E. Nesbit, Madeleine L'Engle, Tommy and Tuppence, "That Hideous Strength", "There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.", rephrased Chesterton quote...
I love it.
Plus there's all the Greek stuff and Keats and poetic stuff I haven't studied enough to be familiar with.

So it could be "To Own", so that when I learn about things, I can read this book again and understand more. Plus it's a good Shakespeare resource.
But ONLY for those reasons.