Book Review: The Gargoyle – Andrew Davidson

The Gargoyle – Andrew Davidson

On a dark road in the middle of the night, a car plunges into a ravine.  The driver survives the crash, but his injuries confine him to a hospital burn unit.  There the mysterious Marianne Engel, a sculptress of grotesques, enters his life.  She insists they were lovers in medieval Germany, when he was a mercenary and she was a scribe in the monastery of Engelthal.  As she spins the story of their past lives together, the man’s disbelief falters; soon, even the impossible can no longer be dismissed.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

The beginning of this book is not for the weak of stomach.  It starts out right away with the narrator having a horrible car accident that burns him severely.  Then goes on to the hospital and his recovery, which involves so many things on his skin that are described in detail.  He doesn’t meet Marianne for a while into the book and when she is introduced her characters fascinated me.  She told many stories about how they met in Medieval Germany and even has stories of people she knew a long time ago.  All of the stories that are very interesting.  You see the narrator turn into a whole new person, not just physically but mentally.  He was such a selfish, cocky person before his accident.  I even loved the dog in this story, Bougatsa and the role he plays in all of this.  I think the most interesting thing of all is that I got done reading this book and then realized that we never found out the narrators name.

Book Review: Love, Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli

Love, Stargirl –Jerry Spinelli

Love, Stargirl picks up a year after Stargirl ends and reveals the new life of the beloved character who moved away so suddenly at the end of Stargirl.  The novel takes the form of “the world’s longest letter,” in diary form, going from date to date through a little more than a year’s time.  In her writing, Stargirl mixes memories of her bittersweet time in Mica, Arizona, with involvements with new people in her life.

In Love, Stargirl, we hear the voice of Stargirl herself as she reflects on time, life, Leo, and – of course – love.

3/5 stars (liked it)

I liked this follow up book but not as much as the first one.  Although it was nice to see where Stargirl moved to and how she was affected by the way things went with Leo.  It was her first love and she even tried to change who she was for it.  But in the end she knew she would never be happy except to be herself.  This book is filled with very interesting characters and some other non-common names.  I like that this was from Stargirl’s point of view.  I almost wish there was a 5 years after follow up to see where Leo and Stargirl are and if they will ever find each other again.

Book Review: Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, hallways hum "Stargirl." She captures Leo Borlock's heart with one smile.  She sparks a school-spirit revolution with one cheer.  The students of Mica High are enchanted.  Until they are not.  Leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her - normal.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

I didn't think I would like this book as much as I did.  The book is written in the point of view of Leo, which I did not like at first because I really wanted to know what was going through Stargirl's mind.  But in the end I was glad that the book was in his point of view.  Stargirl is the most caring but not normal girl and was very hard for people to accept her.  I really think that we need more people like her in the world.  She was a very brave person to not conform to "normal" and to be herself and care about everyone.  I am planning to read the next book about her.

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness

Deep in the heart of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, Diana Bishop—a young scholar and the descendant of witches—unearths an enchanted alchemical manuscript.  Wanting nothing to do with sorcery, she banishes the book to the stacks.  But her discovery has set a fantastical underworld stirring, and soon a horde of daemons, witches, and other creatures descends upon the library.  Among them is the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire with a keen interest in the book.  Equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense, A Discovery of Witches is a mesmerizing and addictive tale of passion and obsession that reveals the closely guarded secrets of an enchanted world.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

At first I was not too crazy about this book, it starts off slow.  Introducing Diana, a reluctant witch that finds a manuscript.  Also we meet Matthew a very old vampire that is also interested in the manuscript.  But as we learn more and more about Diana’s past and her ancestors and Matthew’s long life as a vampire the book gets more and more interesting.  There is also a bit of history and I’m normally not one that likes reading about history but this book made it interesting.  I could not put the book down the last 100 pages and now I wish that the next book was in my hand so I could continue it.

Book Review: 100 Ghosts: A Gallery of Harmless Haunts – Doogie Horner

100 Ghosts: A Galleryof Harmless Haunts – Doogie Horner

We’re all familiar with the classic Halloween ghost – you cut two eyeholes out of a bed sheet and BOO!  You’ve created a simple, ready-to-go costume.  But what if these friendly haunts walked—erm, floated—among us in real life?  If we encountered them on a day-to-day basis, how would they look?  Writer, designer, and stand-up comedian Doogie Horner explores every sort of spook in 100 Ghosts: A Gallery of Harmless Haunts.

Inside 100 Ghosts, haunts come in every shape and size imaginable.  In addition to your “classic” bed sheet with eyes, you’ll find new faces, like mustached, no-nonsense “Undercover Cop,” a fuzzy Muppet, and Marilyn Monroe prettily posed above that famous air vent.  You’ll encounter a threadbare “Homemade” ghost with button eyes and patches, a nervous ghost with a literal knot in his stomach, and a ravenous ghost slurping down a bowl of spaghetti (where does it go?!).

100 Ghosts is a whimsical, haunting collection that shows that ghosts, like their human counterparts, can come in all different shapes, sizes, and personalities.  This fun book is a delightful gift for adults, kids, and anyone in need of a friendly fright.

3/5 stars (liked it)

I received this as an advance read from Quirk books.  I read this book in one sitting and found the pictures really silly and creative.  I also had my husband read it and my 9-year-old son read it.  I think my 9-year-old son got the biggest kick out of it.  This is a book that I will leave sitting out on my coffee table for guest to leaf through.  I think one of my favorite ghost was “Harry Potter” ghost.

Book Club: The Last Communist Virgin – Wang Ping

The Last Communist Virgin – Wang Ping

From the restaurants of New York’s Chinatown to the retail emporium of Bergdorf Goodman, and from remote Chinese military outposts to the streets of Beijing, these stories open a window into the rapid transformations of an ancient culture.  As the characters struggle to find their way, a young girl discovers love amidst a sea of angry Red Guards, émigrés navigate New York’s relentless rat race, and an old man returns to a Beijing he doesn’t recognize on a mission to restore his son-in-law’s flagging honor.  In the heatrending finale, the origins of humanity and its reckless dash toward an apocalyptic future are distilled into a love store with far-reaching implications.

1/5 stars (did not like)

Too many characters and the transition between characters was not well done.  I ended up not really caring about what happened to each character.  Also the only thing they all had in common was that they either currently lived in China or came to the U.S. from China.  I would rather have had a story about one family rather than all these that were not related to eachother.

Our next book:  Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Rebecca Wells

Book Review: Daughters of the Witching Hill – Mary Sharratt

Daughters of theWitching Hill – Mary Sharratt

In “Daughters of the Witching Hill”, Mary Sharratt brings history to life in a vivid and wrenching novel of strong women, family, and betrayal inspired by the 1612 Pendle witch trials.

Bess Southerns, an impoverished widow lives with her children in a crumbling old tower in Pendle Forest.  Drawing on Catholic ritual, medicinal herbs, and guidance from her spirit-friend Tibb, Bess heals the sick and foretells the future in exchange for food and drink.  As she ages, she instructs her best friend, Anne, and her granddaughter, Alizon, in her craft.  Though Anne ultimately turns to dark magic, Alizon intends to use her craft for good.  But when a peddler suffers a stroke after exchanging harsh words with Alizon, a local magistrate tricks her into accusing her family and neighbors of witchcraft.  Suspicion and paranoia reach frenzied heights as friends and loved ones turn on one another and the novel draws to an inevitable conclusion.

4/5 stars (really liked it)

The subject of witches, and especially witch trials that took place in the early 1600s really fascinate me.  This book starts out with Bess Southerns as a young woman learning the craft and getting her own familiar, Tibb.  She then goes on to teach her daughter Liza about being a healer but it is not a path for her daughter.  Then her daughter has a daughter named Alizon who Bess believes will take over for her once she is old.  The story is then told from Alizon’s point of view.  Her struggles and denial in being chosen.  The last third of the book was where everything came together.  Alizon, Bess, Annie & Anne are all accused of witchcraft.  The magistrate tricks all of them to accuse each other.  I loved the ending of this book as well as the writing style of the author.  I will definitely be checking out any other books written by her.