Review: The Bronze Key

The Bronze Key by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.75 stars - Although this wasn't my favorite installment in the series, I am really enjoying these books overall. This was an engaging edition to the series with a lot of action!

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Review: Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The audiobook automatically returned before I was finished with it, so I had to wait a loooong time before it could be checked out to me again because there were a lot of holds. However, I just finished it. It is a great book to teach middle school kids about the Greek gods! So many of the stories are difficult to navigate with middle school students because of all of the incest, rape, and other content that many of the gods and goddesses seem to have participated in . . . However, Rick Riordan handled it very well and in an age-appropriate way. The stories were very funny since he used Percy Jackson's voice to tell them. I definitely plan to take a look at his version of Greek heroes as well. It was really enjoyable!

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Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just re-listened to the book for about the 100th time. Still doesn't get old! I love the later books in the series even more, but this is pretty great! And Jim Dale is a genius as far as reading aloud goes. There just isn't a better reader out there!

12/9/18 - Another fun re-read! I can't wait until I get to the later books again!

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Review: Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. This was a Jane Austen I'd just never gotten to! I always enjoy her writing, but there were a few things that annoyed me about it. First, Fanny was almost too perfect and too sweet. I felt badly for her, but I wish she had a tiny bit more pep or something. She was just always getting so tired and was so incredibly meek and mild and I just wanted her to state her opinion on something sometime! But she didn't. I guess I just prefer Elizabeth Bennets to Fanny Prices.

It also annoyed me that it wasn't until the last couple of paragraphs before (view spoiler)[ Fanny ends up with Edmund. (hide spoiler)] Edmund always cared about her and trusted her, but I was frustrated by how obsessed he was with Mary. I know we were supposed to be frustrated by that, but I just wish it hadn't lasted the entire book. I would have enjoyed seeing the (view spoiler)[ process of him falling in love with Fanny a little more. (hide spoiler)]

Still, I was wanting to know the whole time what was going to happen so I was very motivated to listen to it. I also enjoyed watching the movie afterwards and they definitely gave Fanny more spunk than she had in the book. It made me really want to reread Pride and Prejudice (my favorite, although Persuasion is a close second) actually. I think I might. :) Now I only have Lady Susan and will have read them all!

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Review: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really, really liked this book! Definitely the best middle grade book I've read in a long time (and I've read a few good ones recently!). There were creative, whimsical characters (including a giant talking cat - who doesn't love that??), a unique world, a compelling plot, and more! I think this series has a lot of potential. The comparisons to Harry Potter are fair, at least as far as the feelings evoked while reading it and the potential it has for future books. I loved the actual trials and the scenes that took place surrounding holidays. I think there is room for more world-building and development of the antagonist, but I am looking forward to that in future books. I almost never give 5 stars, but I think this one may be worthy of the rating!

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Review: What Happened

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really wish this book had been written before the election. I doubt it would have made much of a difference, but you get to see Hillary's more relatable side. She explains herself really well, in ways I sometimes think she wasn't able to get across as clearly during the election.

I really appreciated how much she talks about her faith. I had no idea that she took her faith so seriously. Her discussions about her e-mails and Russian interference were fascinating and enlightening as well. I also enjoyed seeing glimpses into her personal life and feelings -- her walks will her husband, how numb she felt when she found out she lost, her gathering her courage to go to the inauguration, playing with her granddaughter, etc.

Some of it felt propaganda-like, but it also seemed like she really deeply believed what she was saying throughout the book as well. I am glad I listened to this, because I think hearing her voice while she read it helped me hear it the way she intended me to. Overall, it made me like and appreciate her more and think about what could have been (although, as she points out, if she had become president, there may not be as much political energy as there is now - protests, more people running, etc.). Overall it was a really cathartic and thought-provoking book!

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Review: Outliers: The Story of Success

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I thought it was very interesting, but I knew more what to expect than last time I read a book by Gladwell so I was less surprised. It was good though!

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