Fairytales 2.0 (also known as Catch-up Post #2)
So, again, I have neglected to update for a long while, so there a quite a few books that I need to review.
THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS BY JOHN CONNELLY
I’ve never read any of Connelly’s books, but I know that this is quite a departure for him. He usually writes thrillers, mysteries, and such. And while this is a thriller and a mystery, it is so much more than that. In 1939 London, a young boy named David loses his mother. His father takes up with Rose, his late mother’s nurse, and eventually David and his father move into Rose’s rambling old house. When Rose has a new baby, David begins to hear whispers from the books in his room, and his mother’s voice speaking to him from a sunken garden in the backyard. Finally, David goes through a hole in the wall and is transported to a whole different world, where there is never daylight, wild wolf-man hybrids terrorize the countryside, and harpies wait in canyons to eat careless travellers. David discovers the true value of home and family, and truly comes of age through his journey. This book is bewitching, heartwarming, shocking, and best of all, well-written. I highly recommend it!
THE CHILDREN OF MEN BY P.D. JAMES
This book seemed intriguing so I picked it up. Hopefully you will not make the same mistake. I have read many of James’s murder mysteries and enjoyed them, but this is just one unfortunate piece of literature. For once, I think I can say that the movie is a bazillion times better than the book. No one changes, there is no good action, and the plot is lost in James’s attempt to show off her enormous vocabulary. I usually like dystopia novels, but this one failed. Theo Faron is an academic who teaches at Oxford in a time when all men in the world have become sterile and the youngest people are 25 years old. England is ruled by a dictator (who isn’t even that cruel!) who happens to be Theo’s cousin. One day, Theo is contacted by a group hoping to change the current state of things. Now, here is where the plot is apparently supposed to get interesting. But it doesn’t. Ever. Please, do yourself a favor and pass this one up.
THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, translated by HERMIONE GRANGER, commentary by ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, notes by J.K. ROWLING
I adore all things Harry Potter, and this is no exception. The book is very short, and has some great illustrations by Rowling. All of the stories are funny, some are scary, and all have a moral. Sort of like fables, except wizard-style. I don’t really know what else to say. I’d recommend this if you love Harry Potter as much as I do, but if you don’t, then pass.
