Clockwise is different. In an enjoyable unforeseen way. A young adult novel that is not about a dystopic world that needs shaking and saving is novel in the young adult genre. Clockwise steers clear of futuristic societies instead, bringing along some baggage from the past. Time travel back into the 1800s! Casey Donovan is not considered cool in school. Which suits her fine since she has other things that need her attention. For example, her tendency to jump back into time…
I have hazy recollection of onscreen adaptations of The Wind in the Willows where furry rodents in warm fuzzy coats sat on wicker chairs in open grassy river banks. Kenneth Grahame’s book featuring talking animals, their friendships and a cozy natural habitat is a children’s classic. I read and found out why this straightforward story continues to remain a favourite. The simple storytelling, pristine wilderness and beautifully thought out characters prepare us for what’s to come in life. Here are my favourite stories…
UnEnchanted, by Chanda Hahn, is book 1 in the An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Young Adult series. At the beginning, it felt like a grown up was writing about teenagers. A disaster for a young adult book. It is expected that rooms be dirty and crushes pined after. But, the writing and story got more captivating with time. Grimm’s fairytales have been central to such a vast majority of fantasy fiction that is always fun to see what a writer has…
Having first read Fountainhead followed by Atlas Shrugged, We The Living came as a tragic jolt I was entirely unprepared for. Ayn Rand believed in the strength of man and his ideals. It was inevitable that Howard Roark and John Galt would survive and succeed because of who they were and who they refused to be. I expected a similar journey in We The Living and that was my undoing. “Andrei, did you like the opera?” “Not particularly.” “Andrei, do…
Ravished sticks to a more traditional regency romance format than some of the other novels by Amanda Quick. It is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. How can I tell? First clue – The hero, Viscount St. Justin, has a scarred face and a dishonourable past. He is unwelcome in polite society. Apart from a few close confidantes, he lives through life alone. Second clue – He is considered a brute by all. On numerous occasions, friends…
The Duke and I is a historical romance by Julia Quinn. The first of the immensely popular Bridgerton series. For me, it was a case of lost potential. The book started off full of promise, quickly dwindled in pace and ended without invoking any interest.…
I usually know from the start of a book, if soon enough, late into the hours after midnight, I am going to invariably end up quietly shedding happy tears, tucked into my cosy quilt. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think I cry particularly easily, except at the end of every good book. “Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while.” But, Anne of Green Gable, by Lucy Montgomery, was not a book I was…
An overbearing old house with a haunting overshadowing past that looms over its inhabitants. Dorothy Eden uses this trait of gothic romance in a consummate setting for Death is a Red Rose. The book is whimsical and a breezy read even though the atmosphere inside the house is ominous and heavy with secrets and lies. The surest way to intrigue a suspense novel reader is to introduce the suspects. So, here goes – Arabia Bolton is a drama loving, senile, lonely old…
Insanity by Cameron Jace is one of the craziest books I have ever read, which is a lot to say considering the books I tend to read more often than not have wizards, vampires or private eye detectives in them. This is the first book in the Mad in Wonderland series. Cameron Jace re-imagines Alice in Wonderland characters in a ludicrous modern day setting with perfectly vague and frabjous (a word used in the book a LOT) results. “One of…
Lady in white is a romance novel where forbidden love meets arranged marriage. Thrown in is a ghost or two, for good measure. Denise Domning mixes royal political drama with some old fashioned romance and the result turns out to be a well-written book all in all. Bella is a rather plain-faced recent young window. Her mother was a conniving narcissistic siren in Queen Elizabeth’s court. Surprisingly, the Queen is portrayed as this petulant child-woman who likes to get her way.…