All posts by skyebjenner

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

The Bloody ChamberTitle: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
Author: Angela Carter
In: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (Angela Carter)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Dark fantasy, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 1979
5th sentence, 74th page: No response to my tentative rap on his door.

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Synopsis

Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of such contemporary masters of supernatural fiction as Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J. K. Rowling, and Kelly Link, who introduces this edition of Carter’s most celebrated book, published for the seventy-fifth anniversary of her birth. In The Bloody Chamber—which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan’s 1984 movie The Company of Wolves—Carter spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy tales and legends like “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Bluebeard,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” giving them exhilarating new life in a style steeped in the romantic trappings of the gothic tradition.

Thoughts

I started reading this book over a year ago. And after the first three stories, I felt completely overwhelmed. Honestly, they are hard going. But, after having a very long break, I decided to return to the world of Angela Carter. And I don’t know if it’s that I was in a better frame of mind for it, or maybe my reading tastes have developed, but there is something about Carter’s lyrical writing style that made it almost impossible to put this down.

There is a way about Carter’s writing that not only flows beautifully, but completely turns everything on its head. Her retake on many familiar stories leaves hauntingly familiar tales that you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s eerie and haunting, and has definitely given me a lot to think about.

 <- Wolf Alice Review The Bloody Chamber Review ->
Image source: Angela Carter

Payment Due by Frances Hardinge

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Payment Due
Author: Frances Hardinge
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I was inside.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Caroline comes home from school one day to find that her naïve grandmother has allowed a bailiff into their home. The man has marked most of their worldly possessions as impounded and given them five days to pay their debt. When the ladies are unable to come up with the money, the bailiff returns to haul the items away. Both Caroline and her grandmother are distraught by this turn of events, especially since one of the items the man took was a picture of Caroline’s dead mother. With the help of her animal friends and a little magic, Caroline sets about taking back what’s rightfully theirs.

Thoughts

So many people take advantage of the elderly. I mean, I’ve seen the little dollar signs light up in people’s eyes when they see him coming. It’s horrible, but it happens. However, I have never taken it as far as this granddaughter when seeking to get revenge on how people have wronged him. It’s left me seriously admiring not only her gumption but her care for the lovely elderly lady.

As you can probably already tell, the beginning of this story was a little sad. A little old lady is taken advantage of, and all of her belongings are stolen. She tries to keep a brave face about it all, but it has obviously really upset her. But, that’s where the sadness ends. Quickly, her granddaughter hunts down the bailiff in an attempt to buy back the things that were taken. That doesn’t work, and then matters are taken into her own hands…..

 <- Stray Magic Review A Handful of Ashes Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Sisterhood Everlasting

Title: Sisterhood Everlasting
Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Sisterhood #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: She could hear the same kind of wetness at the bottom of Bridget’s breathing.

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Synopsis

On the cusp of turning thirty, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are now living separate lives, out on their own. Yet despite having jobs and men they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness. Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever – but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

Thoughts

I cried like a little bitch. And it tends to take quite a lot for me to cry. I have lots of internal tears over books, and I tend to sit up long after I’ve finished reading a really good book to reminisce and think about it. But actual tears, leaking onto the page? Yeah, that doesn’t happen often. Which is a testament to not only how brilliantly this is written, but to the potency of the emotions and the storyline.

Forever in Blue left the girls at the beginning of adulthood. Together, yet apart. It was an ending in a way, the ending of childhood, the pants and that innocence that we have the privilege of when we’re young. It was a really fitting ending to a great series about coming of age. But, that doesn’t mean that revisiting the four girls after ten years wasn’t the most exciting thing I’ve done all weekend (to be fair, I’ve been sick, so I’ve been very bored).

Explaining exactly why I cried so much throughout this book would give away too much of the storyline. But, suffice to say, Sisterhood Everlasting deals with issues of adulthood and mental health that the rest of the stories only briefly touch upon. It’s a lot more serious and heart wrenching than the other books in this series. Having said that, I finished this book last night and lay in bed, curled up next to my partner for almost two hours just smiling. Those moments when a storyline is able to swell your heart in your chest, remind you of all that there is to be grateful for in life – Sisterhood Everlasting gave me this. Now I’m feeling a little bereft and lost, trying to find the next book / series to read.

 <- Forever in Blue ReviewThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Review ->
Image source: Pinterest

I’m Screwed

Blog, , , , ,

Study

I had an assignment due today. And I haven’t even started it. I thought that I had started to think about it, so I had a bit of an idea about what I needed to do. But, it turns out that my case study has already been picked for me, so it is nothing like what I thought. Which means I’m screwed. It’s not getting handed in on time. I’m just hoping to get it in less than 24 hours late… but even that feels kind of unlikely. I’ve spent 2 hours staring at the screen and the template trying to figure out what I’m actually doing. Why oh why did I choose a business subject?!?!? I know nothing about business!

So basically, I’m screwed. Especially since I never hand things in late. I’m the girl who finishes major assignments (did I mention that I’m talking about a major assignment here?) a week early. Which is just freaking me out even more.

So I’m sitting here wondering what’s going on – am I struggling with this because I’ve freaked myself out by being so late? Or is it because I just generally don’t mesh well with business as a subject? Or is it just time to take a break from studying? I’ve fallen a little behind because of being sick the last few weeks, but also because I’ve been working so much. And, working and reading and writing has actually left me really enjoying life. So, I keep wondering where that leaves study?

Full disclosure, I’m doing postgrad studies and this is my seventh year out of high school and in university. My partner doesn’t understand studying – he’s a tradie. So I’m left with my own mind and decisions – when is enough enough with study? When do you say, I haven’t had any luck getting work from University, so maybe I’ll try something new? Which, since I’m not actually handing things up on time (and struggling for almost the first time ever), I am starting to question my future goals. The fact that there’s a mortgage and two fur babies just makes everything more difficult.

Alright, contrary to the title of this blog – I’m not actually screwed. I’m struggling with one assignment (and the end of a subject), but it’s not really the end of the world. It’s just a reminder that I think my world has changed. Study is no longer my first priority. And sometimes it’s a horrible thing (like today), but sometimes it’s actually kind of nice. So, maybe instead of freaking out about what I’m going to do in the future. And about whether or not I will be able to finish this damn assignment… I’m going to focus on just taking every single moment and minute that comes my way.

Image source: GuoGuiyan

Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Forever in BlueTitle: Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Sisterhood #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ember
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: She wasn’t completely alone.

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Synopsis

Some friends just fit together.

With unraveled embroidery and fraying hems, the Traveling Pants are back for one last, glorious summer. It’s a summer that will forever change the lives of Lena, Bridget, Tibby, and Carmen, here and now, past and future, together and apart.

Thoughts

This was kind of the end of the series (but not quite, since there is actually a fifth book). It felt like the end though, because Tibby, Carmen, Bee and Lena all finally join the real world of adulthood. They’ve just finished their first year at college (I still refer to it as university though), and they’re trying to find themselves as women. But, and this is the biggest difficulty, finding themselves as adults, while still staying true to each other.

It was kind of strange the stark contrast between the four girls in Girls in Pants to the four girls in Forever in Blue. It actually made me wonder if I changed that much in my first year of University. They turned into completely new characters, but still had the threads of themselves working through their new identities. For me, Carmen was the one who underwent this change most drastically. Although, that could be because so far in the series, I recognised myself in her most of all.

This entire series so far has been about coming of age and finding out who you are. Both with your friends, and apart. So, it almost comes full circle when they reconnect and finish their metamorphosis into adults. The lessons that the pants imparted on each of them have truly been learnt, and there is an acceptance of change in each other that you rarely find in friends, just the true ones.

 <- Girls in Pants Review Sisterhood Everlasting Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Girls in Pants by Ann Brashares

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Girls in PantsTitle: Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Sisterhood #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ember
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: It was the life he had grown up in.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Some friends just fit together.

It’s the summer before the sisterhood departs for college . . . their last real summer together before they head off to start their grown-up lives. It’s the time when Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen need their Pants the most.

Thoughts

This series just keeps getting better and better. It’s definitely one that will be read again and again and again. The four girls continue to grow older, confront their pasts and turn from the girls that they were into the women that they can be. Actually, pausing between books to write this review is a little like torture. Girls in Pants leaves them right on the cusp of adulthood, heading off to college (or university for us Aussies). And I can’t wait to open up Forever Blue.

Again, Carmen is forced to face her destructive tendencies. And just in time, I loved her self-destruction in the first two books (since I totally relate), but it was starting to get a little repetitive. So, finding out more about the Good Carmen was a lot more enjoyable. It also helped to send her off to the start of her adult life on a much more kiltered level. Again, Bee has to face up to emotions that she thought long buried. But this time, instead of just finding her footing and self, she finds someone else. Which was such a beautiful ending to her individual story that I was left smiling in that quiet way that you do when something just works so beautifully and sweetly.

Finally, Lena and Tibby go on two completely opposite journeys. While Lena struggles to get over her past love life and stand up for herself; Tibby tries to begin one and stop rebelling quite so hard. The reverse-parallel between the two stories works beautifully and it’s a reminder of how completely different these four young women are. Yet, how similar they are and the ways in which they’re just trying to find themselves in their new and ever growing world.

 <- The Second Summer of the Sisterhood Review Forever in Blue Review ->
Image source: Ann Brashares

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares

Book Review, , , ,

OverviewThe Second Summer of the Sisterhood

Title: The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Sisterhood #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ember
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: So what’s your project going to be?

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Some friends just fit together.

With a bit of last summer’s sand in the pockets, the Traveling Pants and the sisterhood of four best friends who wear them – Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen – embark on their second summer together… a summer that does not go the way they expect.

Thoughts

It was just as good as the first! No. Scratch that. It was better! Because I already loved the characters. And I had already spent one summer of tears and trials with them. So I just needed to spend another one with them. And I wasn’t in the slightest bit disappointed. Some sequels are just not all they’re cracked up to be – this one was a lot better than I had expected. And more of a surprise since I haven’t seen the movie.

As with the first Sisterhood story, each of the four girls undergo their own journey of self-discovery and growth. For Lena, it is the admittance that she is actually in love. It is her discovery that she needs to put herself out there, and she finally suffers the consequences of opening herself up. Both the good and the bad. She also finally lets her family in beyond the well-defended exterior. On the other hand, Carmen, yet again, tries to learn to curb her emotions. Lessons, it seems weren’t quite learnt from the year before. And this constant self-sabotage is honestly something that I can relate to more than anything in this series. It took me years and years and years to curb my temper, and even now, my tongue causes chaos when I open my mouth. Much like Carmen.

Finally, both Bee and Tibby struggle and fight to get over the tragedies that befell them the summer before. Both fight to find themselves in a new world where they don’t quite know how to act. One sinks into her family, and both remember their past.

 <- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Review Girls in Pants Review ->
Image source: Ann Brashares

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Sisterhood of the Travelling PantsTitle: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Sisterhood #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ember
Year: 2001
5th sentence, 74th page: Antiperspirant rolled in all directions.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Some friends just fit together.

Once there was a pair of pants. Just an ordinary pair of jeans. But these pants, the Traveling Pants, went on to do great things. This is the story of the four friends – Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen – who made it possible.

Thoughts

I never really expect a book that is related to a movie I love to be good. And vice versa (I like the Harry Potter movies, but no one will watch them with me anymore). And although one of my girlfriends said that this was a really good book, I was still really tentative. But, as my rating shows, I LOVED THIS.

The thing that I’ve always loved about the movie is that there are four distinctly different and strong young girls, but they are also seriously flawed and rely heavily on one another. That, and the fact that this is the BFF girl friendship that people dream about (I have it, and it’s as good as the movies!) But the book just highlights all of this and makes it so much more entertainingly and awesomely complex. Tibby is far more confused twisted, and less cool than the movie; Bridget more unstable and more intense and fun; Lena far less okay with her looks, but with better reasoning; and Carman, well, I just related to her ridiculously throughout the entire story. She is temperamental and feisty – I now provide warnings when I know I’m likely to blow a fuse (for absolutely no reason). I think it’s the fact that the four girls are less picturesque and cool (Bridget is even described as manly), and far more selfish as human beings that really drew me in. I could completely relate to their flaws (not their strengths) and just, just, just… no words, I loved them all that much more.

There are so many monumental and meaningful things I would love to say about this book. But even a few days after finishing it, and constantly thinking about it… I can’t find anything that does it justice. I literally read this book cover to cover (and was a little late to work) because it was that good. It has been years since I’ve done this!

 <- Sisterhood Everlasting Review The Second Summer of the Sisterhood Review ->
Image source: Another Toast

The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson

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Overview

The Secret CountessTitle: The Secret Countess
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, History, Romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Young Picador
Year: 1981
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘She’s new,’ he said.

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Synopsis

Anna, a young countess, has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. But when revolution tears Russia apart, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England. Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping, Anna determines to become a housemaid and she finds work at the Earl of Westerholme’s crumbling but magnificent mansion. The staff and the family are sure there is something not quite right about their new maid – but she soon wins them over with her warmth and dedication.

Then the young Earl returns home from the war – and Anna falls hopelessly in love. But they can never be together: Rupert is engaged to the snobbish and awful Muriel – and anyway, Anna is only a servant. Or so everybody thinks . . .

Thoughts

It doesn’t matter how many times I read this novel, I fall in love every single time. After all, it’s the most beautiful love story set in picturesque England. Kind of Downton Abbey-ish, but with one of the best love stories I’ve ever read. It is simple, subtle and sneaks up on both you and Anna as you read. Honestly, you can’t help but smile as you turn the last page of the book. And, sometimes all you want to do is go back to the beginning all over again.

I’ve always struggled with reading historical fiction – I’m not really all that knowledgeable about it, and quite often, I get so bogged down in the details that I lose the story. Maybe I should really just do some research into the periods I’m reading about, but that would just take away from my time spent in the story… but I digress. Ibbotson’s work doesn’t get so bogged down about the details (in this case the years surrounding World War I) that you can’t find the story anymore. Instead, the history around World War I is just a great back drop to a story that expands the ages – like all good love stories.

So far this makes it sound like I love romances. But, mostly, I find them kind of tedious and frustrating to read. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy, love, sappy, bleugh… and, although this novel does mostly follow that pattern, there’s just that something extra that makes it interesting enough to read. Interesting enough that I have read this at least once a year since I got given it for Christmas.

 <- The Morning Gift Review A Song for Summer Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Little Gods by Holly Black

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Under My HatTitle: Little Gods
Author: Holly Black
In: Under My Hat (Jonathan Strahan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I guess it doesn’t make much sense.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

As a little girl, Ellery attended church with her grandmother and imagined what it would be like if the statues of saints and angels came to life. At sixteen, she joined a Wiccan coven hoping to discover a little real magic. She and the other members of her coven travel to a distant farm where they meet up with other covens to celebrate Beltane. As the festivities get into full swing, she heads to the edge of the woods by herself, feeling disappointed that she hasn’t yet experienced any magic like what she’d dreamed of. But when a mysterious boy stops by to introduce himself, she may get exactly what she’s wanted for so long.

Thoughts

Although I’m not quite Wiccan, I do prescribe to a lot of their beliefs, and I have spent hours upon hours reading up about different covens, rites and practices. Which always makes it fun to read a story that is based around this system of being and existing. I also related ridiculously to the chief protagonist – she believes that there is something more in the world, and that she can almost feel it, it’s just out of reach.

One of my favourite things about this short story is that I thought we were heading for disaster. That the story would end with disillusionment and a return to a more “normal” life. But, luckily for me, it didn’t there was a feeling of total peace and happiness at the conclusion of this, and I was left with a smile lingering across my lips.

 <- A Handful of Ashes Review Barrio Girls Review ->
Image source: Frances Hardinge