Book Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Publisher: originally George M. Hill company
Publication date: originally 1900
Pages: 78
Source: free e-book
For: a classic double pair
Series: Oz Series, Book 1

Summary (from goodreads):

Follow the yellow brick road!
Dorothy thinks she's lost forever when a tornado whirls her and her dog, Toto, into a magical world. To get home, she must find the wonderful wizard in the Emerald City of Oz. On the way she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. But the Wicked Witch of the West has her own plans for the new arrival - will Dorothy ever see Kansas again?

Things I Liked:
It felt so lovely and old fashioned! It definitely had a timeless quality to it, despite it feeling so different from modern-day tales. I thought it was weird how very indifferent sometimes the characters were to tragedy or difficult things happening to them or their friends. Oh, I shall cry for them. Oh well. Having based my entire knowledge of the book on the movie, I was quite surprised to find things very different - why did they make her shoes red? Plus, a huge part of the book comes after the witch is dead. They have lots of further adventures. And it is quite obvious along the way how each of Dorothy's companions get what they are asking Oz for, and rather humorous how he gives it to them. I'm glad to have read this one finally and hope to share it with my daughter when she's ready.

Things I Didn't Like:
Some of the same things above detracted from my enjoyment, most notably the way the characters would respond to certain situations. Well, nothing we can do for them, let's just leave them or cry about it and move on. Some of the things they said felt a little strange too, like Dorothy talking about how cowardly the lion is, on a regular basis. Sometimes she didn't feel like such a "sweet" little girl.

Read-alikes:
can't think of anything :)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel AND Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
Publisher: Gutenberg Project
Publication date: originally published in 1911
Pages: 162
Source: Free e-book
For: Classic Double Challenge

Second Star by Alyssa B. Scheinmel
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: May 2014
Pages: 256
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Classic Double Challenge

Summary of Peter and Wendy (PW) from amazon:

Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang, the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Native Americans, fairies, pirates, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside of Neverland.

Summary of Second Star (SS) from goodreads:

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

Things I Liked about PW:
The story is so much more quirky than the movies have made it out to be.  More humor for the adults who read it than fun for the kids who enjoy it, I think.  Still, it's whimsical and fun and has some interesting thoughts about kids and their nature. The basic story is still there, though, with some added other adventures most movies have left out.
 
Things I Liked about SS:
I was really enjoying this book, like loving the twist on Peter Pan that it played - a surfing story complete with a Neverland beach of perfect waves.  I even enjoyed the James Hook character and his evil, but not too evil feel.  I was sucked into the story.  But I kind of found the ending disappointing.

Things I Didn't Like about PW:
Sometimes it was just trying too hard to be a book about adults talking about kids who never grow up.  I think this was more of my own expectations of what Peter Pan's story is really about.  Peter isn't really all that likeable, is he?
 
Things I Didn't Like about SS:
As I mentioned, the ending kind of threw me off.  I liked the concept, got sucked into the drama and the update and really liked seeing the elements of Peter Pan that made it in.  But, found the ending wasn't as satisfying. Not that I didn't think it could end any other way, necessarily, but I just thought it was weird (trying not to be spoilery here).  Also, Wendy kind of bugged me throughout.

Read-alikes:
Lots of Peter Pan spin offs out there, tho this one seems a bit different than others
  
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS for PW:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS for SS:
s-factor: !@
some

mrg-factor: X
mostly just kind of implied stuff

v-factor: ->
it does get a bit intense in sections

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Classic Double Challenge: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain AND The Actual and Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher by Jessica Lawson

 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Publisher:
Publication date: 1876
Pages: 209 (my kindle edition)
Source: Free e-book
For: Classic Double Challenge

The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher by Jessica Lawson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: July 2014
Pages: 224
Source: ARC from the author
For: Classic Double Challenge (and review)

Summary of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (TS) from goodreads:

From the famous episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is redolent of life in the Mississippi River towns in which Twain spent his own youth. A somber undercurrent flows through the high humor and unabashed nostalgia of the novel, however, for beneath the innocence of childhood lie the inequities of adult reality—base emotions and superstitions, murder and revenge, starvation and slavery.

Summary of The Actual and Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher (BT) from goodreads:

In 1860, eleven-year-old Becky Thatcher is the new girl in town, determined to have adventures like she promised her brother Jon before he died. With her Mama frozen in grief and her Daddy busy as town judge, Becky spends much of her time on her own, getting into mischief. Before long, she joins the boys at school in a bet to steal from the Widow Douglas, and Becky convinces her new best friend, Amy Lawrence, to join her.

Becky decides that she and Amy need a bag of dirt from a bad man’s grave as protection for entering the Widow's house, so they sneak out to the cemetery at midnight, where they witness the thieving Pritchard brothers digging up a coffin. Determined to keep her family safe (and to avoid getting in trouble), Becky makes Amy promise not to tell anyone what they saw.

When their silence inadvertently results in the Widow Douglas being accused of the graverobbery, Becky concocts a plan to clear the Widow’s name. If she pulls it off, she might just get her Mama to notice her again and fulfill her promise to Jon in a most unexpected way . . . if that tattle-tale Tom Sawyer will quit following her around.

Things I Liked About TS:
It is nice to read classics now and again, because books are (mostly) not written like this anymore (ok, maybe just the books I usually read).  I love the language and the way stories are told, things are more implied it seems and there is more flowery description.  Tom was a fun character, I love his self-pitying feelings and his mischievous side and the way his mind worked.  There are a number of iconic scenes like the white washing of the fence and going to their own funerals that are just such great stories it's impossible not to smile about them. 

Things I Liked About BT:
I thought this was a really fun way to retell Tom Sawyer.  Lawson has kind of flipped the story on its head and imagined what it might be like to have Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) seeing real people and writing them into a story, but getting things all muddled up.  I love how Tom and Sid are pretty well switched up.  Even though this kind of bothered me at first, it was fairly humorous.  Also, I loved Becky.  She was a handful and her adventures, as a girl in that time, were so great.  She let us see just what girls could do and what they did even if they weren't supposed to.  And it was nice to see a friendship with Amy in the story too.  It was a clever plot and I liked it.

Things I Didn't Like About TS:
It did feel kind of disjointed, like the story was just a bunch of funny vignettes cobbled together with very little transition.  Don't get me wrong, I love the stories, but there wasn't much connecting them together except the same old Tom.  He doesn't change much over the course of the book either, just does a lot of funny kid things and stays pretty much the same.

Things I Didn't Like About BT:
At times it really stretched belief.  I mean, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is kind of a story that stretches believability, but Becky Thatcher made it even more of a stretch.  Her time in the cave with the bandits was just too much for me.  Also, I was a bit bothered at first, as I mentioned, with the mixing up of characters and story and details.  But, I ended up liking how Mark Twain would have seen and heard all of this and mixed it up for his own writing fun.  Great retelling!

Read-alikes:
Sometimes it reminded me (maybe because of the title) of The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS (for both):
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Micro Reviews: Finishing Up 2013, Part 1

This is annoyingly painful and rather insane, but I'm just posting the rest of my 2013 books so I can forget worrying about reviewing them (um, 20+ of them, so this is only part 1). Feel free to skip it or laugh at my attempts to recall what it is I read about...


The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Intense, fast-paced, alien invasion story.  Couldn't put it down, but maybe a bit too gory for me to adore it.


Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Seriously geeked-out virtual reality world, complete with quest (of course).  Could have done without all the cussing, but enjoyed lots of the 80s references.


A Soldier's Secret: The Incredible True Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss
A real-life woman-disguised-as-a-man during the Civil War.  Seemed rather like a bunch of episodes cobbled together like vignettes, but was still intriguing enough to keep me reading.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
So much creepier than the retelling I read, The Turning.  And the ending totally leaves it up in the air as to what really happened.


The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Love the humor in this book, but found the story a bit dull in places.  Also, Egyptian mythology, like most ancient mythologies, is suuuuuuper weird.


Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin
Crazy convoluted and strange plot.  I had a hard time following (and thus buying) what happened.  Also, I seem to recall spotting some big plot holes, but since it's been so long, I don't remember a single one :)


Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill
Interesting futuristic tale, but lacking in details to really flesh out that world.  I had a hard time jumping into the story because of all the crazy lingo too.


Ironskin by Tina Connolly
Definitely one of the oddest Jane Eyre retellings I've read, but with an interesting fairy aspect that made it unique.  Nowhere near as moving as the original, though.


Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
It's absolutely painful, the every-day brutal reality so many people experienced in concentration camps.  Moving and heart-rending.


The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy
A lot of light-hearted Prince Charming humor, as entertaining and funny as the first one.


Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
A fun and thoughtful retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel.  Not as wonderful as For Darkness Shows the Stars, but still entertaining.


Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier
Complete with Marillier's gorgeous writing and complex world-building, this fairy story kept me entertained, despite a rather too-good-to-be-true heroine. Second in the Shadowfell series.


Fox Forever by Mary Pearson
More of Pearson's thoughtful medical ethics complete with full-scale rebellion.  I love how believable this future seems!  Last of the Jenna Fox Chronicles (I think).

Bravo to you if you read this!  Anything on here you loved/hated?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Retro Friday Review: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Retro Friday is a meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc."
 
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Publisher: Various (AudioGO for my audio version)
Publication date: Originally serialized from 1859-1860
Length: 24 hours, 41 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun!

When Walter Hartwright sees a woman all in white alone late one night, he is understandably surprised. Little does he suspect that she will play an important role in his new life as drawing master for two young ladies, Laura and Marian. Woven through all of their lives is this mysterious woman, a figure who may just be the key to saving Laura from her unfortunate marriage with Sir Percival Glyde.

Things I Liked:
I am once again reminded why classic books are considered, well, classic.  I'm rather ashamed that it's taken me so long to read a Wilkie Collins book!  This was fantastic; it was complex and surprising and had remarkably few of those boring side stories and descriptions of countryside that seem to plague classics.  I love how carefully the tension builds and especially how much you feel afraid for the main characters without knowing exactly why.  That feeling builds at just the right pace and we are sufficiently unprepared for the twists and turns it takes (at least I was).  I think Count Fosco is one of the most interesting characters I've ever read; a villain who is complex, not 100% evil, well developed, and just so subtle you almost doubt his villiany.  A great story with interesting characters and a crazy plot (seriously, so good).  Ian Holm is the narrator, and while not the best at varying the voices, did a great job of expressing the emotions each character was feeling.  I truly felt like he had a grasp on each person, even if sometimes the pitch or tone of voice didn't seem like it (sometimes the women were just annoying).  Still, I was entranced.  Such a fabulous book!

Things I Didn't Like:
I would normally say it was too long, but I honestly just really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.  I really didn't want it to end.  I'm definitely going to listen to more classics on audio, provided there is a good narrator.

Read-alikes:
It felt pretty Dickens-like in its complicated story

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few mild ones here and there

mrg-factor: none
some implied stuff, but never discussed

v-factor: ->
not violence, necessarily, but there's definitely some intense stuff

Overall rating:*****

Suggestions for other Wilkie Collins (or similar authors) I should read?  Any great classic audiobooks?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Retro Friday Review: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Retro Friday is a meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc."
 
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Publisher: Various
Publication date: 1948
Pages: 343 (though it varies, obviously)
Source: Library
For: Fun!

Cassandra Mortmain's family is unusual, to say the least. They live in a tumble-down castle with little to no income. Her father, a writer with serious writer's block, and stepmother, a former painter's model, are unable even to pay the rent. But when the wealthy Cottons who own their castle come back home, Cassandra's sister Rose is determined to marry one of them and bring wealth to the family. And Cassandra is determined to capture all her family's mayhem in her journal.

Things I Liked:
Despite having a slow beginning, I truly fell in love with Cassandra.  About half-way through, I turned to the cover of my library copy and checked that the book was not non-fiction.  Cassandra felt so real to me that I began to think it was a memoir or an actual diary.  Her style of writing and especially how none of the story elements are neat and complete just made the whole thing so real.  I loved the stories - oh how fun to see her family through Cassandra's eyes: the eccentric father and the dramatic stepmother and Rose, who I don't think I ever figured out.  But Cassandra was the star of it all.  I truly enjoyed reading this book.

Things I Didn't Like:
It is a touch embarrassing to admit that I was kind of hoping for a neat and complete ending.  I rather wanted my Pride and Prejudice story where everything works out in the end.  I think that's often why I like some books, but why other books are more memorable.  The ones with neat endings feel satisfying and the ones without stay with you longer.  Also, sometimes I got bored.  Still, I really liked it.

Read-alikes:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley (a bit)
Keeping The Castle by Patrice Kindl

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
some mild ones occasionally

mrg-factor: X
nothing on page, just a bit of implied stuff

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Anybody seen the film of this book?  Is it worth watching?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage